I’ve often heard business leaders, who were coming to us for our public relations services, question how we managed to generate results. They’d tried it out with their in-house team, and here’s what they would tell us: “We’ve often sent out press releases and had no one ever respond. It just didn’t go anywhere.”
This belief, which is still quite embedded, that all we do is send out press releases tells me a lot about what these business leaders know about communications and public relations.
Here are the questions I ask them when they believe that sending out press releases is ineffective:
- May I see your press releases?
- What were the titles? What kind of news was it?
- Who were your press releases for?
- Who sent them out?
- Who was supposed to answer journalists’ questions in your team?
- Was that person trained?
- Were your lists made up of the right journalist and influencer targets?
Be aware that no one’s waiting for your press release, unless you’re a publicly traded company and you have to report your earnings every quarter, or you’re already very well known.
Still, that’s no reason not to release anything at all, quite the opposite – if you don’t do it, many of your competitors will and they’ll take up all the media space.
In over 20 years, I’ve lost track of the brands that have had great success even before the internet and which, in recent years, have realized that their younger, better-known competition is busily eating up big market shares. Yes, young companies that know how to get featured and who communicate regularly are dislodging them.
No one’s waiting for your press release, it’s true. But it’s the number-one tool for grabbing the attention of journalists and influencers. A critical tool, in fact, for getting known.
Let’s have a little fun. Why not put yourself in the place of the journalist you’re trying to reach? Let’s have a seat in their office, at their screen. What are they after?
Here’s what they’re thinking:
- I get hundreds of emails per day/per week.
- I have to write more than five articles in many fields. I don’t have time to do heavy research or read irrelevant press releases.
- I like receiving press releases with a clear email heading that tells me what it’s about.
- I hate weather reports or other superlatives like revolutionary, unique, top seller, etc.
- I appreciate it when they give me the sources and research on the news right in the email.
- I want them to tell me clearly whether the person mentioned in the press release is available for interviews.
Knowing what this journalist is thinking, all you have to do is make it easier for them and send them information they can use.
Simplicity always wins here. Write a short press release that contains basic information free of hype. Make sure you have high-quality, high-resolution images and list your prices, points of sale, and so on. Just the facts.
If you want to know more about the number-one public relations tool, the press release, don’t wait to get in touch with me.
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