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Press Release Credibility – Quotes and Testimonials by Concept Marketing Group, Inc.

One of the guidelines for writing an effective Press Release is to write in the third person. You want to avoid “I”, “You”, “We”, “Us” because you are reporting and not having a conversation with someone. These nouns are used in a Press Release only when they are a part of a direct quote.

Just because you are “reporting”, why should I believe you? Hopefully you have answered who, what, when, where and why and provided any facts and figures to support your statements. Providing quotes from experts in the field or testimonials from your current client(s) can give your press release the most credibility.

Let’s say your press release is going to announce performance enhancements to the lawn mower you manufacture. You have covered all the technical details about the lawn mower’s power, how long it has been on the market, its’ old vs. new capabilities, the price etc. You were fortunate enough to design these enhancements by collaborating with the Lawn Mower Manufacture’s Association of America (LMMAA) and using suggestions made by your largest customers. Now is the time to ask these people for testimonials that can be used in your press release.

Many of us recognize the stamp of approval or endorsement by an Association on a product to mean the product was designed, tested and approved using the Association’s stringent guidelines for production. The “Good Housekeeping” stamp of approval and “Utilities Laboratories” or UL, are commonly recognized on products that are made to a certain set of standards.

You could ask the President of the LMMA to talk about his experience working on the project and the care your company took in the new design and the enhancements. “The LMMAA thinks these enhancements to the XYZ Lawn Mower are the first of its kind. XYZ considered safety and cost at every point in the project. We are proud to have worked with them and couldn’t be more pleased with the end result.”

Perhaps you delivered the newest mower to your largest customer ACME mowers and they have used it for the past two months. The ACME owner sent you an email recently saying how wonderful the new mower was and they looked forward to doing business with you for the next 20 years. Call ACME and ask them if you can quote them in your news release.

These testimonials and quotes let the reader, viewer, or listener know that the story you are reporting is substantiated by outside parties. One or two testimonials or quotes are all you need to have a credible news release.

Concept Marketing Group, Inc. is a full-service marketing consulting firm with over 29 years of experience in traditional marketing - including 13 years on the Internet. Concept Marketing Group Inc. assists in developing and implementing effective sales and marketing strategies for businesses through targeted, managed, strategic marketing campaigns. Visit our site, www.marketingsource.com, email us at concept@marketingsource.com or call 800-575-5369, for more information.