Getting press coverage is a frontline weapon against companies like The European City Guide, If people see articles warning them about the ECG they are much less likely to fall those decieptful mailshots. Journalists and editors will only cover a story if they think it will sell more copy, luckily you have what they want, local interest and a good old-fashioned rip-off.
You will be competing for space with everything else that is going on, so time your press release well, try to pick a day when there is bog all else going on and the journos need a story!
Remember:
The press are just like us, busy. The more you do to prepare a story for them the more likely they are to use it! I recommend phoning the pressroom of your local paper(s) and getting hold of a journalist who you can then remain in contact with. If you have everything he/she needs to write a story and can email or fax it right over they are more likely to run with it. Send it over and follow up, a phone call checking that it all arrived OK is enough.
If you are really to busy consider just phoning your local press desks and hoping that they will pick up on the story.
This is crucial, a press release is better than a letter or fax.
The newsroom gets loads of these and you want yours to stand out.
If you are pressed for time please use the pro-forma ones below. You will still need to edit or remove all the parts indicated.
Pro-forma Press releases MS Word (slow to load) | Plain text
Better still, write your own, try to include:
Write it in the style of a Newspaper article.
Write a good clear headline of no more than 8 words. This must grab their attention (E.g. Local traders duped out of thousands of pounds)
Your first paragraph is the most important, if it does not grab them the rest will never get read! Tell as much of your story as you can in that one paragraph
Keep the whole thing short, no more than one page
Headline figures like the fact that you are being chased for £1000 should be given priority
Try to emphasise that this is a Catalan problem rather than a Spanish one, this may help us pressure the local authorities in the future
This is about warning others, make sure the words European city guide feature very prominently, also consider pointing out that there are other guides and directories targeting businesses with the same con
You should also include a page of "Notes for Editors"
This really helps as it saves the newsroom work and makes them more likely to write a full story.
Pro-forma Editors Notes, (edit the parts indicated)MS Word (slow to load) | Plain Text
If you write your own editors notes please include:
Contact info for the European City Guide
EUROPEAN CITY GUIDE
BALMES, 127 E-08008 BARCELONA
TEL.: +34 93 452 04 23
OFT press
Media enquiries
Mark Kram 020 7211 8900
Kathryn Hinchliffe 020 7211 8901
Graeme Myles 020 7211 8899
Sue Jones 020 7211 8898
Contact for the Catalan Authorities.
This is the only party that can shut down the European City Guide, so far they have fined them but done little else.
Vincent Navez.
Phone 0034 333 09812 of Fax 0034 93411 0678
The following require a bit of research on your part but will improve the stories chances of being included and detailed
Contact phone for a local Trading standards Officer (Just call them up and get a number for their press officer.)
Contact details for other businesses affected. Simply go to
http://www.eurocityguide.com/templates/nueva/cfm/index.cfm?selpais=G-
and lift the details of all businesses listed in your town.
If you really want to go for it, phone them up and get personal stories of how they were duped and how it has affected them. (If you do this, Please tell those with no email listed about this page!)
That's about it, Good Luck!
If you get a feature in your local press, please scan it (at 150DPI or higher) and Email it to us for inclusion in the gallery below.
