Andy Warhol said that In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes. The future is now, which is why brands and companies of all kinds yearn to enjoy those 15 minutes of fame. To achieve this, one of the most useful—and most wasted—tools is the press release. Why do I say “wasted”? Because poor planning often makes a press release end up lost like tears in the rain. If your press releases haven’t delivered results so far, or you’re thinking of turning to them for the first time, don’t worry. Below, I’m going to share the keys to sending a press release that has a real effect on your marketing strategy. But let’s start at the beginning…
What is a press release?
According to the RAE, a press release is a communiqué that an institution or entity disseminates through the media.
In simpler words, press releases are newsworthy articles related to your brand or business that are distributed to the media for publication. Since we’re talking about journalism, the press release must meet the following characteristics:
- Be informational in nature: This is required for publication. We’ll later see which topics are most suitable for a press release.
- Be objective: The press release should talk about your business, yes, but in an impartial tone, avoiding promotional language.
- Be verifiable: If the release includes any data, it must be verifiable with reliable sources through bibliographic citations, references…
- Be concise: The press release should not exceed one page.
- Be current: Timeliness rules. It wouldn’t make sense to issue a press release announcing that you opened a new location last year, right? Of course not—the news would be that you’re opening it next week.
Differences between press releases, statements, media articles, and advertorials
Press releases, statements, media articles, advertorials… With so many names it’s normal to get confused, but keep in mind we’re talking about different things.
The purpose of the statement is to respond to information that affects your company or to make your position clear on a specific issue. It’s usually limited to crisis moments. For example, when a case of food poisoning hits the news, it’s common for the company responsible for that product to issue a press statement in response to what happened. They are similar to press releases in that they’re distributed to multiple outlets and talk about your business, but as you can see, their motivation is quite different.
Media articles, for their part, are articles that include a link to your website. Unlike a press release, the article is published in a single outlet and may refer to your company—or not mention it at all—and simply link to some interesting content on your site. They are one of the main link-building tools, so their goal is to improve your website’s ranking by passing authority through that link. Press releases also usually include links, but they are not as useful for SEO as an article in a media outlet.
Lastly, there are advertorials, which are advertising features about your brand. Unlike the other formats, their goal is 100% promotional and, of course, they are paid. Whereas in the case of press releases and media articles there are options to publish for free.
Advantages of press releases
- They give visibility to your brand.
- By being published in many places, they can achieve great reach.
- You have control over the text content.
- They improve your business’s reputation and credibility.
- They increase your web traffic.
Disadvantages of press releases
- They require time and specialized writers.
- They are short-lived publications.
- You must choose very carefully whom you send them to so they don’t go unnoticed.
- Frequent use is not good for SEO. In fact, links that a press release may include are often marked as nofollow to avoid penalties.
How to send a press release to the media
1 Choose a topic for a press release
The first step in launching a press release is choosing its topic. Let’s remember two basic rules here to make your release successful:
- It must be about a newsworthy event. If the media consider your content is not news, they won’t publish it.
- It must be an appealing topic. Otherwise, even if it’s published, no one will read it.
The most common topics for press releases are these, at least according to my experience:
Major changes in the company: This category includes everything from opening new locations or changing headquarters to a change of president at the company or signing a strategic alliance.
Product launches: Launching a new product or service is the first reason that comes to mind when I think of press releases. But remember that press releases are purely informative—no self-promotion.
Recognitions and awards: It’s clear that if your brand wins an award or receives some kind of recognition, you’ll want to share it with the world.
Announcement of initiatives: Charitable initiatives are the most well received. For example, a restaurant can donate food to an NGO or organize a charity dinner. You not only gain visibility, but you also build brand image and contribute your grain of sand to society, which never hurts.
Studies or research: This is undoubtedly my favorite, and I think they work best because they provide valuable content, are easily shared, and allow you to position yourself as a reference in your sector. We, as a marketing agency, could conduct an annual study on online shopping habits or how much companies invest in ranking, for example. I’m sure there’s something in your sector that you can research to produce a useful study. It takes time, of course, but the results are worth it.
2 Write the release
The basic structure of a press release is as follows:
- Headline
- Lead
- Body
- Contact information
The headline should be short, direct, avoid sensationalism, and, if possible, include your brand name:
❌ Bad: The best app to work out and lose weight without leaving home.
???? Good: The XXXXXX gym launches its own fitness app.
The lead is a summary of the press release content (between 2 and 5 lines). The body is the actual content of the release, where the information is developed. As I said before, the length should be one page at most.
The contact information is your company’s, in case someone wants to contact you for more details. Apart from this, the press release includes the date and place, and you can also add an image.
Given the particularities of press releases, it’s common to send a briefing to a journalist or writer and have them write the release. If you prefer to write the release yourself, keep in mind that these texts are written in the third person. That is, it’s not you talking about your brand but a journalist talking about your brand in an impartial tone.
3 Send the press release
You’ve written the release. That’s great—but what now? Where to send your press releases? You have several options, each with its pros and cons.
Do a mailing
All media outlets have a contact email, so you can select the outlets where you’d like your release to appear. It’s an easy, low-cost way that lets you select your targets, but it has some issues. To begin with, searching for outlets can be somewhat tedious. In addition, precautions must be taken to avoid falling into spam and to comply with data protection laws.
But the worst isn’t that. The worst is that after doing everything, you might not receive any response. Don’t take it personally; it’s just that they receive so many emails that they may ignore yours unless it’s truly interesting to them.
Ideally, you’d have press contacts, but that’s complicated. So I recommend that, to increase your chances of success, you choose very carefully where to send the press release. Think about the outlets your target audience reads. For a local business, it makes more sense to contact local media than to go to the major mastheads.
Use a press release distribution service
If you don’t have contacts to send your press release to and your brand isn’t well known enough to generate interest on its own, it’s best to work with an agency that acts as an intermediary between you and the media. This way you can “ensure” the publication of your press release, and you’ll also have access to reach and impact statistics.
The downside, as you’ve probably guessed, is that this option is paid. There are free press release distribution services, but they’re not very effective, so you’ll have to pay. However, you should be clear that sending press releases through an agency is not a panacea. Publishing a press release doesn’t guarantee anything; only valuable, well-focused content will allow you to achieve results.
Do you want to send a press release?
Well, I have news for you: we can lend you a hand. At Dos Setenta we help you find topics for your press releases, write them, and distribute them to a multitude of outlets. If you dream of appearing in the media, contact us.
