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As a blogger, I follow the news on digital media press closely. As a research analyst, I am especially interested in what other research companies are publishing and any new studies that are being released.

So I read lots of press releases written about studies conducted by research analyst firms. However, I also see lots of badly written press releases by research analyst firms. And since I like to quote from some of these new studies, I thought I’d offer some tips on how best to get your PR read and reported on.

Here are my top 7 tips on how researchers and analysts can write better press releases:

1. Include Research Methodology. Somewhere in the press release (such as a final paragraph or even a footnote), include the research methodology. If it is a survey, who was surveyed? How was the survey conducted? Of course, the methodology should also be sound. Just asking people on the street is not a very scientific survey. However, just a few months ago, I came across a press release on how consumers feel about IPTV that did just that.
2. Don’t Bury the Lead. Like any good press release, make sure that it’s clear what the main story is. The headline may be general, the first paragraph should have the most important findings.
3. Note If An Outside Company Did the Study. Sometimes companies don’t do the studies themselves and hire research companies. That’s OK, but always say who did the actual work. It can be something like “ABC Company hired XYZ Research to conduct a study on …”. Otherwise you’re passing off the work as your own and not giving credit to the cmpany that actually did the research and analysis.
4. Provide Juicy Tidbits. There’s a big story, but I also like to read some interesting quick stats from the study. Just a few bullets suffice, with some explanation on why the finding was interesting. Sometimes I find the tidbits more interesting than the main findings, since they may not pertain to what I’m following.
5. Provide a Graphic or Chart. Provide a chart or graph that the press or bloggers can download and post on their sites. It makes it easier for us blogging analysts to add graphics to a story. Note in the press release itself if any graphics can be posted on a blog or print publication. Just a footnote would help.
6. Provide Links to PDF. If you have a free version of the full report, please let us know where to find it so we can link to it directly. Or if you have a sales site, give the URL so we can link directly to the page too.
7. Be Available for Interviews. Always have the lead author be ready for the press or bloggers that are looking for comments or clarifications on research studies. Unfortunately, bloggers are often shut out by big analyst firms, or not taken as seriously.

That’s it. Do you have anything else to add? Use the comments.