For the best results, avoid marketing lingo and technical jargon

By: Cole Buergi, VP of Business Development, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

Marketing and public relations activities are similar and complementary in many respects, except when it comes to the media.

Reporters will often ignore news releases and media pitches that use marketing lingo or are filled with technical terminology that only industry insiders could comprehend.

Reporters consider marketing buzz words to be “advertising” and will ignore these types of news releases and pitches. Their sentiment is that if you want your company promoted in that way, place an ad. And, they are correct. Their purpose is to share news and information, not promote your business.

As for using technical language, it’s important to know the reporter and his or her audience. If the reporter is with an industry trade publication, it’s great to use industry terminology because they will understand it and likely use that language every day.

However, if you’re trying to catch a reporter’s attention and he or she is not well versed in the industry, then you’ll likely lose their interest. It’s better to write to their knowledge level and gain their interest first. Then during the interview, you can work in technical terminology, but only when appropriate. The key is to remember that media’s audience and think to yourself, will they understand it or should I be speaking in layman’s terms.

Following these simple guidelines will lead to more media opportunities and story placements.