If you’ve followed this blog for any period of time, you know I’m a firm believer in the “leaky faucet” approach to press release distribution. This approach involves sending high quality, newsworthy press releases out on a regular basis with the hope that you’ll eventually find your press release in the right place at the right time.
Admittedly, the leaky faucet approach to press release distribution can prove to be challenging for some businesses. Coming up with newsworthy material on a regular basis can be difficult. That’s why I posted a huge collection of press release topic ideas for you to pull from.
But regardless of what idea or angle you choose to take with your press release, you can determine if it’s worth distributing by asking yourself one simple question: “Who cares?”
In other words, does the news you’re writing really appeal to anyone other than yourself? Will anyone outside of your company actually be interested in reading it?
If your intended audience doesn’t really care about the news, don’t even waste your time distributing it. It won’t get picked up, so you’re just sending it out for nothing.
Here are some simple questions to help you determine if your news really passes the “Who cares?” test.
- Would the reporters and their readers that you’re sending this to find this information relevant and useful?
- Is the news something worth picking up the phone and sharing with other people outside of your company?
- Can you imagine other people actually sharing this news and discussing it with their friends or colleagues?
- Objectively speaking, if you were the editor of the publication, would you publish the news?
Sometimes, the easiest way to transform a press release from something no one cares about to something that passes the “Who cares?” test is to look at the bigger story and see how it impacts the reader.
For example, say that you’re a contractor who wants to announce that you recently received a special Green Building credential. Rather than making the press release all about patting yourself on the back, focus on the bigger story. Talk about how you can now use green building technologies to save clients money, improve the environment, and so on. Talk about the future impact green building will have on the world. This takes the story from boring to interesting.
Are you in the process of writing a press release? Take a look at it. Does it really pass the “Who cares?” test?
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Download your free copy of 8 Shocking Secrets Press Release Distribution Firms Don’t Want You to Know here: https://www.ereleases.com/landing3.html