Press releases have been categorized as traditional in the field of media however, with today’s constant stream of news and information, they tend to be ignored. With so many press releases being published each day, feeling like your message is being ignored is common. Try not to panic, there are solutions for including that missing spark in your press release marketing tactic. Here is what you need to do to gain the attention of the media and tell the story that deserves coverage.
Address the Best Target
It’s not uncommon to send a press release to every journalist in your contacts who is deemed fit. However, this seeming convenience is ineffective and misleading. Focus on blending with suitable demographics for the greatest impact. A journalist always cares about who their audience might be, how relevant and useful a particular story might be. Hence, put in some serious effort into target audience research.
What You Can Do:
- Identify the journalists belonging to your interest area. Tech, business, fashion, or health, have one by one attached to your press release.
- Customize the narrative for the persona. Brief them about the value it offers to their readers and point out the interesting aspects.
Make Attention Grabbing Press Release Headlines
Every copywriter needs to keep in consideration that the eye-catching title is the only chance of making it to the journalists notice. If the headline is catchy, there is a good chance that it can make the news.It is important for the copywriter to ensure it captures the attention of the reader.
What You Can Do:
- The title should be captivating yet relatively short.
- Change the weak phrases to something strong to avoid misleading information. Using verbs adds power to the sentences, creating more interest.
Example:
Weak: “XYZ Corporation Introduces New Product”
Strong: “Breakthrough technology that drastically changes the consumers experience to be launched by XYZ Corp.”
Bring Relevance And Timeliness In Your Press Release
In order to capture the attention of most journalists, focusing on things related to big societal events will help elevate their chances of getting news coverage. For copywriters looking to publish press releases, this region presents a unique opportunity to capture the attention of the readers.
What You Can Do:
- There should be accompanying news so the press release can increase its chances of being covered – trending topics, important world events, or bulletins from strategic partners.
- Be certain to emphasize the “timeliness” of your news from the outset, so reporters don’t miss its importance in their news cycle.
Differentiate Your Channels of Distribution
Your press release should not be confined to a single platform. As social media and other digital platforms have grown, there is no reason why your release should not reach a wider audience. Disseminate it as broadly as possible to improve the probability of visibility.
What You Can Do:
- Make use of press release distribution services (such as Evertise AI PR) to target a large number of journalists.
- Post the press releases on your website and promote them on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
- Don’t forget to add relevant hashtags or tag important figures in your field who could help spread the word.
Develop Contacts with Relevant Journalists
Stories are most likely to be picked by journalists where they have a level of trust in the source. Instead of regarding them as a one-off target for a press release, treat them as prospective long term allies. Nurture these relationships, and after some time, they will know which of your narratives to pay attention to.
What You Can Do:
- Interact with reporters on social platforms. Follow their accounts, support their articles.
- Provide unfettered access to your press releases or advance snippets of your news.
- Do not use a template to personalize a press release addressed to a journalist you have not met. Keep all communications relevant and personal.
Final Thoughts
Although press releases are not a relic of the past, they need a facelift in strategy. To combat reduced attention from the media, approach them strategically by focusing on the right demographics, creating powerful headlines, attaching your narrative to breaking news, using multi-channel distribution, and developing relationships with journalists. Having a proactive posture, will enhance the odds of being covered by the media more frequently.