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Do you know that writing and distributing press releases can boost your business brand? In this article, you will learn what a press release is, how to write a press release that grabs attention, and how to distribute your press release for maximum brand exposure.
Writing and distributing a well-targeted online press release is one sure way to boost your brand and get people talking about it. It’s especially very important when you kickstart something new or hit a major milestone.
Big fortune 500 companies have used press release writing and distribution to dominate the markets for decades, and now it’s time you copied their PR strategy and boost your brand as well, thanks to the level playing field made possible by online PR distribution.
A well-crafted press release will keep eyes glued to your business news, your brand resonating in their thoughts, and possibly trigger prospective clients or customers to action.
Here are some statistics on press releases for your perusal:
- 80% of professionals in digital public relations believe that digital storytelling represents the new standard in communication ( USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism, 2017).
- The global market for PR slowed by 4% between 2020 and 2021 ( PRovoke Media 2021).
- 60% of marketing professionals believe that digital marketing and PR will collaborate more soon. ( USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism 2017,).
- The most used days to publish press announcements are Fridays and Tuesdays ( Onclusive, 2019).
- In a survey of those who work in digital PR, 94% said that personal emails are the most effective method of pitching at reporters ( Muck Rack 2020).
What is a Press Release
The press release (also called a news release) is a concise document that outlines something important you’ve shared with the press or other media outlets. The information is usually provided to editors and journalists who can use it in the writing of a news piece.
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Notice: A press release is a piece of information that is accompanied by a press release email in which the author pitches the story to the journalists. This is a kind of cover letter that summarizes the contents of the release. You will understand the process when you learn how to write a press release.
Why Big Brands Leverage PR Strategy For Brand Awareness
1. It’s a wise investment
When people are interested in a product type or service and begin to research it, they tend to trust results from known news outlets.
In comparison to other traditional marketing techniques and other tools for marketing, the ROI that is generated from a low PR budget and strategy can be substantial if it is managed effectively. For every dollar spent, content marketing generates three times the amount of leads and that includes content on press releases.
2. Increases authority and trust flow
Through online press release writing and distribution, your brand is acknowledged as an industry leader. With the use of tools for PR, such as opinion pieces and expert viewpoints that positions your spokespersons as specialists in their respective fields and draws attention to your company, and increases confidence in the quality of your services.
The increased visibility of blog post articles, interviews, and editorials does more than increasing your market’s consciousness of your brand through recognition as well as increase trust with a low cost. This is why you need to learn how to write a press release.
3. It determines the focus of market
From events and publications to social media and website channels, online press releases bring your brand as closer to your target potential customers as is possible. Through visibility mechanisms such as sponsorships, tie-ups with prominent experts and bloggers, as well as the management of your personal content, PR campaigns focus on consumer preferences and take part in conversations that matter to you.
4. It can make a difference in their chances of winning huge
Participating in award shows that are specific to your industry increases brand exposure. It’s a great learning experience to observe other brands strut their PR feathers. Additionally, you can expect to earn significant recognition if you win or are nominated.
5. PR Affects The Market You Want to Target
Third-party endorsements, such as editorials, influencers, and articles are all a part of gaining credibility. It is possible to reach your customers with the people they can trust through a thoughtful selection of influencers that are based on your image as a brand.
Be it bloggers, leaders in the industry, or celebrities, Brand ambassadors help increase awareness and increase brand recognition. This is why you need to understand how to write a press release.
6. It builds goodwill
Most big brands seek out ways to positively impact society, or even the entire world by implementing charitable, positive initiatives. Many customers would be willing to pay more to purchase a product or service from a socially responsible company, and people are always looking for something good and are willing to talk about and even support it.
However, this aspect requires professional PR management. If you make a mistake the audience will also appreciate some drama, that is also accessible to share. PR is also essential when it comes to handling crisis situations.
How to Write A Press Release Pitch That Gets Read
In this section, we’ll show you how to write a press release pitch that gets read. The key to this is that you must find ways to craft stories that are newsworthy.
This could be through:
- Exclusive Data or Research: Journalists love anything that is exclusive. They also love data. Offering them exclusive data in a media release can be an excellent way to offer both.
- Newsjacking: This is the method of incorporating your brand in a trending news story so that it becomes more relevant and memorable.
- Emotional Connection: Stories that have an emotional resonance are more appealing to a targeted audience and can lead to greater social media traction. If you can get them emotionally invested in your brand, your target audience is likely to give it a go.
