In the book “NewsJacking,” author David Meerman Scott recounts the story of how Joe Payne, CEO of Eloqua (a marketing automation company), capitalized on an acquisition made by one of their rivals… And highlights the power of the press release.
Payne noticed that their competitor’s acquisition of Market2Lead received very little press.
Sensing an opportunity, he quickly crafted his own angle on the story…
Payne’s story was titled “Oracle Joins The Party,” pointing out how important the acquisition was for the industry and the potential for lead management software. When media outlets caught up with the takeover by Oracle, they already had well written story – with quotes ready for immediate use.
And just like that, Payne’s own company was being mentioned everywhere the takeover was announced – including major media outlets like Business Week, PC World, Infoworld, and more.
As a result of the media attention, Eloqua ended up closing more than $1 million in new business!
This example demonstrates the power of releasing your own well-timed spin on an existing story…
But let’s dig a little deeper:
Benefits
- Issuing press releases can create a number of substantial benefits for your business… the most obvious is the exposure to new audiences.
- People are more likely to read editorial content than advertisements, so having your business mentioned in the media is great for building brand recognition.
- Issuing press releases is the fast track to being cited in the media – and helps to establish your position as an expert in your industry.
- Press releases will also help you develop relationships with reporters and editors… After a while, you can become a go-to source for information and comments on a particular subject. These relationships can lead to opportunities for television and radio appearances, which further increase credibility in your industry.
- Press releases can also be great trust builders… Even if the press release is unchanged from your original, it will still be viewed as more credible – simply because it appears on third-party website.
- People are much more accepting of what they read on a news website… versus reading your article on your own site.
- Press releases can even help improve the visibility of your website through powerful backlinks from distribution on media websites (which is great for SEO).
How Often To Issue
I recommend to my coaching clients that they issue a new press release at least twice a month. Like any marketing strategy, consistency is key if you want to see good results…
Some business owners struggle with this idea of a “twice a month” schedule because they don’t think that they have enough “newsworthy” content to announce…
But with a little brainstorming, identifying topics to cover in your press releases isn’t as hard as you might imagine.
Here are just a handful of the topics that you could cover:
- Introducing a new product or service
- Work your business has done in the community
- Announcing an upcoming event, speech, or conference
- Reporting how a customer has made innovative use of your product
- Celebrating an award you or your business has won
- Offer a controversial opinion on a popular topic
How To Craft A Press Release That Works
When writing your press release, you want to take care of as much of the work as possible for the newspaper…
Write a captivating headline that can be used without much editing required.
The purpose of a press release isn’t to act as a sale piece for your product.
Instead, write a press release in the same style and format a reporter would – this means crafting an interesting story that a media outlet could use straight away.
A good press release starts with a compelling headline, followed by a short paragraph of no more than two sentences (called the “lead”). This should draw the reader into the rest of story…
The second paragraph should sum up why your press release is valuable as a news story.
Follow this with a compelling quote that demonstrates your expert knowledge on the subject…
The next few paragraphs should include additional information, as well as another quote that journalists will easily be able to use, then cap it off with a concluding statement…
Keep your press releases to a single page and provide your name, contact details, website URL, and a brief description of you and your business.
Issuing Your Press Release
There are two forms of distribution: online and offline. Both have enormous benefits.
Offline: I’m a fan of faxing and emailing press releases to a select, very targeted group of reporters.
Start with creating a list of local reporters within a 50-mile radius of your business. Follow them on Twitter. Be familiar with their work. Make an effort to establish a relationship with them.
Starting with local press will progressively lead to national press.
Online: There are a number of premium press release websites available. I believe you get what you pay for, and haven’t found free press release distribution services to be overly effective… so I don’t recommend them.
Some of the best press release sites to use include:
A twice-monthly schedule is relatively inexpensive compared to many other advertising methods, and it only takes one well-timed story like Joe Payne’s to deliver a huge amount of exposure for your business…
What are you going to write your next press release about?
In your corner,
Charlie
