Making the News - Tips from A News Journalist

What makes a good media release and how do you engage the media with your story idea? How do you pitch stories to the media, especially hard-nosed news hounds who can sniff out a 'puff piece' a mile away?

The media receives literally hundreds of media releases a day, many which are instantly disregarded. Why? A number of factors contribute to the demise of a media release, one key aspect however that contributes to a well written and published releases is the writers ability to be media savvy, that is identify the aspects an editor is looking for when selecting the day