Your press release is a great way of announcing news about you and your company to the media.
You could say it’s free advertising, the only problem is that traditionally you’re relying on journalists to ‘pick up’ your release and re-package it as a news article.
A good press release is about picking the right topic and presenting it in an appealing way. Not everyone does this successfully.
The problem some people have, is that their press releases don’t meet the needs of the journalist or the audience they’re trying to reach.
I’ve put together a few tips on how you can avoid this problem and hopefully write press releases that get noticed by the media.
Ask yourself the following questions
What’s your story? What is it you want people to know about? Why should anyone care?
Your release has to be ‘picked up’ by the media, so you’re at the mercy of a journalist deciding whether or not your release is suitable for publication.
This is the weakness of the press release – you don’t have any control over what happens once your release has been submitted.
This is why you have to craft your release in such an irresistible way, it will make journalists sit up and think ‘Yes, this is exactly what I’m looking for. This story will really appeal to our readers’.
Remember some journalists are lazy and a perfectly pitched press release with a neatly packaged story for them is just want they want.
The web has changed things
It won’t surprise you to know that the web has changed things in terms of how press releases are distributed. Journalists and media outlets still have a lot of control on whether your release gets reported, but their grip has loosened just a little bit.
Press releases should still be targeted to journalists and trade press, but you should also look at submitting your releases to online PR distribution services.
Think about all the thousands of people with internet connections and RSS feeds. You can reach these people directly, not just journalists who use these sites to find news stories but also your customers.
Here’s a selection of the PR sites I’d recommend:
What type of news stories should you include in your releases?
Think like a journalist.
But I’m not a journalist I hear you say. It doesn’t matter – you have to think about what makes news and what will appeal to your customers. Here’s a selection of topics you should consider:
- The launch of a new product/service
- The recruitment and hiring of new staff
- Publicise an event you’re holding
- Moving to new premises
- Opening a new office – include locally, regionally, nationally and internationally
- Company successes. Awards, special achievements
- Projects: Community/Charity projects your company is involved in.
- Books or articles published by employees
- A Speech given by an employee
- Best practice advice
- Policy announcement
Write for the benefit of your audience or customers. What might appeal to you and your company’s MD, may be seen as boring corporate waffle to journalists.
Get your headline right
You might only get one chance to grab the attention of your reader, particularly journalists.
You want to stop your reader and make them want to read your story. This isn’t easy. You’ll be forced to overcome the natural cynicism that many journalists have.
Don’t be too salesy or boring. Your headline should communicate the full story to your reader. They should be left in no doubt what the story they’re about to read will be about.
Tailor your press release
If you’re sending your press release to lots of different publications and journalists, you should consider tailoring your release to meet the needs of each audience.
Think about the publication, and it’s readership and how the information in your press release will appeal to them.
It’s won’t be a great strategy to send out one general release for multiple publications – if you need to adapt your release for different publications make sure you do this.
Other elements to consider
- find reasons to send press releases on a regular basis – not just when you have something big to say.
- Publish your press release on your website or blog, this will help your site get indexed by the main search engines like Google.
- Create links and use keywords if you’re writing online press releases.
- Include as much detail as possible: People’s full names, job titles, full address details. Include dates, times and places.