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Press releases aren’t only for moguls who already have the
proverbial market cornered in the area of one commodity or
another. These are announcements that can be – and are – used by
any business owner who’s smart enough to tap into this type of media
technique in order to promote a product or service to a wide target
audience. In this type of scenario, however, the media takes on
the task of doing the reporting. So, what’s the advantage of a
press release? Simple – positive exposure. You have a
product to highlight to a large number of people, and you want it to be
presented in the best way possible. Press releases provide snappy
headlines that will attract consumers, and tend to provide a
comprehensive overview that people will understand. This
translates into significantly higher sales and a more successful
business.
One of the most common mistakes that new business owners often make is
to overlook the public relations portion of establishing their
company. This should be one of their highest priorities, and yet
it’s often pushed to the back burner in lieu of other tasks that seem –
for the moment – to be more pressing. A good press release is one
way to let the world know that your company exists and that you have
products that can benefit them in some way. Rather than spending
a lot of time and money into creating and publishing costly ads, the
smart business owner recognizes the value of the press release and
utilizes its benefits to the fullest.
Once your company and its products have been introduced to the media,
you’ve established yourself as a significant member of the business
community and will be well on your way to a successful marketing
campaign. The best part is, it doesn’t have to come with a big
price tag. Even if you choose to have a professional marketing
firm handle your press release, it can be modestly priced – if you
choose one that’s got a solid reputation for success without escalated
fee schedules.
Since a press release is a significant form of publication, it’s
critical to remember that its grammatical structure, message, style and
approach are professional in their presentation. The benefit of
having a marketing firm handle this type of publicity technique is that
their employees are armed with professional writing skills and know how
to develop a press release – something which the average business owner
lacks. They know they best way to get the message across, and
know their target audience, as well.
Once you’ve made the decision to issue a press release, you’ll have to
determine when the most fortuitous time would be to have it
published. Simply releasing it without a carefully thought out
strategy will lack the effectiveness that you’re hoping to
achieve. This type of announcement should only be made when
there’s something significant to communicate and, even then, it should
be considered significant to journalists and the overall market – not
just to your company. In order to enjoy the coverage that your
press release will need to be successful, it has to provide the
necessary motivation to editors, such as a clever angle.
The thing that you’ll want to avoid is the impression that you’re
simply jumping on the bandwagon with a lot of other companies who are
offering a product or service that’s already been widely
advertised. You need to take the approach that what you have to
offer is unique in some way. Stress the benefits that the
consumer will reap when purchasing your product, and make it clear that
you have something to offer that the others don’t – i.e., it needs to
be innovative, without the usual advertising mumbo jumbo that only
serves to insult the reader. Make it clear and concise without
making the reader feel as though they’ve been hit between the eyes with
a hard sales pitch and without confusing the reader as to the nature of
the product.
Events such as mergers, the hiring of a notable staff member, industry
awards and other types of newsworthy pieces of information are all
suitable material for a press release. These are the types of
stories that typically generate interest among journalists and editors,
and will stand a good chance of being picked up by the press.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that only current events are
newsworthy, however. Upcoming events that carry the same type of
impact are also press release-worthy. The grand opening of a
company or satellite, charitable or political involvement and events
that will include celebrities or other notables are also enough to
pique the interest of the media. Of course, lesser known
businesses may not command as much attention as a more established
company will, but it depends upon what’s being announced and the
strength of the message.
Internal human-interest stories are often picked up by the press, and
these types of news items should be utilized in a press release
whenever possible. Examples of these would include information
about an employee that’s received significant recognition for a
particular achievement or anything unusual or unique that can be
attributed to an employee or customer.
In order to capture enough interest to generate a popular press
release, it’s critical that you offer something that’s significant
enough to grab the attention of the right people. If that means
launching a particular incentive program or special event in order to
create something newsworthy enough for a press release, then take the
challenge and do so. Offering a fantastic deal on a product, or
providing a service that’s both unique and exciting will generally be
enough to get the attention that you’re looking for and throw a lot of
business your way.
Keeping in touch with news events is a great way to develop reasons for
publishing a press release. If, for instance, there’s some major
community event that’s on the horizon or you become involved in a
controversial issue, seeking to involve your company in some way will
generally ensure some type of press release that includes that
information.
Of course, it’s important to remember that the same press release
shouldn’t be issued to more than one area of the press. For
multiple segments of the media, separate press releases should be
issued, rather than passing out the same one to everyone, as though
they were cigars in the hands of a new father. In other words,
make sure that you’re targeting the right audience with your press
release. If you’ve created some fantastic new beauty care product
for women, you probably wouldn’t get very far if you attempted to issue
it in a press release that would be included in a men’s magazine.
With all of the information that must be considered about what to
write, how to write it, who to target and where to launch it, the
development of a press release can be rather burdensome. If you
have the time, talent, research skills and money to do all of this and
still run an up-and-coming business, that’s great. Realistically,
however, that doesn’t often happen, and the need to call in the
professionals becomes rather obvious at some point. So, either
get ready to put in a lot of overtime or call on those who can
successfully achieve these goals without all of the hassle.
About the Author: Monique Danielle owns Portland Marketing Agency DivaDesignWorld.com,
a full service firm that offers web development, graphic design,
consulting, and a wide variety of creative services. She is also
the founder of divadirectories.com,
a free online resource designed to promote the growth and development
of female business owners throughout Oregon, Washington, and the
Northwest.
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