Tag: press

    When to Write a Press Release and How to Get It Published

    A press release is more than an announcement about what is happening in your business. It is a sales tool, and works especially well if there is a newsworthy story behind it. You can write your press release as if you’re an outside reporter, provide some good quotes and information from top movers and shakers either within your company, customers, or field. Then you need to figure out who to send it to in order to make it worthwhile.

    The set-up of a press release is standard throughout the industry. You must write it this way in order for any news organization to take it seriously.

    * Headline – There is a right way and a wrong way to write a headline for a press release. They need to be in bold font, with the first word capitalized, carry the right keywords, and grab the attention of your audience as well as the gatekeeper.

    * Body Copy – You have to put the name of the city and state, as well as the date, on the first line. Then include an attention-grabbing first sentence that leads the reader to want to read more about the story. You want to avoid using filler words and make the body copy as compact as possible. State only facts, and save the smoke and fluff for other marketing copy.

    * Who, What, When, Why, Where and How – As you write, try to answer the five w’s and the h too. This will help you keep your copy short and to the point. You want to put the most newsworthy information at the front and at the end of the press release.

    * Make It Press Ready – Remember that no one is going to edit your press release for you; it needs to be ready to print and be edited. Double check your spelling and fact check the information you include in the press release.

    * Give Them More – At the end you can include links or even a QR code that directs people to more information about your event or business. Providing that little bit of extra information can be the difference of getting your press release published or not.

    * Send It to the Right People – One huge key to getting your press release published is that you send it to the right people. So many press release companies are disingenuous when it comes to this part. They blanket out the press release without any regard to where it’s going. Don’t do that; send it to the right people. That may mean that you need to do some research first.

    You can draft a press release that gets results if you follow these rules. Write it in third person, include just the facts, provide contact information, and send it to the right people so that it will get the attention it deserves.

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    Eight Reasons a Press Release Still Works

    Press releases are highly underrated these days. Whether you have a digital business or a bricks and mortar business, you should still be sending out press releases for each newsworthy event that your business participates in. New products, new services, events, and anything that your business does or accomplishes that is important to the industry should include a press release. Here are eight reasons why.

    1. Provides Links to Your Website – Even though there is controversy about whether or not press releases are good for SEO due to Google’s algorithm change that doesn’t count them anymore, the truth is they are still good for SEO in terms of providing links to your site that people will click on.

    2. A Permanent Record of Events – They are great for keeping a permanent record of events in your business. If you file them away, you can use them later to document the progress of your business.

    3. Unfiltered Information – A press release, due to how it’s written (with guidelines and the specific newsworthy story), has truly unfiltered information without the fluff. Therefore, if your release is picked up, it will mean something to the readers.

    4. Attracts New Audiences – Blogging and social media posts are great ways to get people to visit your website, but a press release can attract entirely new people within your audience to come to your website.

    5. Improves Your Brand Image – Real businesses send out press releases. If you want your business to be taken seriously, you should be sending them out when you release a new product, plan an event, or do something that is newsworthy in your industry.

    6. Potential to Go Viral – Any well-written press release that you’ve sent out that has something to do with current events will have an opportunity to become viral. Once something like that goes viral, you’d better be prepared for the onslaught of visitors.

    7. Great Additional Content on Your Website – When your press release is picked up by major press, link to that website with the press release on it. This is a great way to get information “as seen on” to impress your website visitors. This gives you additional content to talk about when you post your press releases.

    8. Gives You Proper Bragging Rights – When your press release is picked up by a major news source, it’s great to be able to put their logos on your website due to the fact that you’ve been seen in their publications.

    If you don’t think press releases work, then you need to give them a try. The next time you have a newsworthy event, experiment with sending out a press release. It’s important that you follow advice and get some professional help with sending them out, though. Also, don’t just send them in a way that they go everyplace; find out whom to send them to in advance and send them directly to the right people.

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