When crafted cleverly, press releases can be a boon to business.
On the other hand, there are certain blunders you must avoid if you want your story to be taken seriously by the audience.
Here are a few gaffes you must avoid.
Trying to release irrelevant news
Many stories released in the press fall flat for many reasons. A compelling one among them is the insignificance or worthlessness of the news.
Is the story really newsworthy or is it just for your client?
A smart way to come to a conclusion is to answer the following questions.
• Why should an editor make any effort to release your story?
• Why should your audience read the release?
If there are no convincing answers to the above questions, there is no point making any effort to hire even a cheap press release service.
Making the news overtly promotional
Even though the press release is specifically about your company, you must keep in mind that the focus must be less on your company and more on the target audience/consumers.
• How will the newly launched product/service benefit the consumer?
• How does the recent change of guard in the company likely to affect the product quality or operations?
• How will the new recruitment strategy benefit the company?
Pitching the story to the wrong audience
A journalist is a person just like you or me. They have their own interests. Find news reporters that are likely to take interest in your story. A good way is to create rapport with them personally or pitch your story directly to them via direct channels like emails.
But make sure it is titled in an attractive way that will grab their attention.
News reporters that are attracted by your news will target the release during distribution.
The right targeting will make all the difference between getting hundreds of reads and host of traffic streaming back to your website or a complete absence of visibility thereof.
Not providing context
It is not uncommon to read press releases that lack context and persona.
There is no point simply announcing “Our company today is launching a new product….” With very little background on product history or how it is going to solve consumers’ problems, the news will have no relevance.
Make sure the product specs are right, especially if the target audience is B2B, and be brief and to the point.
Not making your news social media friendly
If you ignore social media, you will miss out on a great opportunity to spread brand awareness and garner high visibility.
Get traction on social media by sharing your press release with images and videos.
An attention-grabbing video or image with the story pitched in will greatly increase your chances of engagement.
Not using the right press release service
A cheap press release service with a successful track record can be good enough. But remember, good quality service costs money.
Figure out your objectives, analyze different press release distribution services, and check what they offer. After all, they must help achieve your goals.
