When it comes to promoting your business, social media is just one tool to broadcast your message. Although some marketers may doubt the relevancy of the press release, it still is used and can be used effectively if you go about it the right way.
The book Guerilla Publicity: Hundreds of Sure-Fire Tactics to Get Maximum Sales for Minimum Dollars…Includes Podcasts, Blogs, and Media Training for the Digital Age [Kindle Edition] by Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman, and Jill Lublin offers more ideas regarding the press release, which is another tool to add to your marketing toolbox.
One of the more important lessons in it is how to handle press releases. No, they’re not dead but you do have to carefully create them so they grab attention fast. From the book:
“The first paragraph of your press release is vital. [It] is intended to alert the media, to inform them what you’re promoting. It should run no more than three or four sentences and set forth all the main points covered in the release.”
Other chapters cover how to create a media kit, building media relationships, and what to avoid in your pursuit for publicity.
If you can’t afford a good publicist, this book can give you some valuable pointers. Remember, no one knows about your business as well as you. How you promote your business is ultimately up to you.
Another great article I came across was from Meltwater, “10 Examples of Effective Press Releases + A Template to Download.” (Note: The free template is smartly used as an opt-in offer. If you’re looking for lead magnet ideas, this is an excellent one. Can you also create a helpful template for your audience and then use it to build your own email list?)
From the article:
“A press release is one of the most effective promotional tools in your kit when launching a new product, but in most cases, announcing a new product isn’t enough to make this a newsworthy story.
Before pitching anything, ask yourself how is this product worthy of being considered as news? Are innovative technologies used? Does it offer anything different from what’s already on the market? What is ‘new’ about this product?
If a product is new to your company but not the market, you’re unlikely to land coverage. So, think about what sets this product or service out from the rest and lead with this message.”
When I talk to my clients about press releases, the first thing I tell them is that their press release has to focus on the “news angle.” Does the topic of the press release come across as newsworthy?
Bottom line: if it isn’t news, then the media won’t be interested in it. Keep up with trends and breaking news events and if appropriate, connect them to your product or service. Before you know it, you’ll get noticed and gain the traction you seek.
Be persistent but be helpful. Understand that the media person at the other end is trying to find stories that will help their publication or channel be relevant to their audience. Keep swinging… eventually you’ll hit it out of the park!