It’s halftime in our special Tailgating Week, and tailgating just wouldn’t be tailgating without delicious munchies on the grill or off! Miss Jenn is quite the munchie aficionado, so eat up! Kids, go ahead and try this at home.

Miss Jenn’s 7 Layer Dip

Ingredients needed (size to fit your team):
Refried Beans
Shredded Cheese
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Salsa
Tortilla chips

How to make:
First, get a serving dish!  Something that chips can easily scoop a messy dip out of.

Layer One: The refried beans.  I heat these up a little bit in a microwave safe bowl.  Typically about a minute.  Then I mix a little shredded cheese into it and put it back in the microwave for another 30 seconds.  Place this first layer in the serving dish.

Layer Two: Cheese, you will see cheese repeat itself in other layers, but this is one for itself.  Smother the refried beans in a layer of shredded cheesy goodness.

Layer Three: Cut up the lettuce into small bits to layer on top of the dip.  People need to be able to scoop it up easily, so no salad size pieces of lettuce.

Layer Four: The tomatoes can be cut to your liking.  I dice mine to be able to sprinkle them over the top of the dip.

Layer Five: Before I put the guacamole on top I lay a little more cheese down.  I told you it would come back.  I place the guacamole over the top of the dip.

Layer Six: I am not a fan of sour cream, but many of my friends are.  When making this, they say it tastes great to have sour cream spread over the top.  I like to just put a dollop on the top of the dip for people to eat as they see fit.  Either way works for this tasty treat.

Layer Seven: Drizzle salsa over the top of the dip for a finishing touch.

Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Other good items to mix in: Hamburger meat with the refried beans.  Sliced jalapenos to accent the top.

Press releases are important to both companies and the media.  While a business can advertise and build up great customer relations, it should also build up working relations with the local media.  Media is supposed to be the voice of the people–which means you and your company.  Also, the media needs press releases because they cannot be aware of everything, as much as they would like to be.

While I worked in print news, I got to read through some great press releases, and then some pretty terrible ones.  With this experience, I’ve come to notice a few things that incline a journalist to give a press release a second look.

1. Read more news! Whether it is print or online, it helps to know what is actually making it into the news.  When you read more, your writing starts to mimic a news story.

2. The 5 W’s and H! Reporters are taught to write about the who, what, when, where, why and how.  If you include several of these in your release, then a writer can more easily use it for their own story.

3.  Proof read!! There is nothing worse than sending out a release with misspellings, bad grammar and having their, there and they’re messed up.  Not only with they not look at this release, but they are not likely to want to look at future writing from you.

4.  Interview someone. Articles have sources.  If you include a couple of quotes from someone in your business, then the media has the first source for a story about your wonderful company!

5.  Add the company mantra! The last line or two should reflect the great things your company has to offer.  Sadly if you do not take an interest in the programs you have to offer, no one else will either.  You never know what a journalist might take to use.

6.  Avoid needless releases! If you have nothing to report, don’t send out a press release.  Just trying to get the media to remember your name with a release every week gets tiring for the journalist sifting through the releases.  If you send a press release only when you have something important to say then the media is more likely to notice.

7.  Cut the fluff!! Format your press release so that it is clear and to the point.  Journalists write for a 6th grade reading level.  Don’t write above that.  You might like to sound intelligent, but they don’t want to read that.  All the fluff ends up cut anyway.  The easier you make the information on the reporter, the more likely it will end up being reported.

Now that I’ve said those, just know – this is just a recipe for a better press release.  Just like a chocolate chip cookie recipe, there are many out there.  The real trick is to find something that works for you in your area.

I hope this helps your press release get that second look we all hope for!!