Press Release Tips For Small Business
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The role of a press release (also referred to as a news release) is to make an announcement of something that’s happened to or within your company. Companies that try to develop their own press are often tempted to use press releases as a promotional sales tool. Be careful as this can anger many of the media contacts you’ve worked hard to cultivate. Good press release topics include:–You hire someone.
–You announced quarterly earnings.
–You spot a trend with substantiated stats or percentages.
–You released results of a survey.
–You launched a new product.I could go on and on because there are so many reasons for disseminating a press announcement. The important thing to keep in mind is that you must avoid bad temptations and find the right balance between being promotional, offering news and delivering content that makes it easy for a reporter to place into a story they’re working on.
Here’s a tip: Before you write your next press release try reading several articles in the business section of your hometown newspaper or even a national business magazine. Notice how the reporters structure their stories so that they’re light on promotion and heavy on information.
The key here is understanding the difference between news and promotion. Always remember that a good press release should never be used as an advertisement for your company. Just because you offer low prices doesn’t mean it should be a main message in your release.
Avoid these in your press release:
–We’re the best
–We’ve got the lowest prices
–You’ll only find this here
–No one beats our customer serviceInstead try replacing with these:
–We’ve made improvements to our service levels and efficiencies because of new technologies implemented…
–Product pricing has been reduced by XX% due to a new drop shipment installation in our logistics…
–Inventory levels at the Southeast regional warehouse have increased because of…
–A new training program has reduced the number of complaints and product returns by ZZ%…Writing your press releases for the media instead of your sales team will always result in more media coverage. UnderstandingMarketing.com has launched a new press release writing service. Also be sure to download the PR Toolkit for even more great tips on attracting publicity for your small business. Check it out and let us know if you have any questions.
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November 13, 2009 at 8:33 am
Press release writers no longer have to worry about “angering” journalists by including information that promotes their product, service, cause or issue.
That’s because you can write press releases to distribute online, where you can reach consumers directly. If those releases have helpful content, consumers won’t care if you’re promoting a product or service that will solve their problem. In fact, they’ll love it! Many will click through to your website and buy it.
As for journalists, if they’re “offended,” that’s tough. Besides, you should pitching journalists with customized story ideas for their particular media outlets. That’s how you get the really good coverage. It isn’t through press releases.
Thankfully, we no longer must bow at the altar of traditional journalists and pray that they cover our story. The Internet gives us a wide variety of tools we can use to communicate our message to the masses. Press releases distributed through services like PRWeb and Expertclick are just two of them.
November 13, 2009 at 9:51 am
Excellent points, Joan. Thanks for chiming in.
December 1, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Joan is so right. We are increasingly writing direct to consumers. I find myself looking more and more at direct marketers for ideas, instead of my public relations friends.
This is a great little guide for small business. I think this is a great opportunity that so many don’t use.
Bill
December 1, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Thanks for the comment, Bill.
December 25, 2009 at 11:53 pm
An interesting article, thanks. What I’m curious about is if something is not appropriate for a press release, would it potentially be appropriate for a blog post? Can a press release be a blog post as well? What differentiates between the two?
December 27, 2009 at 9:03 am
More and more companies are utilizing blogs as a complement to their PR. To fully answer your question I’d have to get a better understanding of what you’d consider “not appropriate for a press release”? But yes, a press release can also be a blog post as long as your release is not filled with technical jargon or industry-speak. Always remember that a blog, first and foremost, is a community where people can interact. If your press release does not provide the basis of a two-way conversation, then it probably wouldn’t make for a good blog post.