I have received a lot of comments about my article on how to develop a press release strategy. First, let me share some of the mistakes that companies commit, provide a few tips, and then I will talk about a model for a press release.
How to get maximum exposure for your press release?
- Make it as widely available as possible, with minimum pain. For instance, Datamonitor, a business information company (how ironic?), requires you to contact their press office to get a copy. What is a busy editor going to do? Just ignore them. And with bloggers becoming a major force in the world of publishing, companies like Datamonitor will rarely get mentioned, which is important as the Marqui example shows how it is actively courting bloggers in its guerilla marketing efforts.
- Make the press release available as soon as possible. Some companies will first do a release and make it accessible only to registered publishers or to only selected media companies. Big mistake. The moment a press release hits the wires, it should also go live on your website. In today's world of instant publishing, if your press release is not immediately found, you will simply get ignored.
- Make it easy for publishers by providing different versions of a press release. For instance, some publishers prefer a PDF file, while others who might want to use only select quotes, prefer a text file (without any formatting at all). Similarly, images are very useful if you want to show a chart or explain a process. Provide different size JPEG (and other image formats) files for quick download or for linking.
Model for a press release
We all know how Google made simplicity cool and management consultants like me its fans because of our beliefs in simple business models. All the way from the layout of their website to their technology to their business model, Google has shown that you can be simple and successful. So if you want to develop a press release that makes sense to everyone, is easy to read, and allows publishers to find what they are looking for within seconds, just use Google press releases as a model. In other words, use bullets and headings and keep the buzzwords out.
Recommended link: Marketing strategy