|
Back in the 1980's, we used to write press releases for the press. How quaint.  Yesterday's Print News Gets Trashed & Forgotten... And we used to write 'em only when we wanted to get coverage of significant company news. Those days are gone forever. After all, your buyers are on the internet, reading your press releases directly. They use free online tools like Google Alerts, Bloglines, and Technorati to get instant updates any time your company, product, or industry might be mentioned. And bloggers scoop MSM (main stream media) reporters on breaking stories all the time. Today, successful press releases speak directly to your target audience -- and indirectly to search engines and bloggers. (And oh yeah -- sometimes the main stream media, too!) If you're still writing primarily for the MSM, it's time for a total press release makeover. Here are four top tips for making over your press releases to meet 21st century marketing practices:
 ...But Online News Gets Archived! 1. Write and distribute press releases with your real audience in mind. Media is decentralized. You're not a giant corporation pitching to a giant media outlet anymore. You're a human being telling your story directly to your best customers. And your goal is to make it as easy as possible for your fan base to spread your ideas for you. If you're still using industry jargon and corporate-speak because you think it sounds impressive, you'd better stop. Even if you're a giant corporation, it's time to adopt a more personal tone. The mumbo-jumbo of passive voice and lofty but meaningless words only makes your audience roll their eyes before they stop paying attention to you altogether. 2. Write and distribute regularly. You don't need to have monumental news to write and distribute a press release. Getting the word out on smaller events or achievements can help you build an online conversation with your customer base. If you're speaking at a conference, publishing a white paper, coming out with a new product feature, revealing the results of an online poll -- you can write and distribute a winning press release. Will it get picked up by the MSM? Maybe. Maybe not. The MSM is listening in on your conversation, so they might pick it up. But that's not the point. The point is to regularly communicate and spread your ideas, features, and benefits to your real audience. 3. Write and distribute with search engines in mind. When you write and distribute a press release, use keyword rich copy. And optimize your press release for search by distributing press releases through a service like PRWeb or Marketwire. These services offer inexpensive options that let you syndicate your keyword-dense content on Google News, Yahoo News, Topix, and other popular online news and idea-spreaders. And since inbound links from reputable sites are important for great search engine positioning, regular press releases with keyword rich content can help boost your site in search rankings. 4. Post your own press releases. You have a website: use it to post news about your company. Posting your own releases lets your audience get to know what's important at your organization. It gives the media an opportunity to review your ongoing stories. Plus, keeping your site current shows that your company is active and thriving. If you need help giving your marketing organization a 21st century publicity makeover, give me a jingle or drop me a line. We'll talk.
Related article: How to format a winning press release! |
