Tips for Social Media Press Releases
Are you wondering how you can make your press releases work on social media? Creating a social media press release, in addition to your normal press release, is a great way to make the most of your press releases by sharing them with a wide audience online.
If you want to boost engagement when it comes to sharing press releases on social media, keep reading. Create some buzz when posting your press releases with these helpful tips and tricks.
But before we get into the how, we need to discuss the what:
What is a Social Media Press Release and How is it Different Than a Normal Press Release?
A social media press release is somewhat similar to a regular press release except the audience is different – a social media press release is designed to reach customers and consumers of your product. A classic press release, on the other hand, is designed to appeal to a journalist to get them to cover your story.
Because of that, a social media press release is going to read quite differently than a normal press release, stressing different aspects of your announcement and oftentimes including different media types to appeal to customers, not journalists.
The key for both types of press releases is knowing your audience, what is compelling to them, and what will get them to take the action you want them to take:
- For journalists – you want them to report on your news
- For customers – you want them to buy, attend, visit your webpage, etc.
Recommendation: Create a Separate Social Media Press Release
Whenever you’ve got news that will be interesting to both the press and customers, it’s a good idea to create a social media press release in addition to a standard press release. Your social media press release should then be released and promoted in social media, and put in a special part of your online newsroom so customers and search engines can find it there.
What Should Be Included in a Social Media Press Release?
One of the keys to success for a social media press release is to focus on it as its own media, rather than just rewording your standard release. You may want to include:
Video
Showing things like the product in use, describing the benefits of the product, showing customer testimonials, and showing the differences between your product and the competitors. Keep in mind this video does not have to be expensive and professionally produced. In fact, the posts that tend to do the best are usually simply shot on a cell phone and shared from there.
A Compelling Customer-Oriented Headline
Remember the importance of headlines in social media – your headline for your social media press release is almost surely going to be different than the one in your classic journalist-targeted press release, because it needs to be designed to get interest and views from customers.
Possibly a Link to More Information
You’ll want to use good judgment on this, because some social media sites penalize social media posts that contain links. Many companies get around this by creating several different posts, each emphasizing different aspects of the announcement, all to be posted on their social media channels.
However, if your company is going to pay to run the post as an ad, you definitely will want to include a link in the call to action portion of the post to get more information.
Here are 5 additional tips to help you get more bang for your social media press releases
1. Craft a Creative Headline
The purpose of press releases is to make an exciting announcement or to share important news with your audience, making social media a great place to share these documents. However, to capture online users’ attention, you need to make sure you grab them with a compelling press release headline designed for customers, not the media. You need exciting headlines that will motivate readers to click into your post to find out more as well as encouraging them to engage with your post.
A unique headline will allow you to increase the amount of interaction and shares your press release post receives. You want to be creative while also making sure the headline is short, concise, and informative. You want to use specific keywords to ensure that the message is clear in the headline.
2. Blog about It
A great way to boost the exposure of your social media press release posts is to blog about them. Adding a blog to your website is great for many reasons. For one, blogging can help you improve your search engine rankings, and it can also provide your customers with informative information about your company or your industry.
However, you don’t want to just copy and paste your normal press releases into your blog posts. Instead, write content designed to attract and inform customers. They should summarize the release’s news, making it applicable to customers, and adding in other materials or sources to support your point. You can include other media, such as videos and images to make your blogs more interactive.
Infographics are another great tool to use to break up your written content. These tools are a visual representation of information in your press releases that may be more complex.
This is a great content marketing tool, as it allows you to use charts and graphs to convey statistics in a more digestible way. You want to make your infographics scannable using negative space, colors and shapes to separate your ideas.
Blog posts should be easily scannable, so it’s best to write in short paragraphs and to list or bullet point key takeaways when possible. You can then share these blog posts to your social media channels and email newsletters, encouraging leads back to your press release and website. The more content you produce about your press releases, the more hype and interest they will build.
3. Go Live on Social
You can go live or make videos on platforms like Instagram and Facebook to broadcast details about your press release like an announcement. This is a great way to convey your messages to your online audience for a number of reasons. This allows you to diversify your online content in a way that can reach viewers in real-time.
This is a great way to build some excitement around your press release, especially if it’s highlighting an upcoming event or product release. This is a great way to build some awareness around an upcoming event, helping you build your brand awareness as a whole. It’s also a great way to drive leads to your blog, social profile, or website.
Live videos are also an incredibly cost-effective way to engage with your audience and make them a part of the conversation. You can do so by setting up question and answer sessions with viewers who can submit questions about your upcoming event. Connecting with your audiences is a great way to improve your customer loyalty.
4. Include Captivating Quotes
Including great quotes in your press releases helps you make your content more engaging with humanizing details. Quotes can help to amplify your content by making them feel less stagnant and more alive. You want your quotes to inspire, entertain, educate, or convince readers to take the call the action that you desire.
Adding a few quotes from reliable sources can help you build some authority around whatever point you are trying to make within your press release. This helps you attract your target audience and increase online shares. Just make sure the quotes you use communicate well to your customers: a quote from your CEO stating “this new expansion will increase our competitive positioning in the worldwide market, enabling us to lead technologically, increase shareholder value, and improve speed to market” probably isn’t going to work in a customer-oriented social media press release.
5. Mobile-Friendly is a Must
If you are preparing to run a social media press release, you need to make sure that everything associated with it (the videos, the links people will visit, etc.) they are mobile-friendly. This will allow you to reach users no matter what device they are on. You need to make sure your content is easy to read and navigate, no matter what size screen it appears on
If your content is not mobile-friendly, you will likely lose tons of viewers and readers, making all the effort you took to promote your press release less effective. With the increase in online usage via mobile devices, making sure all of your online platforms and content are accessible across a wide range of devices is a must.
Tips for Social Media Press Releases
Creating social media press releases is a great way to generate more buzz and attention around your announcement. However, it’s important to keep these tips in mind to make sure you are sharing this information on social media effectively.
Social Media Press Release
A social media press release is an enhanced version of a traditional press release, adding catchy visuals, engaging videos, and shareable content designed to be appealing to social media audiences. Social media press releases are designed to be a one-stop-shop for influencers to spot, spread, and cover your story, amplifying its overall impact.
Are you looking for more ways to make the most out of your press releases? If so, start an order with us today to get your press releases distributed for the best results.