2 min read How Can I Market My Business With A Press Release?
As a business owner, you want to drive traffic to your website, make more sales, bring in more leads, and build relationships. Press releases are an effective way to hit all of these goals, and garner media attention for you in the process.
Comprised of a page or two of written words, press releases are inexpensive to produce and fairly easy to distribute. There are both free and paid services that will take your press releases and send them out to thousands of media outlets.
If you're not a writer, enlist professional help with the initial drafting of your release. The last thing you want to do is send out a poorly written press release to a dozen media outlets. It will label you as amateurish, and leave a lasting impression.
If the DIY route is your choice, you'll want to educate yourself on how to write a PR by visiting a site like PRNewswire, which publishes hundreds of such documents every day. You can sift through the releases quickly, pick out the ones that catch your eye, and then try to emulate the best ones.
Here are the elements to include in your release:
Release time: Put this at the top of every news release, either indicating when the document can be made public, or "For Immediate Release" to show that it's ready now.
Headline: Summarize your story in just a few words. (See the section later in this chapter on how to make up a great headline.)
Subhead: This expands on the headline and gives readers a bit more information about what's to come.
Dateline: Include the day that the document was released, and the place of origin (your city and state).
Introduction: In a single paragraph, cover the basic elements that you'd find at the beginning of an article: who, what, when, where, why and how.
Body: Expound on the introduction and go into your story. Use details, statistics and trend information to back up your assertions and get your points across.
Bio/About "Your Company": Include background on you and/or your company and its services.
Closing marks: Use the symbols "###" or "-30-" to show that the press release has formally ended.
Contact information: Include your contact information, website address and any other contact information that will make it easy for people to get in touch with you.
Make Your Headline Pop
Your PR headline has to grab the reader's attention. Put some thought into it, look at what other companies are using, and come up with a punchy, relevant headline. Remember that your goal is to attract editors and journalists, while at the same time creating an online presence that customers will respond to and interact with.
When you're writing your PR headline, follow these tips:
Press Release Writing Writing Tips
Many of your affiliates will come from within a few miles of your home-based business. A "local" slant will help you get interest for your business and service, and will garner the interest of magazines, newspaper and online publications that cater to people in your geographic region.
Read through the magazines, newspapers or online publications to learn what they cover. If you see a section in your local business journal that profiles a new home-based business in a monthly column, for example, then that should be your first target.
When writing your release, make sure the final product is readable, and that it gets to the point quickly. Use keywords, a snappy title and a short summary to help you achieve that goal, and don't forget to include a bio that helps you:
• Position your company in the media's eyes
• Attract new customers
• Let existing customers know that you're working hard for them
• Provide a link to your website and contact information
If your PR is solid, targeted and newsworthy, get ready for some attention. Check your email and phone messages frequently and respond as quickly as possible. This will help establish you as a credible source not just for this article or customer inquiry, but for many more in the future.
Keep track of everyone who responds favorably to your press release, and use the information to follow up and see if the party wants to know more. If the respondent is a potential customer, add him or her to your client database. If it's a media outlet, collect the person's contact information and make him or her the first person one of the first to receive your next press release.
Be clear: Don't try to be cute. Cut to the chase and in just a few words let the world know what your PR is about.
Strive for accuracy: Don't trick readers into thinking your press release is something that it's not. It will only turn them off.
Don't overuse marketing speak: You have a great service to sell, but the headline of your press release isn't the place to hawk it. Save it for the bio section of your release, and use the headline to get your key points across.
Keep the headline short: Ten words or less is optimal.
Include targeted keyword(s): Optimizing your press release is important, so be sure to include one or two keywords of significance in your headline. Carry this strategy into the body of your press release, where keywords and relevant phrases will position your PR for the best possible search engine rankings.
Steer clear of jargon: Make the headline understandable for a wide audience, including readers who don't know anything about your industry.