Press-Release and Product-Review Guidelines

Do you have any idea how many press releases I get each week? Patti, my mail carrier, has let me know a time or two that I better be reading all of the stuff that's giving her a bad case of shoulder arthritis. Handling paper is a hassle, but reading an email and clicking a link to a .PDF and .jpg file is faster.

Which electronic press releases do I look at first? Which ones get my attention? It's easy. If you want me to give your press release serious consideration, then you'll convert your press release into a .PDF file. Don't send me a MS Word file. I'm on a Mac, and they often lose formatting when Gmail opens them as a Google Document.

Press releases that get read by me follow these guidelines to the letter:

• A 100-word maximum summary of the press release located at the top of the document. This summary is MISSION CRITICAL. Get my attention here - forget about all of the clever prose. Cut to the chase. Many of us in the press are just as busy as you are. In other words, be sure the summary is above the top fold of my monitor screen. If the summary contains key points that catch my interest, you can bet I'll read the full body of the release.
• Color images included in the .PDF file with active links where I can see larger images or high-resolution images. This is not hard to do, and many members of the press would appreciate this time-saving measure.
• Send images as attachments if you desire, but watch your file sizes. You can also provide a link where I can download the image(s).
• Product samples sent to me for review are never returned. I NEVER write about a product nor feature it in a video unless I test it. If you want me to consider your product, you must send it to me. Use the Ask Tim link above to get my address.
• Products sent to be reviewed are tested on a first-come first-served basis. Some product testing can take months to conclude, especially if a job needs to happen where the product can be used and tested. Please understand that there could be as many as fifty or more products ahead of you in the product-testing queue at any given time. I can't guarantee when a product will be tested or reviewed.
• Products that pass my testing are almost ALWAYS mentioned in my weekly newsletter. My newsletter is sent to over 100,000 raving subscribers. I provide to the PR firm a report showing the thousands of clicks I send to the product's website within 96 hours of the mention in the newsletter. My subscribers LOVE product reviews in my newsletters.

Ready to submit your press release and products? Proceed to the Press Release Submission page to submit your press release or to the New Tool/Product Submission Form if you have a new tool or product you would like to submit.