Press releases are an easy-to-use tool to attract media attention for your business and changes or events you are having. Press releases should not be considered advertising and they should be used sparingly and appropriately. You want to attract reporters from local or national media and sending out advertisement style press releases won’t work. Press releases have a purpose and that is to entice reporters with a possible story.
Press releases should make your business story clear and should express what is newsworthy about your event or change within your business. The format is pretty straightforward and there are plenty of templates online. They should be written in third person and have all of your contact information including your name, where your business is located (city and state), your phone numbers and email addresses. They are not difficult to write, but do use proper formatting if you want to get noticed.
If you are a business owner who rose up out of poverty to create a viable business, that is a news story. If you have sold a portion of your business to a Fortune 500 company, that is a news story. If you hire only after school high school employees to help you, that is a news story. If you have started a business that has a really strong niche market, that can be a news story. The fact that you have a business that sells widgets for a low cost is NOT a news story. Find an angle in order to entice reporters to write about you.
If you have decent writing skills, you can write a press release yourself using an online template (just do an online search for “press release template” or “sample”). However, if you lack these skills or don’t have the time, it is easy enough to hire a freelance writer to create press releases for you. Search freelance sites like GetaFreelancer or Elance and ask for samples of press releases your potential writers have done. You can expect to pay $5-$15 each for a one page release. Use the best writer you can afford. They are representing your business!
Write a press release that is full of detail, but not marketing, sales or industry talk. Write it in common, news style language and be sure the story is obvious to the reader and reporter. Don’t get bogged down in your personal industry jargon. Write it like you’ve never heard of your business before.
Submit your press releases online. There are a variety of press release services that will deliver your item. Some are paid sites but there are many free site as well. Do a Google or Yahoo search for press release services and register with each of them. There are restrictions for free submissions and each site has particular requirements so review those before submitting.
When considering marketing and publicity, don’t forget press releases! Learn to use them effectively, as enticements and aids for journalists and not as sales pitches and you can build credibility both with your industry and with reporters. Media attention is free publicity so use press releases well and you may find yourself being considered an expert in your field.
Tags: Branding, branding marketing, copywriting, marketing, news releases, online marketing, press releases, sales writing