Making the Most of Your Press Release

by
Kimi Mann, APR

Distribution strategies make a difference in obtaining the placements you want.

WIRE SERVICES. Many professionals take the convenient, easy way and use wire services (such as PR Newswire or Business Wire) for distribution. This is an excellent initial strategy in that wire services perform their functions efficiently and effectively. There is wide-spread distribution on a timely basis to the media audiences you have selected. Distribution by wire service – a proprietary link from service to news room -- has an associated cost, but your message is delivered to the targeted consumer and/or trade media.

As important, wire service releases are posting on many leading online news aggregators, such as Yahoo News and Google News, and news syndicates, such as Reuters. These internet news sites can be easily accessed by bloggers, social media sites, and even journalists browsing the web. Placed on these news sites, your releases are also open to consumers and the general public, not limited to traditional media outlets.

Wire services generally offer search engine optimization (SEO) services for national releases. These services optimize the gleaning of key words by search engines and may assist in letting more people view your release. Ideally, your press release should be crafted so that key messages and positioning statements can be search engine optimized, to drive traffic to your website and reach out to bloggers, as well as to traditional media targets.

E-MAIL PITCHES. In our experience, many reporters prefer to receive story pitches and even news releases by e-mail. Unless yours is a name the specific reporter recognizes, the subject line has to be impactful and noteworthy, so that the reporter will actually read your pitch. Do not mass e-mail, as many reporters automatically disregard mass e-mails (don’t you tend to junk them, too?).

We have found that reporters at local area newspapers and broadcast media are very approachable through e-mail and will often respond if they need more information. You can generally find contact information for specific reporters online, by checking the website of the place they work.

TELEPHONE PITCHES. Sometimes, you will want to call specific reporters to pitch a story. If you are calling a reporter, make sure that you have real news. Target your reporter carefully. Nothing kills a story faster – or leaves you with less credibility – than approaching a reporter whose beat does not cover your news. Research the reporter’s deadlines and adjust your calls to the reporter’s time zone. Be concise in your pitch, be courteous and do not take it personally if the reporter cannot use your story.

WEBSITES. If a reporter is interested in your release, he or she will often go directly to your website – often for background information (including fact sheets, organizational history, key executive profiles and more). On your website, ONLINE PRESS ROOMS can offer videos, photos and other downloadable resources (such as your corporate logos and headshots of your CEO) that a reporter could use to give weight and substance to a story.

CUSTOMIZED LIST DISTRIBUTION. Today, we are fortunate in the choices offered through software solutions that enable you to customize media mailings to a select and targeted list. The services that offer software solutions include Burrelles Luce, Cision, and Vocus. Some are integrated with a major wire service (such as Vocus, with Business Wire). All offer proprietary software to assist with SEO. They do require some time to learn and manage the software for direct contact with editors, writers, bloggers and others. They all offer tools to refine news messaging.

ONLINE NEWS DISTRIBUTION SERVICES. Services, including PRWeb, are designed to distribute content directly to the internet. These services provide a range of multimedia distribution options, including photos, podcasts and videos.

At Mann & Associates, we believe that the careful choice of distribution strategies is as important as substantive content and positioning. The best solution is often a combination, or integration, of outreach efforts.