Why Send Press Releases?

Good question. Some people believe that press releases are obsolete and that no one actually reads them. True—most press releases are not read thoroughly, but they are scanned.

People glance at headlines and bullet points and give most releases a quick once over. So there’s always the chance that yours will grab their attention as long as yours has strong headlines and easily accessible information.

If something in your press release does catch someone’s eye, it may cause him or her to contact you and say, “Hey, what you sent is really interesting. Tell me more about it.” Press releases are intended to stir up interest and generate follow-up calls.

Ironically, media personnel expect and want press releases, even though they won’t thoroughly read them. They are addicted to information; they can’t get enough of it and never want to miss something that could be newsworthy. The media loves to sniff out stories, find needles in haystacks. So, sending press releases is a cost of playing the game.

Target Your Press Release
Press releases should be targeted at the specific audience you want to reach. Releases sent to the print media should differ from those directed to radio and television producers. And releases directed at the consumer vary from those sent to the media. All press releases should provide information quickly, be easy to read, and clearly state the who, what, where, why, and how of your story.

Print Media
The print media can publish press releases, or parts of them with limited changes, and their job is done. They will often augment press releases with quotes and information from their own sources, or even extract key points from your release to use as the basis of their own pieces. Occasionally, because of pressing deadlines, journalists will sometimes run well-written press releases verbatim.

Radio and TV
Radio and TV producers react differently to press releases than their print counterparts do. Therefore, you should send them a different version of the release. These types of professionals rarely read through press releases; instead, they quickly scan the headlines and read over bullets.

Unlike print journalists, radio and TV producers can’t simply run your press release. They’re interested in building features around the key points of your story. Therefore you need to highlight them in an accessible fashion by creating a strong headline, equally strong subheads, and condensed bulleted lists.

Direct-to-Consumer
In the past, press releases were sent primarily to the media in the hope that they would run items and create a buzz. Since the media controlled the distribution of news, they were the only game in town. Recently, however, the media has become less of a force and the Internet has opened up new distribution channels for news and information. As a result, creating press releases for consumers can pay off.

Millions of people constantly use the Internet’s various search engines. So you need to increase the odds that they will find you. Run searches to find the keywords related to your items that receive the most hits. Note the keywords most frequently searched for and include them in your headlines and the copy of your press release. Then post the press release on your site so it can be picked up by search engines. And since media professionals are always browsing the Web, they might come across your press release as well.

Besides including as many popular keywords as possible in your copy, make sure you write it so it appeals to potential buyers. Stress the benefits your product or service will provide and include incentives such as free trials, discounts, or special offers to sweeten the deal. Offering incentives can help you build loyal customers. It’s important to take this approach when writing releases targeted at the consumer rather than the media.

While it’s important to integrate consumer-directed press releases into your publicity campaign, don’t neglect the media. Keep sending press releases to selected media contacts.

– Rick