So you’ve written a press release to highlight your company’s latest achievements? Now the biggest issue is to get the word out there.
Finding press release distribution is a great challenge for many businesses. This leads to press releases remaining undistributed, with achievements and milestones going unnoticed.
If your business has been in this position, don’t worry! We’ve prepared this guide to help you secure press release distribution. We want you to get the news about your company to as many readers as possible.
The first option is self-distribution:
1. Publish It Yourself
The first option is to publish a press release on your company’s website. You can use a blogging service such as WordPress or Medium, to publish this press release. This is an easy way to share your achievements. You can then share this press release on your social media profiles.
However, you want to consider if publishing it yourself will deter other publishers. Make sure to check if there are any restrictions that other publications have on press releases that are already published.
You might also consider self-publishing a press release after it gets published by other publications.
2. Finding Journalists
Before heading to a publication for press release distribution, you can start by finding journalists.
The best way to see if a journalist might have an interest in your press release is to see if they have written about a similar topic before. For example, if you have launched a gadget, find a notable tech writer. If you’ve hosted a charity event, find a Human Interest reporter.
Your company’s public relations department should have a Rolodex of journalists on hand. As you find interested journalists, make sure that there’s always a record of which journalists helped publish your press releases.
One of the best ways to contact a journalist is to see if they have a website. If they do, you can contact them through the website. Other ways are to check if their contact information is available through the publication.
LinkedIn is another service for contacting professional journalists. You can reach out to organizations such as SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) to find journalists.
3. Researching Publications
You should also research publications that publish press releases. You want to focus on ones that have an interest in your industry. A general publication such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, or Business Insider will bring massive interest to your company.
But these are general publications. As a result, it will be difficult to get your press release accepted by them.
Especially if you are a startup, focus on a niche publication. If there’s a publication that targets your industry, this is a better option than a general publication.
Let’s suppose you run a tech company that has launched a new pair of headphones. Wired Magazine is a general publication. A niche publication would be SoundGuys.
Ask your public relations department to create a spreadsheet of publications. This spreadsheet should have one sheet of all publishers. It should have another sheet with publishers that have already accepted your press releases.
Once you have found success with press release distribution, your focus should be on reaching out to publications. This is a better option than finding journalists.
4. Write A Pitch
Once you have found potential journalists/publications for your press release, you have to write a pitch. Your pitch should convince the recipient to publish the press release. It has to be concise and convincing.
Email is the preferred method for sending a pitch. For journalists, email the pitch to their professional email. For publications, check if they have a press release email for sending pitches to.
Your pitch should consist of the majority of the body.
You can start your email with a very short introduction:
Hello [NAME],
XYZ Company has launched a new pair of noise-canceling headphones. Would you like to publish this news?
After this introduction, you can provide 1-3 sentences detailing the press release. Then, follow with the actual press release and your contact information.
If you send this pitch to several journalists/publications, make sure to personalize it. A ‘To Whom It May Concern’ will always get rejected.
Your subject line should contain no more than 10 words. This should describe the press release itself.
5. Use A Press Release Distribution Service
If reaching out to journalists/publications don’t work out, there is an alternative option. You can use a press release distribution service such as PR Newswire.
You share your press release, and they will find appropriate publications for it. They specialize in sharing corporate announcements.
You can also research other press release distribution services and create a spreadsheet of which ones to use. These all serve different purposes.
For example, PR Newswire might be best for corporate announcements. You might find another distribution service working for announcing product launches.
6. Blogs and Online Publications
Finally, you should look at blogs and online publications to share your press release. With this, you want to make sure that you check the credibility and popularity of the blog/publication.
If it’s run by a single person and receives less than 1,000 visitors per month, it won’t serve your purpose. If it’s a major publication that receives millions of visitors per month, it has better potential.
For blogs and online publications, you want to focus on the niche. Suppose you are a retailer of precious metals. It’s better to publish on a blog/publication specifically about precious metals. This is as opposed to a generic investing blog/publication.
Share Your Press Release
Now that you know the methods for press release distribution, you are ready to share your press release. Make sure to share this guide with your fellow business owners and entrepreneurs.
If you find that your press release is still getting rejected, you might need to work on it. It might need to have that expert touch with writing. Or, it might be that you are missing out on a great distribution service.
We can help with writing your press release. We can also help with its distribution.
Check out our services, and let’s get in touch!