If you’ve been working to solicit media coverage for your business, but keep falling short, you may find yourself wondering whether journalists even bother to read your news releases. Take our word for it: The answer is yes.
Maybe you should examine what you’re saying in your overtures to reporters and how you’re saying it. A well-written press release is just what journalists want and need, but only if it’s newsworthy and targeted to their audiences. Here’s what else you need to know:
• Make your point quickly and succinctly. No one wants to read a lot of jargon and vague references to what you’re offering. Know your audience and get your message across right away to show recipients why their readers or viewers will care about your business.
• Forget about SEO. Google figured out public relations companies were adding keywords to news releases to increase a company’s search engine optimization (SEO), so now using words just for SEO’s sake will count against you in Google rankings. Instead, as with all types of content, make sure what you have to say is valuable and relevant.
• Where you place your news release counts. Plenty of online companies will promise you great distribution for your news releases, but if you’re looking to be picked up by the big guys (such as The Wall Street Journal or another major newspaper), your best bet is to get your news release on Business Wire or PR Newswire.
