You have news – share it!
When you plan your Marketing Communications program, consider including a Public Relations (PR) component. The most common form of PR is press releases. Press releases are easy to prepare and can gain you thousands of readers in magazines and newspapers and millions of viewers on online media. The only cost is the time to write your story, identify the editors who would be interested in it and send it! The press folks call this “earned media” – free coverage that you earn through the power of your information. It is not advertising that you pay for.
Press releases can be written by your Marketing Agency, in-house or by free-lance writers. If you have a new product, a new application, new people, an expansion plan or particularly a meaningful customer story, you have the makings of a press release. The media is looking for news.
As you plan your press release, remember that your first reader will be the editor who receives your news. So what you are writing is a news release that is aimed at the editor. You want the editor to find it interesting enough to print it or place it online. Public Relations people know this as the “Two-Step Theory of Communications.” If the editor does not like your release, you never will reach your intended readers.
To make your press release work harder, add to it materials that will help the editor to write the final story. Photos and charts always are welcome. If you have a company website that explains your company, include a link to it in your press release. If your industry has trade websites or technical websites that explain your business, put those links in also. The more complete the information that you send, the more likely that your press release will be picked up.
There is no more economical way to create a dialogue with your audience than through PR. Developing a relationship with editors in your industry or your community will help you to reach customers and other supporters who can help your business grow.
If you need help developing and/or sending your press releases out please contact us!
