Editor’s Corner:
This issue of Marketing Matters is about Press Releases and their role in Web 2.0. Read on…
Thanks for taking the time to read Marketing Matters regularly.
Best regards,
Achinta Mitra
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Writing Press Releases for Web 2.0
Is the good old press release (PR) dead? I don’t think so. PR as we know it has certainly evolved in today’s Web 2.0 world with the phenomenal growth of social media.
The modern PR has to change to remain effective. David Meerman Scott in his best-selling book, The New Rules of Marketing & PR wrote, “The Internet has made public relations public again, after years of almost exclusive focus on media. Blogs, online news releases, and other forms of web content let organizations communicate directly with buyers.”
There is no doubt that the rules of the game have changed but are PRs dead? Not so fast says Michael Cherenson, chairman of The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). “I don’t think we should be negating the importance of the press release,” he says.
Brian Solis, principal of FutureWorks had this to say on his blog, “The practice of blindly broadcasting messages through poorly written press releases at audiences is dead. PR is NOT necessarily dead, but without the application of a social tourniquet, it is bleeding to death.” How do you modernize a PR so it is still relevant today?
The fundamental principles of a good PR have not changed, you still need to answer the important questions - Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. However, your PR must now engage the reader in a variety of ways instead of just informing journalists.
Let’s look at the different parts of a Web 2.0 PR. I’ll use a screenshot of an actual release from prweb.com to illustrate.
Here are some tips for making your releases more effective:
- Write an attention-grabbing, strong headline of about 60 ~ 80 characters including spaces (Tweeting skills can be handy)
- Use keywords or phrases within the headline
- Try to use action oriented words and tie it to your body copy
- The optimal length for a press release should be between 500 and 700 words
- Add new angles and twists to your story to make it newsworthy
- Limit the number of hyperlinks per the published guidelines (varies)
- Include full contact information and be available for follow up calls or interviews by journalists
- Use online newswires to distribute your release
- Build a contact list of journalists in your industry and email them directly
- Contact influential bloggers in your niche and ask them to spread the word
- Comment on high-traffic forums and sites relevant to your product or service
- Post your video to YouTube and other video distribution services
- Post to your own site and/or blog
When you submit a press release to various online newswires, they can spread like wildfire. They are picked up by other websites - and very frequently Google News & About.com leading to a steady stream of Website traffic. Make press releases an ongoing part of your marketing not just when news happens. Use them to engage your customers throughout the buying cycle and reach them directly via social media.
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