Press Release Distribution is a great way to get free advertising for your business or venture. In order to have a press release work for you, however, you have to know what they are and how to use them effectively.
As the name implies, a press release is an announcement or report sent to the media (or press) about you, your product or business. A press release is generally meant to convey news that the particular media outlet would include in an upcoming publication or broadcast.
Press releases serve several purposes. For you as a business owner, they can help you get positive attention for your company or product. By generating your own press releases, you can control what kind of information is released about your company, so you can use them to foster its image. You know that the various media outlets are getting the same information because you are sending them the same press release.
Media outlets, like newspapers, television and radio stations, need press releases to help them work efficiently. A press release gives them valuable information they need. Often they will publish a press release without having to contact anyone else, thus saving them time and resources.
Here are some tips to help you use press releases efficiently and effectively:
- Use press releases only for genuine news. If you have hired key personnel, released a new product or opened a new location, write a press release.
- Send your press release only to those outlets that would be interested in it. If your company is a mom-and-pop widget maker in Podunk, Iowa, there would be little point in sending a press release about a new hire to the New York Times. However, if your widget maker has won national recognition, then you can send a press release about it to Widget World Magazine.
- Use press releases to set yourself up as an industry expert. Let’s say you run an accounting firm and there has been a lot of attention about fraudulent tax practices. You can generate a press release saying, “John Doe, accounting expert, tells local businesses how to avoid breaking tax laws.” However, it is essential that such a press release is sent out in a timely manner. Don’t wait.
- Contact your local news outlets and find out the name and title of the person most likely to handle them: This would most likely be the news editor or assignment editor. Review this information regularly to make sure the information is correct.
- When you send out a press release, contact each outlet within a few days to make sure it has been received. Ask if the recipient has any questions and whether the press release will be published. (However, keep in mind that editors are very busy and that all publications have space limitations. If they don’t respond or publish your release right away, be patient.)
- Use the inverted pyramid when writing your press release: Your first paragraph should include “the five Ws and an H” (who, what, where, when, why, how). The next paragraph should include the next most important piece of information, followed by the next and so on. This will allow publications to edit out the least important information by merely cutting it from the bottom if necessary for space.
- Always include contact information. If the media needs to contact you to clarify information, they need your name, title and contact information where it can be easily found.
More information on writing press releases, go and see our press release tips.