Top 10 ways to get maximum press release coverage
Well written, placed and targeted press releases take great content and strong relationships to get maximum coverage.
PR is a fantastic source of website traffic. A well written, placed and targeted press release not only attracts visitors – it builds your brand, advertises and markets. All in one piece of killer content.
But how to get your press release out there? Here are 10 top ways to maximise the coverage of press releases:
- What's your message? What's unique about your business, why are you better than the competition? What can you do for people? How can you make this engaging?
- What channels suit your message? Traditional press, websites, blogs… national or local coverage? What content providers write about your specific topic and where? What's their contact information?
- How are you going to get the attention of a distributor/ reporter? Have you researched their style, policies and latest pieces? What's hot right now? How are you going to convince him/ her that you're an expert with something interesting to say?
- How are you going to start the right conversation? Phone or email… have you read their work and pitch how your press release will be the perfect fit? Can you be authoritative, energetic, positive and give a definitive viewpoint? Can you do all this and grab their imagination by giving them something fresh, something unexpected.
- How will you build on conversations to create strong relationships? Trust, credibility and thoroughness are key… do everything you can to make a reporter's/ distributor's job easier – research, sources, support material etc. Be eager, helpful and flexible to make yourself a reliable source.
- How will you foster these relationships? Use social networks like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Make sure your profiles are optmised for searches by content creators/ distributors and succinctly identify you as a valuable source without the hard-sell. Connect, communicate and be useful… get involved in their conversations. Promote their work, link to, like and retweet.
- Can you attract inbound coverage by creating quality content? Establish yourself as an expert in your field, take a unique viewpoint or engaging style… anything to stand out and attract press attention. There's nothing better than valuable content to draw press coverage or to support your credentials when 'selling' a press release.
- Are you being social? Not just with potential reporters, journalists and distributors of your press releases, but with your audience. Plenty of comments, conversation and social sharing is a sure sign of quality content that people want to consume. And that's what content creators/ distributors and searching for.
- What results are you getting? How well is your press release being shared? Links, shares, likes, tweets, comments and bookmarks… how many people are you reaching, is it popular? How many referrals, leads and customers can you attribute to your press release? This helps you measure ROI, optimise future press releases and give content providers figures to back up the value you place on your press releases.
- Can you keep delivering? It only takes one 'duff' press release – poorly researched, thin content that bombs – to destroy your credibility as a reliable source Maintain high standards, never cut corners or take advantage of your connections.
It takes time, luck and considerable work to build, maintain and capitalise on a profitable distribution network for your press releases. There are many tools, platforms and resources out there. These will help, but they're no substitute for this list of 10 ways to maximise your press release coverage.
Written by Jason John Mills