Press releases are a quick, effective way to share a message. That’s likely what brought you here, you understand the value behind a release and want to know how to get started. So, why choose a press release over another method, such as a boosted post on social media? Let’s get right to it, and dive into some of the reasons that people issue a press release.

 

10 Reasons to Issue a Press Release

1) Rapid exposure to publications nationwide

2) Potential backlinks to your product or service

3) Increase brand exposure

4) Boost search engine rankings

5) Build credibility for your company or product

6) Establish thought leadership

7) Reach a broader audience than just your customers and address questions they might have without ever having to speak with them

8) Demonstrate social proof, show that you’re an industry leader in the field

9) Increase traffic to your site

10) It is much easier to work with media when they approach you

What should you include in your press release?

You’ll want to include:

  • A catchy headline that will stand out and entice readers.
  • Your company’s name, your name and title
  • The date of the release
  • All contact information including phone number and email address
  • The nitty gritty details such as who, what, where, when and how as it pertains to your company or product
  • Any images you would like included with the press release should be formatted as .jpgs with a resolution of at least 300 dpi. If you have multiple photos you can usually submit up to three. Just make sure they are labeled appropriately. Photos should not exceed 500 kb in size each.

What should you leave out of your press release?

If it sounds like a sales pitch, leave it out. Reporters aren’t paid to be personal brand representatives, and they can tell when a pitch isn’t newsworthy.

Do not make your press release too long, to where it would be cumbersome for readers to navigate through.

While many wire services will publish your content, word-for-word, we want more than that! With a great release, a reporter from a noteworthy publication will take interest and create their own unique piece based on your published release. If your content is too long and your message is lost, it’s likely to end up ignored.

Another reason why you shouldn’t include every tiny detail in your press release is because there’s no guarantee that what you’re sending out will be published exactly how you intended it. A reporter could paraphrase something or edit a statement that might not reflect well on your company so try to write concisely when possible.

Lastly, don’t use marketing speech in an attempt to sound better than you actually are. It comes off as insincere, and a journalist will not be able to publish “as-is” when you’re making claims such as “this is the best product in it’s space”.

Press release writing can be tricky, and can change based on your audience, but the most important factor is always asking yourself: “Is this news that I would want to read?” If you’d happily share your news with your friends and family, chances are, it would make a great pitch.

 

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Editors Note: Press releases are a form of inbound marketing, among many different strategies. If you’d like to know more about Inbound Marketing in general, Matt Janaway has done a great job explaining it in his blog post Inbound Marketing: Why It’s Essential and How to Set Up for 2021.