Don’t Overlook Press Releases
Part of any marketing program is public relations. This involves various activities that keep your name and business out front in the eye of the community. It can involve committees, associations or even local team that you sponsor. Also, charity work has long term benefits and you can create public awareness with special events. Another important topic in public relations is the press release.
A press release is a newsworthy article about your business that gets published in the local media. It is especially effective for new companies that are not well known. It provides not only publicity but also credibility because unlike an ad, its focus is on interesting material that the reader wants to read.
A press release must be more than a clever advertisement. It must first of all be news. It must be of interest to the reader. As such it must be convincing, honest, and persuasive.
The topics for a press release are many, but they must be news related. They could be centered on a new employee joining your business or the promotion of a local resident. Perhaps you have received an industry award or certification. Maybe your business has moved to a new, bigger, location. Giving a local seminar or class (free is best) is a good way to get your name out. This builds trust and credibility. Keep in mind the reader must want to read it and the media must want to publish it.
What are the parts to a press release? The headline is very important. It must be relatively short and make the reader want to read the first paragraph. It must grab the reader. Newspaper writers pride themselves on writing headlines because of this.
The first paragraph should introduce the major features of the story. It needs to provide the key elements of the story and entice the reader to read more. But if they only read the first paragraph (and many do), they should have obtained the basic message.
The body of the press release provides the rest of story. Care must be taken to write in an informative and trustworthy style. No exaggerations or hype. This needs to be a story not an ad. You must write like a journalist, not a marketeer. Of course it needs to have good grammar, contain no spelling errors and in general, be well written. Practice revising and revising. Remember - use no words unless they are working.
The press release must pass the “No Kidding Test”. It must contain information that people want to know.
If possible it should contain reliable sources which the reader can confirm. Credibility must be prevalent throughout the entire press release. The six elements of being newsworthy are who, what, why, when, where, and how.
Finally it needs a close which summarizes and reinforces the article. You must provide contact information for people who want more information.
It is not enough to write a great press release. You now have to get it published. You need to get to know your local newspaper editor and what they need and want. Timing might focus around a special edition that matches your story-gardening issue for gardening business, real estate section, pets, food, taxes, anything to make it more relevant. Work at this long before you are ready to write your press release
Small business doesn’t need to hire a big PR firm to have effective public relations. Try a press release, it could work for you.
This article was written by Seattle SCORE Chapter member Fred Parkinson for the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton.