How to Turn an Article into a Press Release

One of the key strategies for making a living from your writing is to learn how to repurpose your content.

You have some content, right? Information you want to share with others and, if possible, make money from?

How do you do that?

Last month I taught you a lot of things about article writing. This month I'm teaching how to do press releases.

This week I'll put the two together, and show you how to turn an article into a press release.

Step 1: Start with your article. Get out your article. For the purpose of this lesson, I'll use "Start Your Book Right." Do you see it on the left navigation column? Click on that and print out the article, please. It will be easier to follow this lesson if you have that in front of you to refer to.

Now, let's say I wanted to repurpose this article into a press release that will announce that I'm giving a teleseminar on this topic. (Which I am going to do, by the way. Notice how I repurpose the content I've already done. Since I have to write a press release for the teleseminar anyway, I thought I'd teach you my method as I do it. I'm into multi-purposing!)

Step 2: Formulate Your Headline.  First, I need a headline that will grab attention, right? Make sure there's a promise.

Here are a few possibilities:

           "Publishing Coach Teaches Teleseminar on Avoiding the 7 Mistakes Almost All Authors Make"

           "Author, Publishing Expert Teaches How to Avoid 7 Mistakes Almost Every Author Makes"

           "Upcoming Teleseminar Teaches Authors How to Avoid 7 Common but Costly Mistakes"

           "Upcoming Teleseminar Teaches How to Avoid 7 Common but Costly Mistakes Almost Every Author Makes"

           "Book Coach Teaches How to Avoid Most Costly Mistakes Authors Make"

           "Book Coach Teaches Authors How to Avoid 7 Most Costly Mistakes"

           "Book Coach Teaches Authors How to Avoid 7 Most Common Mistakes"

           "Book Coach Reveals How to Avoid the 7 Costly Mistakes Most Authors Make"

To come up with the final headline, I would do some keyword research, as well as go to my "swipe file" of successful headlines that I've collected over the years.

(By the way, I would appreciate your input: Which title would make you want to read on? Remember, the only purpose of the headline is to get someone to read more.)

Of course, I would format the press release correctly, as I mentioned in "Anatomy of a Successful Press Release." You'll see that in the final form.

For now, let's concentrate on content.

Step 3: Write the Lead. The first paragraph needs to give the "five Ws"—who, what, when, where, and why. So, here goes:

            Winfield, IL, May 22, 2007—Author and publishing coach/consultant Diane Eble will give a free teleseminar for anyone considering writing a book, or who has already been published, on "How to Avoid the 7 Most Costly Mistakes Almost All Authors Make." The call will take place on Wednesday, May 30, at 7:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time, and will last 60-70 minutes.

Step 4: Quote and credentialization:

"Nearly all authors, published or not yet, make at least one or two mistakes that can derail their book. If the mistakes don't keep them from getting published in the first place, they will definitely hamper their ability to sell their books," says Eble, who is herself the author of 11 books and who has been in the publishing field for more than 28 years as an author, editor, and copywriter. "I've made all these mistakes, and I've seen other authors make them.  I want to help other authors avoid these mistakes so that they can not only get published, but get their books out to lots and lots of people," she adds.

Step 5: Body copy:

            In her teleseminar, which is free to the public except for normal long-distance charges to the teleseminar bridge line, Eble will discuss:

• Why starting your book too soon can doom it to failure—and the approach they should take that will just about guarantee a successful book
• The number one mistake nearly every author makes, and an easy way to avoid it
• Why most authors never make more than a few cents on their book—but how you can ensure your book can bring in a lucrative income
• Where to go for help, so that you can be confident you'll write a book that will sell
• How to avoid the bad advice that's rampant
• How writing a book is similar to painting a room
• What you absolutely need to have if you want to find a publisher to publish your book for you

How did I write these bullet points? I just looked at my article, and thought about what I could say about each of the 7 points that would arouse curiosity and make people want to come to the teleseminar. I'm still giving them information—I'm telling them what they'll learn on the call. But I'm doing it in such a way that it arouses curiosity.

Notice sometimes I use the words "so that." Whenever you write down a feature, continue on with "so that …" and give the benefit—the payoff your reader will be looking for.

Step 5: Call to action:

            To sign up for the free teleseminar, go to http://www.wordstoprofit.com/teleseminar.html/. Once you register, you will be given the phone number and access code for the call. You will also receive a study guide prior to the call, so you can take notes. All who register will also be given a link to the downloadable recording, which is also free.

For further information about the teleseminar or about book coaching, contact Diane Eble at 630-665-0843 or visit http://www.wordstoprofit.com or http://www.yourbookpublishingcoach.com/.

Step 6: Copy, paste, format into press release style and revise. I took all the abbove copy and cut and pasted it into a file. After adding the correct information at the top and adjusting the spacing to 1.5, I noticed I went over one page. Rather than violate the one-page rule, I decided to cut the press release. I made the headline smaller, cut the subhead (which I might reconsider later on). I cut some of the bullet points, and rewrote some of the copy that felt awkward or repeititious. (Good writing is all in the rewriting—and I found several places to improve the copy.)

To see the final version of the press release, click here.

I encourage you to study it to see how I repurposed the content, as well as how I cut and rewrote the copy. Notice it contains all the elements of a successful press release. It tells clearly who it is for as well, and why readers would be interested. It sticks to the correct format, and does not give away too much. I want the reader—and the reporter—to feel a need for more information, which of course they get if they respond to the call to action.

I'm not saying this is a perfect press release. No doubt I'll continue to refine it, especially the headline. (Please do send an email to diane@wordstoprofit.com and vote on the best headline. If you do, I will give you a surprise gift!) But I hope this little tutorial gives you ideas for how to repurpose your own content, whether it's articles into press releases, press releases into articles, articles into teleseminar content, articles into larger documents such as a small report or ebook.

Further Resources …

5. Arielle Ford claims that she's helped to sell more than 15 million books sold and has 15 bestselling authors in her stable. I like her website, which is itself an example of an engaging, informative, entertaining and effective sales page. So if for nothing else, check out how she uses media, lays out her site, and "sells" you on her product. Then decide if it's what you need at this point.