With the rise of social media and expanding digital channels, press releases are more important than ever. In fact, according to Cision's 2020 Global State of the Media Report, 72% of journalists say the press release is one of the most useful types of content a PR pro can deliver.
A well-written press release can garner multiple news articles, build SEO traffic, validate your reputation, and help you control the narrative of your brand - filling your funnel with inbound prospects.
Writing a quality press release is a balancing act. You have to be interesting, concise, novel, and above all else, accurate. Journalists can sniff out a fluffy release stuffed with inflated jargon and hyperbole before they even make it to the end of the first sentence. It’s not your job to sell your solution in this press release; it’s your job to sell the fact that you have a story worth telling in this press release. You’re fishing for journalists to write about you, and you’re going to need a great hook. (Wow, bad pun there…)
Free coverage in the media is a great perk of a compelling press release, but don’t forget that press releases are also published for your stakeholders, customers, and prospects to see. This makes it a valuable piece of marketing content in its own right. As such, you’ll want to make sure that you’re consistently reinforcing your brand’s messaging and positioning.
We usually start the release-writing process by defining the three or so points we want readers to walk away with. If you’re anticipating that the release will be important to a few different audiences, you’ll want to repeat the exercise for each. While there’s bound to be overlap, it’ll help you really hone in on what’s going to be important for each type of reader.
Lastly, your release doesn’t have to be everything to everybody. Consider having different versions of your release for various audiences to ensure you include only the information that’s relevant.
How to Publish Your Release
With your approved release in hand, build a distribution plan to get the right eyes on it. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Pitch it directly to journalists and news outlets
Publish it on your company’s website - if you don’t have a News section, use your blog
Email it to a curated recipient list that includes clients, prospects, partners, and industry thought leaders
Publish it to a newswire paid service like PRWeb or PRNewswire ($99+) that distributes releases across thousands of targeted media websites, industry publications, blogs, social networks, and search engines
Looking for more information about how to distribute press releases and execute a killer PR strategy? Get Wheels Up’s 5 Tactics for Building PR Buzz to learn more.
