Make sure your story idea is a good one.

• In considering various ideas, maintain a healthy skepticism.
  
  
• Research your subject thoroughly by using:

  - The Internet
  - Magazine index
  - National newspaper index
  - Business index
  - Network of friends, colleagues and clients

Avoid mass mailings. Use the 80/20 rule; concentrate your efforts on the 20 percent of the media that will deliver the greatest impact.

• With important media, call first; send written material as a follow-up.
  
  
• When making telephone follow-up calls, try to say something more interesting than “I’m calling to see if you received our press materials.”

Spend some time crafting your telephone pitch.

• Write out important points.
  
  
• Have a hook in the first sentence.
  
  
• Keep it short.
  
  
• Be casual.
  
  
• Practice the pitch with a colleague.
  
  
• Call a reporter you know. Or, get advice on who to call from another journalist.

Create an easy-to-read, informal, personalized follow-up package, not a slick press kit.

• Write a personal letter that ties back to your phone pitch.
  (The letter is more important than the release.)
  
  
• Think of your audience — write with style.

• Follow a format:

  - Summarize the story idea (“I enjoyed speaking with you yesterday about… .”).
  - Give four or five bulleted reasons why your idea is a good one.
  - Use a summary statement:

“In short, … .”
“I’ll call later in the week to see what you think.”

• Write your news release the way a reporter would — in short, punchy sentences and paragraphs:

  - Keep it heavy on facts, light on quotes.
  - Make it no longer than three pages.

• Provide photos, if available.
  
  
• Include interesting background material.
  
  
• If you received a favorable response on the phone, drop everything and FedEx or courier your follow-up package that same day.

Follow up persistently.

• Set up ground rules — “Can I call you again in two weeks?”
  
  
• Try to have new information for each call.
  
  
• If you feel you’re being too obtrusive, use the fax machine to get new information into the mix.
  
  
• A little humor goes a long way.
  
  
• Don’t be shy — most journalists don’t mind repeated reminder calls.
  
  
• If your story gets placed, write a thank-you note.