when to do a press release

This article has been viewed 386,954 times. The answer, of course, is given in our body copy. While some paid and free press release distribution services still offer follow backlinks, the benefit is going to be negligible in 2020. First, we’re going to discuss a press release by Apple. In addition to financial figures, press releases list valuable contact information that can assist investors in their research, like the company's web address, and contact and address information. Send your contact person a link to your media through a service like Box or Dropbox. In other words, a press release is a way of communicating your company’s news story and developments to your target audience through media distribution. According to an exclusive publisher survey by FRACTL a few years ago, publishers are most likely to publish photos, mixed media, and videos. Shockingly, many of them don’t. Thus, your press release format should be adjusted accordingly to be properly displayed on every device. The reason for this is simple: you want to make sure that people will actually read what you have to say. Industry and consumer news sources that the release pertains to are also great outlets to receive more coverage. Another image from Nike’s press release follows the same basic strategy we saw when commenting on the previous Apple press release. The first step in a relationship is a conversation. If well written, a press release can result in multiple published articles about … If a journalist and/or publication is interested in the story, they’ll pick it up and run with it in one of two ways: Interested in finding out more about how we can design a PR strategy to support your business goals? It is usually sent to journalists and editors who may use the information to write a news article. First, copy and paste your press release into the email message and then, if you want to cover all bases, upload an attachment as well. This one is from sportswear company Nike announcing the 2020 Nike BeTrue and Converse Pride footwear collections. The benefits of press releases are clear but some limitations still remain. This article has been viewed 386,954 times. The Loudspeaker is your definitive guide on how to scale your startup. Sharing something that people (your audience) hasn’t seen before is a great way to make people pay attention. The two biggest publishers of press coverage are Business Wire and PR Newswire (PRN). Press releases announce newsworthy events or disseminate material information to the public about a company. Luckily, the PR landscape in 2019 Read More... Feel free to get intouch with us via email, Press Release Distribution Tips (for Media Coverage), Media Monitoring: Definitions, Examples, Tools & More (2020), SEO in Public Relations: 7 Reasons Why It’s Necessary (2020), Media Advisory vs Press Release – Find Out The Difference, The 22 Best PR Blogs You Should Be Reading in 2020 (List), What is Digital PR? The first paragraph should be no more than three sentences max. You'll look more legit and may also attract new customers. Wondering what media monitoring is and how you can apply it to your business? A press release is produced by the company's PR department, and not reporters or journalists, so it takes a subjective interpretation of the announcement. Send your release to your local media outlets. According to a definition by Criminally Prolific, the company boilerplate is “a few paragraphs of text about the company that goes at the bottom of all its press releases”. In this section, I’m going to show you how you can write the perfect press release by sharing a step-by-step process you can follow for any type of press release. It’s then distributed to relevant news and media organizations. This will help create a seamless press release. Then, check the outlet’s website for submission guidelines, which usually ask you to fax, mail, or e-mail the release. I know most people would argue that a press release is not a place to add a call to action (CTA). Access to 4,000 websites, 3,000 media outlets. The benefits of using a submission site, versus sending a press release directly to journalists, are the following: However, there are some downsides to these platforms, when compared to pitching press releases directly to journalists: If you’re using one of these press release distribution services, then the actual submission is super easy. Video press releases allow businesses to visualise their story,  tapping into the growing consumer desire for video-based content. Last Updated: July 10, 2020 Something we’re often asked is where do you send a press release and what are the best free press release submission sites and press release distribution services. Back to our HARO feature example, we need to come up with a headline that will make readers want to read our body copy and make the whole press release even more appealing. That’s why we’ve fully updated our guide to the best press release submission sites for 2020. It’s not to announce a new product, but rather to communicate an update that has to do with the company’s activities and links to the company’s public relations. This is a question many business owners have. This is important because not all people who’ll read your press release know what your company is all about. See how we stack up against our competitors: As discussed above, there are two ways of sending out a press release to get media coverage. Send us a note using the below form and our PR specialist will be in touch to arrange a chat. This is why you’ll likely need to cover any questions people may have regarding your announcement through an FAQ section. For example, let’s take at how nicely Apple uses bullet-points and makes the text interesting and easily