In the book \u201cNewsjacking,\u201d author David Meerman Scott recounts the story of how Joe Payne, CEO of Eloqua (a marketing automation company), capitalized on one of their rivals\u2019 acquisitions. Payne noticed that their competitor\u2019s acquisition of Market2Lead received very little press. Sensing an opportunity, he quickly crafted his own angle on the story.<\/p>\n
Payne\u2019s story was titled \u201cOracle Joins The Party.\u201d It pointed 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 \u2013 with quotes ready for immediate use.<\/p>\n
And just like that, Payne\u2019s own company was being mentioned everywhere that 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\u2019s dig a little deeper:<\/p>\n
Issuing press releases can create a number of substantial benefits for your business. The most obvious is the exposure to new audiences.\u00a0People are more likely to read editorial content than advertisements, so having your business mentioned in the media is great for building brand recognition.<\/p>\n
Issuing press releases will help fast track you to being cited in the media. It helps to establish your position as an expert in your industry.\u00a0Press 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.<\/p>\n
Press releases can also be great trust builders. Even if the press release is in your original wording, it will be viewed as more credible simply because it appears on third-party website.\u00a0People are much more accepting of what they read on a news website versus what they read on a personal or company site.\u00a0Press releases can even help improve the visibility of your website through powerful back links from distribution on media websites (which is great for SEO).<\/p>\n
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\u2019t think that they have enough \u201cnewsworthy\u201d content to announce. But with a little brainstorming, identifying topics to cover in your press releases isn\u2019t as hard as you might imagine.<\/p>\n
Here are just a handful of ideas:<\/p>\n
When writing your press release, you want to take care of as much of the work as possible. Write a captivating headline that can be used without much editing required. The purpose of a press release isn\u2019t to act as a sale piece for your product.Instead, write a press release in the same style and format a reporter would \u2013 this means crafting an interesting story that a media outlet could use straight away.<\/p>\n
A good press release starts with a compelling headline, followed by a short paragraph of no more than two sentences (called the \u201clead\u201d). 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
There are two forms of distribution: online and offline. Both have enormous benefits.<\/p>\n
Some of the best press release sites to use include PRNewswire, PRWeb, BusinessWire and MarketWire.<\/p>\n
A twice-monthly press release schedule is relatively inexpensive compared to many other advertising methods, and it only takes one well-timed story like Joe Payne\u2019s to deliver a huge amount of exposure for your business.<\/p>\n
What are you going to write your next press release about?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the book \u201cNewsjacking,\u201d author David Meerman Scott recounts the story of how Joe Payne, CEO of Eloqua (a marketing automation company), capitalized on one of their rivals\u2019 acquisitions. Payne noticed that their competitor\u2019s acquisition of Market2Lead received very little press. Sensing an opportunity, he quickly crafted his own angle on the story. Payne\u2019s story […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1085,"featured_media":8535,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43902],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n