Writing a good press release requires you to capture your news in a way that makes it attractive to journalists and their readers. Many people spend a lot of time and money getting their press releases written just right, but they don’t spend much time thinking about what they’ll do with the release after it’s finished. That’s a huge mistake. Writing a good press release and leaving it lying on your desk is just like not writing one at all, except that it costs more money. So what should you do with your releases?
Here are some tips for doing more with your press releases:
Send it to your media list.
The word “your” is the key word here. There are plenty of companies that will send out a release for you. Some are good and many are not, but none are as good as you sending it to your own list. Ideally, you’ll know the editors that write about your part of the business and they’ll know you. If they don’t know you, you should call them up and get to know them. They’re always looking for good stories. Cultivate a list of reporters and editors at trade publications that reach your target market and make sure that they always get your releases – from you, not from some service.
Post it to your site.
Most companies put their press releases up on their websites, but many make the mistake of posting them in a way that makes it difficult for search engines to spot. One of the biggest reasons to put releases on your site is because they are packed with important keywords and increase the chances that your site will rank high in the search order. So make sure that your release is presented in HTML so it can be easily seen by search engine spiders. There are other reasons to post press releases online, of course. If your customers typically perform any kind of due diligence before purchasing, the news section of your site will be one of their first destinations.
Send it to your prospect database.
Most companies already know who they want to sell to. They have pre-qualified many of their prospects and are in the process of working them through the sales cycle. While these folks may not be the most eager to get your news, they’re certainly the ones you most want to see it. So send it out to them. You can send them the release or make it part of your regular printed or digital newsletter. This is just one more easy way to make sure that these folks hear your name and see your logo. Be aware that sending email SPAM is a crime. So, figure out a way to add value to your prospect communications so they’ll opt in or you may need to buy a stamp.
Send it to the bloggers.
It’s great to have people talking about your company. It’s even better to have them talking about it in a forum that is open to a big audience. Even though Web Logs (blogs) aren’t considered mass media because they typically cater to niche audiences, many blogs in the real estate and financial services businesses are becoming fairly prominent. I write a blog (http://rickgrant.blogspot.com) and I’m always looking for interesting things to write about. There are a number of others blogging in this space that would also like to get your releases. Find out who is blogging about your industry and make sure that they get your news.
Send it to the wire services.
While you want to control who sees your news as much as possible by sending it out to your own database and the bloggers and journalists that you know cover your part of the industry well, it’s even better if you can afford to cast a larger net and attract more viewers. Online wire services, such as Businesswire and PRNewswire, are good ways to do this. While it can be pricey to distribute a press release through these services, your news will fall onto the desks of people you may not have targeted otherwise, which could lead to an unexpected success.
Leverage it to get into a bigger story.
One of the typical fears of many executives is that they will waste money on a release that doesn’t get picked up by the media because it’s just not very newsworthy or may not seem important enough to the industry at large. The truth is that most press releases are not about big stories. Most of the releases I’ve received during my career were about new clients, new employees, new office space, artificial milestones and new marketing partnerships. Not front page stuff to be sure. But that’s not necessarily a reason not to put out a release.
Reporters write mostly about companies they know and they can’t get to know you if they don’t routinely see your news. A good way to capitalize on a release that may not be front page news is to follow up with the editor and let them know that there are other stories your company executives can comment on. Reporters are always working on multiple stories and may need to use you as a source. A media alert packaged with a recent press release or two could get you quoted in a bigger story. So put out that news and follow up with the people who cover your industry.