readable. Instead, try to find those journalists and editors who know your topic and might have written or published something relevant in the past. This example is a successful one because it’s interesting and concise, but at the same time includes all that needs to be included. Let’s move on to the next step of the process. [1] However, in order for your press release to stand out, there has to be something new there for people to be interested in. Press releases are a great way to communicate with your audience, share your company’s news, activities and events, and get your business into the public forum. Choose an atypical time, such as 9:08 a.m. instead of 9:00 a.m. Before you sign up with a press release distribution service, do your research to make sure that they're reputable. A press release—like any other piece of content—should be interesting to read. To our surprise, a lot of the advice around backlinking for SEO was way, way out of date. Some outlets may prefer that you upload the press release directly to their website over a secure submission platform. This is why you should include a CTA in your press release. If you follow that instruction, continue on and come back to writing the headline once the rest is done. The ultimate goal for companies in issuing a press release is to gain instant exposure, build trust with existing and prospective customers, and increase traffic to their website or stores. This is how you can generate interest for your press release. Your headline should be in initial caps. This headline a) leaves no doubt as to what Airpods are, b) makes you believe that Airpods are the ONLY wireless headphones in the market and c) makes you wonder, “how are they getting better?”. The press release that follows is from American multinational computer software company Adobe. In this case,  the piece of content has been released a few days before the Pride parades and events are about to take place across the world. There are both fee-paying and free press release submission sites available. In order to have a strong body, a press release needs to have strong bones. Find the e-mail address of important bloggers in your field and e-mail them copies of your press release. I really appreciate your thought, keep posting. Learn more... A press release conveys information that your organization wants to share with the public through the media. The image above and the upturn in the interest can be explained by the fact that many companies had to make changes in the way they were working during the outbreak, and therefore felt the need to share their news via a press release. A press release is the first key step in communicating your message to a journalist. Next, you need to cover any questions that your readers and audience may have. Avoid using unconventional language that could misrepresent a company or the conveyed message. With a small fee, most PR distribution agencies will be able to get your press release to news wire sites as well as media agencies. When most people hear the word “PR Strategy," they think of going to fancy galas in suits and sucking up to influential people. Publish it ‘as is’ on their own publication. The target audience should care about what a press release conveys. References. So it’s through earned media wins that you can combine PR and SEO. Don’t waste your own time trying to pitch press releases to people who aren’t relevant to what you’re writing. You can also download our press release template and examples here, to make the process super easy. A press release is the quickest and easiest way to get free publicity. Now that you know what a press release is, let’s check out some great press release examples. More specifically, the reader can find all the information that might be of interest within the very first paragraph, as the following image demonstrates: This lead is very successful in communicating all the important features of the new product. It doesn’t have to be sales-y, but there has to be some sort of action required on behalf of the reader. Definitions, examples, tools, and more. Make sure you really have something worth saying and provide the right information. People love locality. In this guide, you’ll learn how to write a press release that gets read and send it to the right people. Is it…? Sacrificing quality for usability is a sure-fire way to condemn your press release to a journalist’s spam folder. (This is the first part of the inverted pyramid framework that’s widely known in the PR world.). This is why you should include images, videos, graphs and other types of multimedia in your press release. Press releases are not features. Think of it as a free press release template you can use at any time. Then you’re in the right place. For example, sites dedicated solely to video press release services are becoming increasingly popular with businesses big or small. Press releases have formulaic structures that are designed to get a company’s message across as clearly as possible. I should probably tell you that writing press releases today is still relevant and important. Keep it tight. Keep reading to learn how to submit press releases using a distribution service! This is the ultimate guide to press release distribution. Professionals and entrepreneurs should know how to write to create one. Trust me when I say that in a space as cluttered as SEO, that’s actually big news. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/9e\/Submit-a-Press-Release-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Submit-a-Press-Release-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/9e\/Submit-a-Press-Release-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid1124391-v4-728px-Submit-a-Press-Release-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"