Are you suffering for lack of exposure for your business? Or have you previously done press release distribution campaigns that have always failed? No matter how small or big your business might be, you can always have great benefits from a proper press release. In this guide, we’ll show you everything you need to know about the press release, how to do it right, and how a successful campaign can kickstart your business in amazing ways.
Table of Contents
What Is A Press Release?
Let’s put our right feet forward. First of all, a press release is not a piece of advertisement. Despite many businesses using press releases as a way to advertise their companies, journalists and people from the media get turned off from these stories and likely not pick them up. If this is something you’ve been in the habit of doing in the past, then you should stop it.
Essentially, a press release is a piece of short, concise, and factual write up that contains relevant and useful information, event, or story. It will serve you more if you treat a press release as a news story already. It is written in a third-person point of view and then distributed to the media in the hopes that a news story will be written about it. These days, a press release can also get published on news websites or on social media.
What Are The Benefits Of A Press Release?
When a press release is successfully distributed and reaches a broad audience, the benefits a business can reap are amazing. And the beautiful thing about a press release is that it can benefit just about any business – no matter the size and industry. Here are some of the best benefits the right press release can give you:
Exposure:
A press release distribution campaign is one of the best and most efficient ways of spreading the word about your business, products, or services. In fact, exposure is one of the first benefits you can have that can happen instantly. If you want to expose your business to a broader audience without necessarily breaking the bank, a press release is an excellent option.
Added Sales Potential:
The more people who know about your business or new products/services, the higher the potential for real sales conversions. Press releases have a way of highlighting your business and making it more attractive to your target customers. If you are able to put your news in front of the right people with a compelling news copy, you can imagine the maximized sales potential it can bring to your business.
Improvement In Marketing Campaigns:
A press release can also benefit your other marketing campaigns. It can act as a fuel and boost all your other marketing campaigns. In marketing, you can never go wrong by doing everything you can. The more marketing tools you use for your business, the more exposure you’re going to get. A press release is a perfect opportunity to boost all your other marketing efforts.
You Become An Industry Expert:
A press release is something you can do whenever you have a useful or relevant story to say. But it is also an excellent way to brand yourself as an expert in your industry. By keeping your audience fed with valuable information, you will develop credibility and trust with your customers. A press release can help you build relationships and loyalty aside from getting exposure.
Increased Online Traffic:
Thanks to the power of the internet, these days, a press release also gets published online. If written correctly, a press release can drive traffic to your own business website. By incorporating legitimate SEO practices, you can optimize your news copy so it can rank well in Search Engine Page Results (SERP). Google, especially, claims to perform at least a billion user searches per day. The exposure you can get from a properly optimized content can drive significant online traffic to your site.
The Best And Most Effective Press Release Tips:
Since its inception decades ago, marketers have really perfected the process of the press release and its distribution. In today’s modern and fast-paced world, press release strategies can become quite complicated and time-consuming. However, we’ve gathered some of the best and most effective press releases that can elevate your PR campaign in significant ways.
Write A Newsworthy Copy:
The non-negotiable golden rule in modern press release is this: If it’s not newsworthy, don’t even bother writing about it. Ask yourself, “why am I writing about this? Does this story serve a purpose? Is it something that can interest or affect people?” A press release isn’t a piece of advertisement. A press release is primarily a news article.
Keep It Basic And Make It Concise:
Remember. You’re not writing a 100-page thesis. A press release is usually 400-600 words long. There isn’t much space to write anything that doesn’t serve a purpose. Stick to the basics. Answer all of the important questions, keep it simple, and make it as concise as possible. Try not to waste your target journalists’ time.
Include Facts And Statistics:
If you want your press release to appear credible and useful to your audience, you should back it up with hard facts and statistics. People can’t ignore numbers and facts based on real research. Include hard numbers or industry trends that your business has accumulated. This one added thing can make your news copy irresistible.
Write An Irresistible Headline:
An effective way to ensure that your press release gets read is to write a compelling and attractive headline. This is the first thing people will read and also mostly the last, so it’s critical that you write a headline that will make people want to read more. Get straight to the point and make a headline that tells people exactly what your story is about. The headline should contain the essence of your news so it should hook our readers instantly.
Promote It:
If you think the work is done after you’ve distributed your press release, you’re wrong. If you want to absolutely maximize your press release distribution campaign, promote it. Nudge your audience to read it. Share it on the internet and even the social media. Every press release you publish should be spread far and wide as possible. Don’t just stop at releasing your copy to the wire. Do an email blast, share it on Facebook or Twitter, get it everywhere if you can. The success of a press release also hinges on its distribution. So this is something you really need to focus on.
Track Your Press Release Distribution Using Analytics Reporting:
The beauty of modern press release is that you are now able to track how it is doing and how many people it reaches. Distribution campaigns should also include analytics. It’s vital that you know how effectively your press release is doing and it can also help you make real-time decisions about what to do after. A lot of paid press release distribution services offer detailed analytics and reporting throughout the distribution process. These tools are not only useful, but they also help you learn more about your demographic audience.
Use Quotations That Add Valuable Insight To Your Story:
Stats and hard facts can make your story more credible. But take it further by adding a quote from an important person in your company or industry. Don’t just add a quote for the sake of it. Add one that provides valuable insight into your story. Make it more relatable to your readers by putting a face on what you have to say. A great quote doesn’t just add more credibility to your press release, but it also adds a more human factor. It shows that your press release affects real people.
Research Which Journalists Are More Likely To Pick Up Your Story:
A successful press release campaign should involve some research as well. With the press and media, more doesn’t necessarily mean better. Putting your news in front of the right ten journalists is better than sending your copy to 100 who are not interested in what you have to say. Beforehand, do a little digging and find out which journalists, bloggers, or influencers are interested in your niche or industry. Having a targeted distribution campaign allows you to focus on the right channels and lets you put your story in front of a much more effective group of people.
Takeaway:
In recent years, there has been a lot of debate as to whether or not the art of press release is dead. It’s true that there are new marketing strategies developed in the recent years. But perhaps there is no marketing tool more effective, accessible, and affordable as a press release distribution. In fact, if you’re not doing press releases for your business, you’re sorely missing out on an excellent opportunity to expose your brand to a broader audience.
About the Author:Fred Griffin is a marketing consultant, promotion specialist and content creating guru. He writes custom content for the internet offering solutions from creative digital marketing tactics, press release to SEO and web design driven by results. He enjoys applying his marketing insight to overcome business stagnation, create growth solutions, and improve customer experiences.
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