Yes, the news release still has value in today’s digital world. They’re a great way to garner “earned media.”
Earned media is when someone not affiliated with your business mentions your business. Basically, it’s free publicity based on the newsworthiness of the content or the expertise of the person being interviewed.
That can be media coverage, blog mentions, social media posts/tweets, product reviews, etc.
As a former newspaper editor for many years and a current public relations marketer, I can tell you there is value in conveying company-sourced news in a concise and transparent manner to those whose mission it is to keep the public informed.
News Release Tips:
1. Make it “newsworthy” —
Editors are busy and their email inboxes fill quickly. Your time is precious, too.
Don’t waste time sending a release that doesn’t have much public interest or impact. Your new office furniture may be “newsworthy” to you and your staff, but unless there’s something unique about how it’s made or functions — can it read your client’s thoughts? Give AR presentations? Then don’t send it.
There isn’t much public interest in news that’s only important to you.
2. Get to the point —
Be clear as to what your news release is about. Include a headline that succinctly summarizes your news and write your “lede” paragraph so that it that summarizes the content.
Convey the most important information first so editors don’t have to dig for it. No need to be creative, just get to the point quickly.
3. Add relevant information —
Forget the fluff or extensive background. Just give the news and the relevant supporting details.
It may seem trite, but answer the who, what, where, why and how of your news and include any next steps for your company, if applicable. Add one brief paragraph on your company at the end of the release — “About XYZ Co.”
4. Include a quote —
Journalists would like, but don’t always have time, to chase down an original quote. So be helpful to them and include a quote or statement from someone in a position of authority at your company.
Don’t regurgitate the facts you’ve already conveyed. Make the quote more personal. Ask your spokesperson to comment on why the news is important or how the news will change your company and/or impact the public.
A journalist may still call, but at least they have a “statement” they can fall back on.
5. Avoid the Jargon —
Don’t fill your news release with unexplained acronyms and industry jargon that only people working in your industry understand. Use plain English and laymen’s terms. Write well.
6. Consider other types of content —
Company news doesn’t have to be the only type of content you convey through a news release. Consider a thought leadership piece on a compelling topic or announcing the results of a study your company commissioned.
The more informational and objective the content, the better.
If the topic is timely, I’ve often used news releases as story ideas, taking the nugget of an idea from them, then adding other sources or information to make it more compelling and objective.
There’s an old J-school mantra that you should never run a news release verbatim, so don’t be offended if your story doesn’t run exactly the way you wrote it. There’s value in simply getting your brand name out there and conveying your expertise.
7. Add photos or logos when appropriate —
Photos and logos, even video links, are always a nice way to break up the copy and add visual impact. Include them when you can.
8. Think about your distribution —
If general brand awareness is your goal, then you might want to distribute your release to multiple media outlets and/or use a trusted distribution service that can place your release with high-quality outlets and/or relevant industry publications.
A more targeted approach would be to personally reach out to journalists who cover your industry or type of news. A good media database can help.
The best ones have journalist and outlet names, emails, topics covered and personal pitch profiles that let you know when and how journalists like to be approached.
9. Develop a relationship with key journalists —
Learn who might be most interested in the type of news you have to offer. Find out how they want to be approached and what information is most valuable to them.
Many journalists who cover a certain beat have source lists for stories, so you might also offer names, contact info and areas of expertise for one or two people at your company in case those reporters need a perspective for a story that your company can offer.
10. Understand your results —
Several of the big PR platforms have incredible amounts of data associated with your release, not all of which you need to use.
You can learn where it ran, the estimated reach of that outlet, the dollar value associated with the coverage, even the sentiment of the coverage — positive, neutral or negative — based on keywords and other factors, as well as which journalists opened your email and when.
I personally find the media monitoring one of the most basic and valuable tools, which allows me to give our clients actual print, online and broadcast clips of their coverage.
News releases can be a useful way to generate earned media for your business, and that earned media can jump-start awareness, increase credibility, expand your reach and get people talking about your brand.
However, news releases rarely are tied directly to increases sales — so if that’s your goal, I’ll put my editor hat back on and tell you to go buy an ad.
l Tracy Pratt is a product manager and marketing strategist at Fusionfarm, a division of Folience; (319) 398-8343; tracy@fusionfarm.com.