If you’ve read our newsletter Changing Lanes with any regularity-or irregularity-you know how we advocate repurposing and getting optimal value out of your written pieces (e.g. using your press releases as the basis for newsletter articles, Web content). To successfully repurpose, it’s CRITICAL to take into consideration that while the material remains relatively the same, the audience IS different.

For example, you want to repurpose a newsletter article as a press release. How you would write for a warmer, friendlier audience in a newsletter article is greatly different than how you write for the media. Somebody you know will hang in there a bit longer than somebody you don’t, particularly an overworked, underpaid editor or reporter. So, that headline and first paragraph better grab them AND deliver.

Second, you need to adjust the tone. A press release is a bit more formal. So, you wouldn’t necessarily be referring to somebody by first name within the body of the story or in repeated quotes (e.g. “…said D’Eramo” rather than “…said Joe.”)

The same would hold true of taking a press release and converting it to Web content. Web copy is a one-on-one conversation with the reader. So you do want to refer to them as you and be a bit more conversational with your language. And while a press release tries to present a great story angle, if you’re repurposing it into copy on your Web site, there needs to be a call to action of some sort. As a press release, the story is supposed to speak for itself without self-promoting.

Speaking of self-promoting, one of the many arguments for hiring a freelance copywriter is that he or she will be a bit more objective when creating collateral pieces and other promotional items. Does that mean they will not advocate your product or service as strongly as you would? Not at all. But the focus will be on how your product or service can meet the reader’s needs rather than how great your product or service might be. Typically, that’s what makes the sale or gets coverage.

The bottom line is when you write a release or draft an article, you do have an opportunity to use it for a number of different media. The trick is making it work for that specific medium.

A trade publication used a quote by you for one of its articles. Better yet, you’re one of the featured experts quoted in the article. Now what? You can:

A. Sit by the phone and wait for all the new clients to call
B. Share the good news by any means possible
C. All of the above

Okay, any time somebody gives you an “All of the Above” option, that’s usually the answer (a little hint for those of you with children about to take the SATs). Seriously, receiving favorable media coverage is good news that you really do not want to keep to yourself. While some new or current clients may call as a result of the initial coverage, you can maximize the bang for your PR buck by:

• Linking to the article from some text (e.g. Hiroad quoted in Any Newspaper article) on your home page (if the publication is online)
• Creating a link with similar language from your Web site’s newsroom (assuming that you have a newsroom on your Web site; do you?)
• If you have a Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or any other kind of account, post the link to that sucker.
• If you have the appropriate reprint permissions, create collateral materials out of the coverage for your sales team. Make sure you have plenty of copies for your waiting area, if you have one.
• Shoot out a quick e-mail newsletter to your current client base, subtly noting coverage. Perhaps the coverage is a good opportunity to remind your current clients of the services you offer.

Another suggestion, if you really like the quote, is to create a pull-quote for your home page. You know, where the quote is enlarged and placed prominently on the page. Not only does this draw attention to the quote, but creates an attractive graphic element to the page.

In a perfect world, a great media hit would get your phone ringing off the hook. That can still happen. But with all the media out there to get your good news out, why not use ‘em?

It’s election day in my town today. In driving around and checking out the “Vote for (fill in the candidate’s name) signs, one thought occurred to me: why do none of these signs have the day of the election on them?

Sure, there are ads in the newspapers and those annoying pre-recorded phone calls that all mention the date. But most of us see the yard signs. So, would it be that difficult to say, “Vote for Bill Smith on 5/8”?

That said, it also amazes me how few people use an e-mail signature. Or if they use one, don’t use it on every e-mail. Talk about an incredibly easy way to advertise your business and draw traffic to your Web site. Yet it’s amazing how few do.