Using Press Releases Effectively

A press release is essentially a news story written to garnish publicity about an event or change at your business. Using press releases can garner you additional attention in local or national media outlets, but you need to use them judiciously. They are not advertisements. You want a reporter to write about you and they won’t if you are writing advertisements. Press releases are short, targeted news stories with a specific purpose.

Press releases should make your business story clear and should express what is newsworthy about your event or change within your business. The format is pretty straightforward and there are plenty of templates online. They should be written in third person and have all of your contact information including your name, where your business is located (city and state), your phone numbers and email addresses. They are not difficult to write, but do use proper formatting if you want to get noticed.

If you are a business owner who rose up out of poverty to create a viable business, that is a news story. If you have sold a portion of your business to a Fortune 500 company, that is a news story. If you hire only after school high school employees to help you, that is a news story. If you have started a business that has a really strong niche market, that can be a news story. The fact that you have a business that sells widgets for a low cost is NOT a news story. Find an angle in order to entice reporters to write about you.

You can write your releases yourself or outsource it to someone else very affordably. There are inexpensive writing services across the Web. You can find experienced copywriters at Elance.com, Odesk.com or GetaFreelancer.com. Expect to pay from $5-$15 per press release. Ask for samples press releases that your writer has done ahead of time. Again, however, it is fairly easy to write a press release and you can find templates across the Web.

Write a press release that is full of detail, but not marketing, sales or industry talk. Write it in common, news style language and be sure the story is obvious to the reader and reporter. Don’t get bogged down in your personal industry jargon. Write it like you’ve never heard of your business before.

Submit your press releases online. There are a variety of press release services that will deliver your item. Some are paid sites but there are many free site as well. Do a Google or Yahoo search for press release services and register with each of them. There are restrictions for free submissions and each site has particular requirements so review those before submitting.

Press releases should be a staple in your marketing toolbox. Using them effectively can establish you as a leader or expert in your industry. Just be judicious using them and save them for real events, changes or stories within your business. They are not sales pitches. Building a relationship with the media in your area or nationally can be very valuable and it is free publicity. Offer journalists the opportunity to know your story through consistent use of press releases.