A press release is one of the three Ps of successful public relations and publicity strategy. It is a wonderful tool to earn media attention for your brand and increase its awareness. Greater awareness strengthens the brand image and helps drive traffic and sales. Compelling releases, when distributed through press release services, amplify your story and make it reach the intended audience. However, even the most seasoned marketers are not immune to making mistakes and forgetting best practices for distributing press releases. This article focuses on the important dos and don’ts of crafting PRs and distributing them through a PR service.
Do’s
1. Distribute the PR to the Right Media Persons
Distributing press releases to the journalists and reporters who actively cover similar topics is key to getting coverage. Research publications, check journalist databases, and follow media persons on social media to identify those who cover your beat. This is crucial because the latest studies reveal that as many as 73% of journalists reject PR pitches that do not follow the topics they cover.
Creating and distributing personalized PRs to relevant media persons directly raises the chances of them being published. When the journalist can see why your story will interest their audience, they will not hesitate to explore it further.
2. Use Reputable Press Release Distribution Services
Yes. It may feel exhausting to distribute your own PRs to various media outlets. But when you collaborate with credible press release distribution services, the task becomes delightfully simple. Such services partner with thousands of media outlets, such as news channels, aggregators, influencers, and new content systems. Also, they have connections with many journalists. They circulate your PR to the major news outlets, which instantly brings them under the attention of media persons.
Several good PR distribution services provide assistance with writing and editing press releases. They also offer to distribute your stories in multiple languages. It is these services that you need to partner with to gain wider coverage.
3. Create Newsworthy Content
Press release services want content that is unheard of. Do not make the mistake of considering them as tools to aggressively promote or advertise your brand. The major aim of writing a PR in the first place is to announce something newsworthy, such as a product launch or a milestone achievement. Also, it should have exclusive insights or opinions that set you apart from your rivals.
A newsworthy press release is timely, relevant, and stimulating. It should catch the attention of both the media persons and the audience of the publication. For example, if you partner with another brand, include a few lines from the CEO of the brand illustrating their motives for the partnership.
4. Track Your Press Release
Tracking and monitoring any marketing campaign is crucial to refining current strategies and meeting success. A press release is also a marketing strategy, so you should know how it is performing. Popular press release services like Newswire allow you to track the exposure of your story. You get real-time insights about how it is being covered by journalists, bloggers, and popular social media figures.
Knowing how your story is being perceived lets you adjust your PR strategies. You can create more effective and data-driven campaigns and, in turn, protect your brand’s reputation.
Don’ts
1. Never Use First-Person Terms
Many business owners sabotage their chances of seeing their PRs published on popular services by filling their content with hype flags and first-person terms. These include you, I, we, and the like. Such words should be used only within a quotation from a company’s spokesperson.
This is because directly addressing indicates that you are advertising and not delivering something newsworthy. It diverts attention from the announcement and focuses more on your brand’s internal perspective.
2. Do Not Forget to Add Contact Information
What happens if your story gets the attention of a journalist through a press release distribution service, but they are unable to contact you as they cannot find your contact information? You lose a golden opportunity to generate brand awareness.
That is why you should ensure that your content has complete and valid contact details. Business owners often forget to do that in a hurry. Here are the major details to include:
- Contact Person
- Office Address
- Telephone and fax Numbers with country/city codes
- Timings of availability
- Email addresses
- Website
3. Do Not Use Blackhat SEO Techniques
Press release services reject PRs that are over-optimized for search engine visibility. Not only the services but also search engines like Google will penalize your website for the same. Your PR will be pushed to the very end of the search results, leading to zero visibility.
Yes, you should include keywords throughout the release. However, stuffing the content with them and placing too many links will confuse the readers. The solution is to find a few keywords your competitors are using and place them appropriately. In addition, include a variety of media to boost the SEO score of your release.
4. Do Not Send Your Press Release Too Late in the Day
Often, you may have an exciting and unique story with massive potential to be published. But you send it too late in the day, and poof, it never comes to the journalist’s attention.
Timing does play a role in getting in response. Journalists are most active between 8 AM and 10 AM. During this time, they open their inbox and browse through emails. Their inbox soon becomes crowded, which means your email will disappear under a pile of messages. Most probably, it will not catch the journalist’s attention.
Summing Up
You need to be quite careful when it comes to writing and distributing press releases. Never create or send them just to fulfill a marketing responsibility. Gauge the wider importance of generating brand awareness in a way that establishes your unique presence in the industry. Understand how it is made and whom it will go to through which medium. Once you understand that, you will not make common mistakes that prevent your brand from being seen and remembered. Startup10X offer full-suite press release services, contact for a free consultation.
