Over the years, various companies and organizations have recognized the benefit of using media channels to gain credibility with their potential customers. Whether it be in publications online and offline or on media like TV and radio, you can always find a way to use the media to establish a lasting presence in the market or the industry that you are in.
While advertising is usually the first thing that comes to mind when the subject of promotions is being tackled, it is not usually something that you can completely rely on especially if you want to gain the trust of the media and if your budget is limited. In fact, there is another way that you can reach out to the hearts of media professionals while making sure that you are able to build credibility in the eyes of society. This can be done by writing press releases.
What makes you special?
Compared to advertisements, the press release is written to attract the attention of the media. More commonly now it can also appeal over the heads of the media and engage directly with your potential buyers. As a public relations tool, it is structured to benefit you, your business, or your products and services. It is designed to emphasize what makes you stand out from the rest of other similar businesses and individuals that are offering the same goods to the masses. In order to do this, your press release should mention what makes your business newsworthy: what sets it aside from others and what significant role can it play in society?
Watch how you write your content
The right content is the key to creating a press release that can have the media, or your customers, knocking at your door. As mentioned earlier, your press release should be newsworthy so do not sound like you are selling something. Instead, sound like a professional discussing the answers to who, what, when, where, how, and why by providing simple but interesting information. The press release should also sound interesting from the start. This means that your headline or title should already be able to attract the attention of your reader. Finally, construct your press release to keep the reader hooked.
Be factual
Press releases are not meant for advertising so avoid flowery words, jargon, and exaggerations. Keep everything short, simple, and to the point. Writing your press release in the active voice is also advisable rather than discussing everything in passive form. Remember that your aim here is to write something that can make you credible and trustworthy in the eyes of whoever reads it so that your target audience will recognize you as the expert in your field. And while you are being factual, do not forget to make sure that your press release is actually current and timely.
Present it nicely
Content that is well-written on a press release but is formatted wrongly can put it at risk of not being published at all. Therefore, make sure that you are able to present it correctly by using the right format. Traditionally, press releases are formatted with an indication of when it is going to be released followed by the headline, the lead, the main paragraph that explains the lead, some company background, and your contact details. Correctly formatting your press release can help the reader to immediately tell that what they are reading is not merely an advertisement.
How To Make A Press Release
In the online world, a press release brings you traffic when you submit your release to a distribution service. A news source could then pick up your story from that distribution. But even if your story doesn't get picked up, you gain a live link to your site even after your press release has been archived by the distribution service.
You should submit your press releases at least a week before your event or product launch. This gives editors time to pick up your story and run it before it becomes "old news." Any story more than a week old probably won't get published because it's no longer considered news.
If you have a breaking story that demands immediate coverage, submit it before 3:00 pm central time. That's the deadline hour for newspapers and media organizations around the world.
When submitting to online press release sites, you don't need to make your release publication-specific. You just need to make sure you have a great headline and solid lead paragraph to get noticed.
A number of such sites are a Google search away, but here are some to get you started: PRWeb, FreePressRelease, PRNewswire, MassMediaDistribution, and I-Newsire. Submitting to targeted publications in your niche requires a little more effort, but the traffic you can receive as a result of your effort makes it worthwhile.
One way to find specific publications to send your release to is through online searchable databases like GebbieInc or NewspaperLinks. These databases provide contact information for thousands of radio and television stations, newspapers and magazines.
A different approach is to sort through magazine racks at your local bookstore. Note the names and email addresses of relevant journalists, and keep track of all the contact information in a spreadsheet.
Always email the journalist directly as opposed to using the general email address of the publication. Your subject line has to be as good as your press release headline in order to pique interest and get read. Personalize the message by using the journalist's name, and open with a short note letting the journalist know you're submitting a press release for her consideration.
Include a statement informing the journalist she can use your release "as-is" to encourage her to print it in her publication without editing it. Then provide your contact information.
Copy and paste your press release (that is tailored to this specific publication) below your contact information in the body of the email. People don't open attachments from strangers, so don't attach any documents or your press release will certainly not be read.
Then, on the spreadsheet you started, keep track of which publications you submitted to and which ones actually picked up your story. Those that feature you once are more likely to feature you again, so be sure to submit future releases to those publications first.
Both Peter Oakley & are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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