In our last blog we talked about press releases and how the releases used in the paper-based world of the old media had to attract the attention of the reporter to call up the business for more information so he or she could write an article. We also talked about how press releases have changed: In today’s new media, press releases might still go to news reporters, and they are still written with that target audience in mind, but they are also seen by end users and potential customers when effectively distributed. Not only that, online press releases offer keyword search advantages and backlinks.

In this post, we’ll talk about how to write a press release and where to distribute it.

First, we’ll add a disclaimer here: Creating and distributing press releases is important for your business but it may not be something that comes easily. Press releases are an exacting form of media with requirements that, if not followed correctly, can have your release rejected by distributors. You may want to outsource your releases to a writer or publicist to ensure their effectiveness and long-term success.

If you still want to try your hand at writing a press release, here are some things to do:

1. Decide on the news item you want to talk about.
2. Gather information relevant to that news item.
3. Gather quotes from company representatives to support the news item.
4. Determine what the release reader’s next step should be (i.e., should they call or visit a website?)
5. Start writing!

Start with the date and the location of the business. Then open the release with an eye-catching paragraph or two describing a problem or challenge or need related to your news item. Next, write a paragraph introducing the solution to the problem briefly and follow it up with a quote. Then go into detail about the solution, giving more detail and adding quotes where appropriate. Last, finish off with an invitation for the reader to contact the company for more information.

There you have it! A serviceable press release. Now you need to distribute it.

There are several free press release distribution sites online (just Google "free press release distribution" to find them) but, to be honest, they are of varying quality. You might want to consider a paid distribution service, like the one at PRWeb.com. Their distribution tiers range in price from $80 to $300 or more but the results, when combined with a well-written release, are often worth the investment.

Once you’ve created one press release, don’t stop there. Start with a quarterly press release schedule but consider moving that up to a monthly schedule of regular releases. You will generate some serious benefits, backlinks, and keyword traffic from a schedule like that!

Contemporary VA

@ContemporaryVA on Twitter.  Follow us to stay updated with our many resources that include business, accounting and bookkeeping, social media, and much more!

The world has shifted dramatically from print media to online media. Press releases have made the transition, but not always well. In this post, we’ll talk about press releases of yesterday and today and what you need to do to make your online press releases rock and roll!

Once, press releases were meant to catch the attention of reporters sitting in their dingy, cramped newspaper offices. Reporters were hungry for a story and press releases rolled off the fax machine like a factory assembly line gone crazy. (I know, I was a reporter for a daily newspaper in a town of 15,000 people. That may not sound like a huge populace, but it seemed like everyone was producing one press release every single day and sending it to my office). So, press releases of yesteryear were written to tantalize the reporter in the hopes that they’d find that one gold nugget amongst the muddy river of releases and write a story about it.

Today’s releases play a different role. While press releases are still often directed to the news industry (and reputable press release distribution firms like PRWeb are fierce about this… in a good way) they are written for a broader audience. It should be expected that your press release will reach your end-user at the same time it reaches the news reporter.

Additionally, press releases offer benefits to today’s marketer that they didn’t offer when they were printed in reams from the fax machine: Backlinks! Links back to your website from other sites are the coveted currency of webmasters, and the more reputable those backlinks, the better your own PageRank could be. Press releases distributed through a good distributor can hit highly reputable sites and give you the linkjuice you need for higher PR (and thus, higher positioning in searches).

With targeted keywords, press releases can also play an important role in driving search traffic to your site. And, because they show up in both news-specific searches and regular searches, businesses can benefit from twice the exposure.

So, what should your press release be about? One mistake many businesses make is that they know they need a press release, so they write one (or hire someone to have it written) about themselves. This is not a press release, it is a thinly veiled marketing piece. A press release is also called a news release for a reason: It needs to be about some news. The good thing is, businesses have news to tell every day (even if they don’t immediately recognize it) and that gives fuel to the press release fire:

• Did your company just hire a new employee?
• Did you just release a new version of your software?
• Did you just donate money to charity? Did you just close a huge sale with a marquee customer?
• Did you win an award?
• Did you publish an article?

As you can see, press releases can be about regular things that happen in your business, but the important thing is, they need to be newsy, not "markety". Granted, these topics wouldn’t have inspired the old media reporter to lunge for the phone to call you for more information but today’s press releases don’t need to do that.

We’ve talked about the benefits of creating a press release and how today’s online press releases are different than those of yesteryear. In the next post we’ll look at how to write a press release and where you can distribute them.
 

Contemporary VA

@ContemporaryVA on Twitter.  Follow us to stay updated with our many resources that include business, accounting and bookkeeping, social media, and much more!