However, note that a great press release must contain certain elements for it to be considered newsworthy by journalists. In the event that your PR pitch is in conformity to a format, journalists are familiar with, the chances of being published are much higher.
Here are some of the writing principles to follow that make for a great press release:
a) An attention-grabbing Headline
The headline, also known as the title of a press release, will inform the readers about what the release’s content is. Since it is the first thing readers see, the headline is an essential part of the press release. Be sure to make it short and interesting. A good headline should catch the attention of readers and inspire them to read further.
But, be cautious not to over-promise or over-inflate the information in your headlines because doing this will make them useless click-baits. Make sure you capitalize the letter that starts the word of verbs, nouns adjectives, adverbs, and other words, and any prepositions with at least four letters in length. Don’t use closing punctuation when writing headlines. Also, avoid using exclamation marks throughout your press release.
b) Summary
This section summarizes the most important aspects in the press release. It also attempts to provide to the “Five W’s” of Who, What, When, Where, and Why. In this way, those who don’t have time to read the entire story can get a sense of the latest news in just two or three paragraphs. This is an important part to note when you learn how to write a press release.
c) Date & Location
You should include where you are and the location where the news took place. Like its name suggests, this part should identify the date and the location that the press release was made.
The dateline is usually in the first paragraph of the press release. It can be separated from the main sentence by an en-dash with spaces. The dateline should include the name of the city in all capital letters as well as the abbreviated name of the state as well as the complete date (including the year).
d) A Strong Lead
This is where you present your newsworthy study or information in a single sentence
e) The Body
The body is the most important component of a press announcement. It outlines the announcement and gives all the information needed in a succinct and efficient way. The majority of press releases include the possibility of quoting a source that reporters could make use of should they choose to transform your announcement into an article. This is an important part to note when learning how to write a press release.
It should contain easily readable information that is presented in decreasing amounts of importance. It’s an excellent idea to include quotations throughout your body to support your argument.
f) Boilerplate
A boilerplate is in essence the About Us section of the press release. It is a quick description of your business and what it is that it does. Boilerplates are typically distinct from the body part with the “About (company name)” line. Here you can include your company website and social media handles.
g) Contact information
Add the name and contact details of your communications manager or anyone who can be contacted to provide more information on the subject.
h) Typography
There’s no one preferred font to use for your press release. However, sticking with the most common fonts like Arial or Times New Roman is a great choice.
Press Release Distribution Techniques For Top Results
After writing a powerful press release, the next should be how to distribute your press release.
Previously, it used to be very expensive to distribute press releases using traditional news media. But that seems a decade ago. Now with the coming on stream of online PR networks, your small business can play where the big boys also play.
There are many online PR platforms that can help blast your press release and make it go viral over the internet, which is where the eyes are.
Priced at various ranges, these online PR platforms have varying degrees of effectiveness for various business niches. The ability to know which PR platform will suit your business interests is a whole topic of its own.
You can also release your press release through the following:
- Release through Local and National daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, newsletters, radio, and TV stations.
- Use targeted trade journals and major magazines.
How Often You Should Write And Distribute PR For Your Brand?
I would say it’s dependent on what you’d like to accomplish.
If you’re looking to boost your site’s SEO through the creation of backlinks, you could benefit from a more frequent schedule for press releases. The frequency of the press releases will vary between industries.
If you’re looking to increase brand recognition and increase brand awareness, you should issue press releases often. A minimum of once per month is a reasonable amount. Because you want your intended group to know more about your business, you should keep reminding them of it.
In order to promote events, the online press release campaign could consist of a series of announcements in those months and weeks, and days preceding the event. In the end, you could then follow up by releasing a press release following the event to help with branding. This is an important part of learning how to write a press release.
If you are looking to increase traffic to your site, you can distribute press releases as frequently as you’d like. The more releases you distribute the greater amount of traffic you’ll get. But make sure your releases are written well and have value for your readers. The readers you want to attract should be able to click on the hyperlinks in the release, to go to your store or site.
No matter your kind of business or the frequency you choose, online press release distribution should center around when your business:
- Hits a major milestone
- About to start something newsworthy/ a new product
- Wins an award
In Conclusion
Learning how to utilize press release writing and distribution for your brand exposure and growth is a great business strategy. This is why a lot of big brands are using it. You can create an ongoing PR strategy that will see your business release a PR every 1-3 months. This will help your business grow and we have covered how to do all that in this article.
