Press Releases 101

In my current position I have found the traditional press release to be a great tool for getting the word out inexpensively.  One example comes to mind.  We are headed to a different part of our region to do business for a week.  An entirely different market that we normally reach out to.  This endeavor could be fairly expensive to purchase schedule on all the different mediums.  So, four months before we were there, I wrote a press release, did some research to find the best media contacts in that area and sent it out.  With 6 weeks  to go and NO paid advertising started yet, we have sold out three of the dates we are there.  Not bad!  So I wanted to share some tips with you about how to use this tool.

What can you write a press release about?
Something new or newsworthy about your product, service, business or even a related event.  Sometimes you can hang a release on a trend, or an upcoming holiday or season, but events are easiest to get publicity for.  Tailer it to what the targeted publication or readers may want to know, and less about what you are trying to get them to do.  Self-serving releases are a waste of time and people can usually see right through them.

The traditional way - write it an research individual reporters who might cover your story.  Send an individual pitch email, with the release in the body and attached.

For SEO.  Write an online release with careful attention to keywords especially in the title and first paragraph.  Use a few anchor text links to specific pages on your website and then post through press release distribution services like Pitch Engine.

Use a release as background material to supper blogger outreach.  Pitch your companies product to review bloggers.  Do your research and pick the right ones.  The release will provide the background information for the product they can use to fill in their review.

Write a release to position yourself or a staff member as expert on a topic - as long as you are.  This works for issues that are trending in the news and online.  Try writing about something new in your industry or better yet, get a couple complimentary businesses to share their opinions and expertise together to grow your reach.

What else can a business do with a press release?
1.  Post a link to the release on your own website.  Write an introductory paragraph with a link in a "news" section on your website.
2.  Add links to your release in any newsletters you send out as long as they are timely.
3.  Share the via social media if they are appropriate.  Not all are.

When should I write and send my press release?
Traditionally you want to get your release to newspapers, radio and television 3-6 weeks in advance.  I suggest emailing it out and then making one tactful follow up phone call to make sure they got it.  When you are putting together your press list make sure you check their guidelines for how to get it to them specifically.  Don't use email management websites to send these - a lot of larger companies these types of emails go into their spam folder.

For online news releases, short time frames are better.  Dependent on the time of year get them up anywhere from 1-2 weeks in advance.  Some site update their news overnight so again, double check their guidelines and specifics.

Magazines work further in advance.  A regional publication may work 2 months out, national publications work 4-6 months out.

Final thoughts
The most important part of writing and distributing press releases is doing your due diligence.  Find the right people to send it to and write it to your audience.  Online release, done properly, are great for SEO and event PR and can become a great way to get quoted in a trend piece, or covered in an online or traditional publication.

-Kristen