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12 Reasons To Write And Send Out A Press Release
Author: Alyice Edrich
A press release is a public announcement written with the intent of gaining free publicity from the media. A good press release will not only inform the public about new developments in your company, but it will also educate, inform, and entertain the public. If your press release doesn’t offer the public something newsworthy and if it sounds like an advertisement, or sales pitch, the media won’t use the press release—no matter how big your company is or how much advertising dollars goes into the publication.
But write a press release that not only targets the publication’s audience, but intrigues the editor and/or publisher, and your press release will gain free media coverage that surpasses any response you could hope to gain from any of your company’s paid advertising campaigns. That’s because people love to be educated, but hate to be pitched to.
If you’re looking for new things to write about, in hopes of gaining media coverage through the use of press releases, you can’t do better than these twelve reasons to write and distribute a press release to the media.
Gain media exposure...
Use the media to increase
- exposure or public knowledge of your company
- company sales
- a positive company image
Promote something specific…
Promote a
- person
- product
- service
- event
- idea
- contest
- fundraiser
Inform the public...
Use a press release to inform the public about
- an aspect of your business or service that is unique and stands out from the crowd
- a new development in an ongoing project
- a project delay
Start a campaign...
Use company products to develop campaigns that
- help save or promote a cause
- create an awareness about something important
Jumpstart an idea...
Help jumpstart a new business venture that is
- online
- worked out of the home
- opening in a downtown building
- opening overseas
Attract an audience...
Use a press release to gain interest and build attendance for a
- speaking engagement
- book signing
- conference
Educate and/or entertain..
Inform your target audience about the
- do’s and don’ts in your industry
- growth of company, trends in your area, and what you’re hiring for
- best or worst of lists in your industry
Update the media...
Set the media straight about something they reported on or inform them about new happenings in the companyGet in the news...
Tie your company, business, or service in with the current newsGet a showcase...
Showcase a particular product or event within your companyThink about the holidays...
Tie your product or service into a holiday themeGet answers to a company survey...
A fun survey geared towards improving your product or service by giving away free products in return for a reader’s, viewer’s, or listener’s response.
Just remember that journalists can smell a sales pitch a mile away and will toss your press release in the dumpster after reading the first paragraph. If you really want to catch the attention of a journalist and stay out of the trash can, take the time to understand the media’s target audience and the voice of that media outlet!
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