Any Communications Manager knows that it is important to get your news and your message out to the media. But do you really need a news wire service? The truth is, you probably do. Even if you scour a list of press release sites, and choose the very best press release site to submit your PR to, there is no guarantee that your story will be picked up. There are three things you need to do if you want a news source to pick up your story and share your exciting developments.
- Stand out from the crowd.
- Cover your bases.
- Learn from mistakes.
On average, a journalist in the United States will skim between 300 and 400 press releases every day. Distributing press releases is 20% less expensive than the average advertising campaign on the internet, so it is first and foremost important to take advantage of a news wire service, and also important to make sure that your press release stands out from the hundreds of others. You can do this by incorporating videos, multimedia, infographics, and invitations to engage on social media.
If you want to ensure that your press release gets picked up, you can distribute it to different newswires, or even a global news wire, to make sure that it is has the best chance of being seen. Some services can target your message to credentialed journalists and bloggers. Others offer services to help you reach the right industries and websites to increase your chances of effectively sharing your message.
Do you know how your press release views compare to the average in the United States? On average, a press release gets about 70 views each week. You will want a news wire service with the ability to track views, and results of your distribution so that you know what tactics, audiences, and formats work best.
Did you know that some news sources are told to hold back until a certain date before releasing press releases? Sometimes this is done for confidentiality, but it could also be a marketing strategy to build excitement and anticipation around an announcement. Your service may be able to give you tips for better press release distribution, help you engage the audience better, cover all the appropriate news sources, and also help you to refine your strategy. Still think you might be able to get by without a service?
Let us know what you think in the comments.