Have you been including news releases as part of your marketing plan? If not, you should. News releases can be a highly effective, affordable way to create awareness about your company and boost your online presence.
What is a news release?
A news release (also known as a press or media release) is simply a written statement for the media. A release can be used to announce all kinds of things about your business, such as upcoming events, a new employee or promotion, awards and certifications, new products and services, and much more.
By sending out a news release, you’re inviting the media to take an interest in your company – and while The Australian may not pick it up, it’s certainly possible that a local reporter might.
However, keep in mind that a news release is not an ad for your company. If you announce a new product or service in a release, be sure to include information that describes why it’s newsworthy and not just a sales promotion for your business.
Free publicity opportunity
The information in a release not only provides information for the general public, but when shared by media outlets, can help you get free publicity for your business. A news release can also help improve your overall SEO rankings the content gets posted on another website and links back to your site.
(Plus, don’t forget – a release can also be used as fresh material for your website, blog and social media accounts. If you’re taking the time to write one, be sure to repurpose that content whenever you can).
How should a news release be written?
When writing a news release, it’s important to keep the text in the third person and use formal business language. For instance, use a structure like this:
“ABC Accounting is pleased to announce a free lunch-and-learn seminar on business tax planning to be held 25 May 2014 at 10am at the Adelaide Convention Centre. Interested participants can register by calling on +61 8 8000 0000 .”
instead of :
“We’re pleased to announce our upcoming tax planning seminar on 25 May at 10am at the Adelaide Convention Centre. You can register by calling us on +61 8 8000 0000.”
What should I include?
When you write a news release, you should make sure to include the following:
The who, what, when, where, why, and how. What is the actual news you want to share and what are the important details? What makes this news? In other words, why should a reporter be interested? The more newsworthy your information is, the more likely it is to be selected by a journalist for follow-up.
Contact information for you and your company. Journalists are always on a deadline, so you’ll want it to be as easy as possible for him or her to reach out. It’s best to provide several ways for a journalist to reach you (or your company’s designated contact person), including email address, phone numbers, etc. BE SURE you or your designated contact is ready and willing to talk about the information that’s released.
How and where should I send the release?
If you don’t already have a contact person, check online for newspaper/media outlets and search for contact information for the news editors (they will often have direct email addresses available online).
If you send your release in an email (recommended), be sure to include some brief information in your message about what you are sending and why. You can add the release as a pdf attachment or cut and paste the text directly below your initial greeting.
You can also get additional exposure for your news by using PR websites. Both free and paid options are available. (Naturally, legitimate paid services will be able to share your news with far more contacts and provide additional back-links to your site, as well, but these options can be expensive.)
PRWire, a service for news distribution in New Zealand and Australia, offers free sign-up and release, and you can narrow your field by subject/industry. Of course, since it IS free, the quality of some of the posted releases is lower, but they do a screening prior to approval, and posting here can definitely help with your SEO.
In terms of paid options, there are many choices, but here are three of the best-rated services:
- AAP Medianet offers press release distribution, media database lists, planning tools and campaign monitoring. Setting up an account is free; once you decide what you want, you pay by release rather than setting up a contract.
- The Media Game is popular, easy to use and well-liked, but not cheap. They state that a “national one page release to all Print, Radio and TV is approximately $485.” Their list includes more than 2700 emails and 2100 faxes, and you can add government and business contacts.
- OzMedia offers different packages depending on your budget and how much exposure you want. Prices start at $150 and go up to $475.
Need help in coming up with ideas for releases? Want some assistance in putting a PR plan together? Contact us!
