Bulletworks Platform Tennis Court Specialists



	PLATFORM TENNIS COURT SPECIALISTS

BULLETWORKS ANNOUNCES 3rd ANNUAL $3,000 PUBLICITY CONTEST

With a commitment to help foster the growth of platform tennis, BulletWorks is once again sponsoring a publicity contest for the 2007-2008 Season. All players are welcome to participate.

From all eligible entries received, one winner will be chosen at random at the end of the season. The winner will receive a $3,000 credit to use for court maintenance or improvement at the public or private platform tennis facility of his/her choice or $1,000 cash.

The rules of the contest are simple: get an article published in a newspaper or magazine. Tell your kids—school publications are acceptable. Platform Tennis Magazine is not eligible. (Preaching to the choir doesn’t grow the sport.) The article needs to be a minimum of five paragraphs long. It can be about the sport in general, your club, your league, etc. It needs to be accompanied by a photo to be eligible.

Send a copy of the published piece, by mail or email to BulletWorks. (Email us good digital photos as well and we’ll post them on our site.) Everyone who gets an article published will receive a BulletWorks ballcap. One lucky person will get the top prize.

Submit published pieces to: BulletWorks Platform Tennis Contest. P.O. Box 58. Belmont, VT 05730 or jacki@bwplatformtennis.com. Eligible publication dates are from September 1, 2007 to February 28, 2008. Deadline for entries is March 1, 2008. Include the publication's name and circulation; your name, address, phone number, email address. You may submit as many articles as you can get published. The more you submit, the greater your chances of winning.

For more information, call 802-259-3312.

HOW TO GET AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED

There are two basic ways to get an article published: encourage an editor or staff reporter to write a feature piece or write one yourself.

Local weekly papers—the type that you rely on for community news and event listings—often will publish contributed articles. These are usually submitted in the form of a press release with a photo or two attached.

Large daily papers and glossy magazines will only publish articles that are professionally written. In this case, it is best to contact the sports or feature editor (depending on your angle) or a specific reporter that you think will take your lead. Write the individual a succinct letter (or make a phone call) summarizing why you think an article should be written about your league, your event, your star player, the growth of the sport in your community…whatever it is that makes your story newsworthy.

In either case, know the publication, and suggest a place in the paper where the article makes sense if appropriate (ie: in your Tuesday “Community News” section.)

Consider backing up the request or press release with information that will help a reporter write his/her story. Include “A History of Platform Tennis” and/or “The Game of Platform Tennis” to give the writer some background for his/her piece.

Your pitch should have local appeal (regional publications) or audience appeal (national publications.) Contacting the right person is essential. Enthusiasm is helpful. Follow-up is almost always necessary.
Good luck!