If you work in public relations, you know how important it is to the business or organization you present to produce effective, free press releases. It is one thing to create informative online PR news. It is another thing to make sure that this news reaches the maximum number of people possible and engages them in such a way that they are encouraged to buy a certain product, attend a certain event, or merely read more about a particular topic or organization. The typical press release distributed in America costs between $250 and $1,000 to send out. Here are three ways to maximize your investment and make your press releases even more effective.
Be Deliberate About the Release Date
Sometimes journalists, wire services news, publications, and news stations are instructed not to break the news detailed in the press release until a particular date. You may want to consider this approach as well if you want to capitalize on a marketing campaign or if it is essential that you keep information secret until the appropriate time comes to reveal it. For example, if you’re sending out a press release about an upcoming opera production, but the cast has not yet been finalized, you may want specify the date on which you request the information be published at the top of the press release.
Distribute the Press Release to As Many News Outlets As Possible
It’s as simple as this: the more outlets have the information, the more potential publicity you will get from the press release. This means sending it to a wide variety of wire services news. You will also want to distribute the release among relevant blogs, social media sites, and even forums. Any news outlet that publishes information that is at all related to your subject matter should be contacted.
Combine Traditional Print Releases With Video News Releases
In order to attract more readers, you first have to attract the attention of the journalists. You may find that supplementing a traditional press release with video releases, or VNRS, can be a great way to add interest to the subject. Not only does it make the news release feel more immediate, but it makes it that much easier for the online journalist in question to produce an intriguing article. He or she may be able to embed the video in the article itself, making it come alive for the readers. It is for this same reason that is always wise to attach photographs to digital press releases as well.
If you have general questions or comments, or you have specific recommendations on how to reach out to wire services news, make your thoughts known in the forum below.