A press release is undoubtedly important when it comes to drumming up publicity for your business. But should it be the *most* important part of your public relations strategy? A press release may not even be the best way for your company or clients to get publicity for a new product or an important announcement. The following four ideas may actually be more effective than a traditional press release.
1. A newsworthy story. If you don’t have a story that will interest journalists, let alone the public, there’s no reason to issue a press release. Before you draft that press release, make sure you have an angle worthy of the time and expense.
2. Anticipate an editor’s needs. Study local, regional, and national publications that you’re interested in targeting. Determine what sort of stories editors at those publications already publish, and see what gaps in their coverage you can fill.
3. Follow the news cycle. Your press release will have that much more weight with editors and journalists if it ties into a current hot news story, an ongoing trend, or a recurring event like a holiday, election, or the new school year for just a few examples.
4. Follow-through. Mass press release mailings are ineffective. Target your press releases to specific editors and journalists, and then follow up via email or phone. Developing relations with members of the media is much more beneficial than spamming publications blindly.
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. To subscribe to PR Fuel, visit: https://www.ereleases.com/prfuel/subscribe/.