Since most consumers visit the internet first before buying any product or engaging any service, what comes up in a “Google” search can make a big difference in whether or not people buy right now, put your company on their consideration list for the future, or recommend you to others.
If your company demonstrates an ongoing pattern of good news, that can make a difference in a prospect’s inclination to engage or advocate for your products or services. After all, given the choice to work with an award-winning, innovative organization with an ongoing pattern of contribution to the marketplace and the community and another organization without such a pattern of impressive accomplishments, what you would do?
With that said, what kind of information qualifies as “news.” Some examples might be the introduction of an innovative new product that solves a problem in the marketplace or the community that is deeply felt, the winning of a prestigious award, the acquisition of a new company or a new client, an announcement about a new top officer or an appointment to a community or corporate board, or the release of proprietary research that is provocative and compelling in addressing issues that are impacting decision makers now more than ever. In today’s economy, layoffs, labor strikes, and other news relevant to the turbulence of the economy is center stage.
Before you take any action, examine your goals. Do you want to generate buzz and brand awareness? Do you want to educate your audiences? Do you want to convert leads to sales? Do you want to improve your rankings in the search engines and increase traffic to your site? Then, present your information in such a way as to support those goals.
A press release can be an effective tool to deliver the information, provided you target it to the right audiences. A press release is typically a one page document that explains the “who, what, why, when, where, and how” about your information with emphasis on the “why anyone should care” details. It includes contact information to make it easy for reporters and editors to get in touch with you, and it includes links to your website, blog, or online press room so people can quickly and easily learn more.
Issuing your news online via press releases can be an effective strategy to support the accomplishment of these goals. The Society for New Communications Research Fellows issued recommended best practices for online news releases in June of 2008, based on their study “Exploring the ROI of Online Press Releases.” You can find useful tips and best practices at this link. Here is another link to a useful article by Kay Paumier of Communications Plus about how to improve your search engine ranking through news releases.
When preparing your news releases, Michael Hart says to pay particular attention to the title. The title is everything. The title determines the “click” rate since many digital releases are sent as an attachment or require some additional effort on the part of the recipient.
Putting “Press release for your consideration” in the subject line of your email is definitely not the way to go. Don’t be afraid to have a little fun with your title, if it suits the occasion and the timing. For example, I remember having a little fun at Easter a few years ago with a photo opportunity release I issued on behalf of one of my clients. It read, “Chocolate Chicks and Caramel Bunnies are on the Run at Fran’s Chocolates.” Did I get lots of pick up on that release? You bet!
With these tips guiding your efforts, you can achieve more DIY publicity success with greater ease. Stay tuned for more tips about press releases in the days leading up to this Thursday’s teleseminar on the topic with me and PR Leads Founder Dan Janal. Sign up to listen in or enjoy the Mp3 file at your 24/7 convenience at this link.
