Tell me if this sounds familiar: You have a great story, so you write a press release. You then send that one press release out to everyone on your media list — local newspaper reporters, editors at national publications, bloggers, TV/radio people, etc.
Admit it, you’ve done this. Probably all of us are guilty of doing this at one time or another.
The problem is that you shouldn’t send the exact same press release to everyone. You’re sending your press releases to a diverse audience. That’s why you need to create tailored press releases for each segment of your media list.
For example, you might want to send the local media a version of your press release that has a local spin added to the story. You might want to embed video or tailor your story in a way that offers opportunity for good video when sending it out to the television news.
You also have to remember that different people on your media list have different interests. They probably don’t all cover the same beat or write the same type of stories. Again, you’ll need to either tailor your press releases to the different interests of those on your lists or just not send certain press releases to certain media members when it doesn’t fit their interests.
Sending out different versions of your press release also helps you get more mileage out of your story. When you send everyone the exact same press release, not all reporters will be interested in covering it because they don’t want to do the same story everyone else will be doing. But if you tailor your press releases to different audiences, you’ll give each person a slightly different story angle so that they all feel they have something unique to cover.
It’s also important that you understand how the different people on your list like to be pitched. How do they prefer to receive their press releases? Or do they even want to receive press releases? Maybe certain ones would just rather you send a quick email pitch without a press release.
You need to take the time to get to know the preferences of your contacts, and make sure to note these things in your media list. This way, you’ll give yourself the best chance of reaching out to the various people in your media list in a way that gets positive results.
So, what do you think? Do you send out different versions of your press releases or does everyone get the same release? Share your thoughts by commenting below.
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download a free copy of the PR Checklist – a 24 point list of Press Release Dos and Don’ts here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/pr-checklist/