Press Release 101

What is a Press Release?

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The Power of an Optimized Press Release

A press release is a short, compelling news story written by a public relations professional and sent to targeted members of the media.

Bill Stoller provides a simplified definition: A press release is a pseudo-news story, written in third person, that seeks to demonstrate to an editor or reporter the newsworthiness of a particular person, event, service or product.

Note: Press releases follow the Associated Press (AP) style of writing.

Goal of a press release:

The goal of a press release is to interest a journalist, publication, or other media outlet with your news story.

A press release should contain the basics:

All the essential information: who? What? When? Where? Why? How?. The information in the press release should be thorough enough that a reader or journalist can pull what they need to put together something of their own.

In other words, outline the major facts of a news story in journalistic style.

Why write and send out press releases?

There are 1.3 billion search queries that produce organic search results on Google. As an entrepreneur, small business owner, or even as an individual part of a large corporation, exposure is key.

1. Whether companies are launching a product or service, releasing a book, signing a big client, or sharing other equally important news, they can make the most out of it by letting as many people know about it as possible. A press release combined with the reach of a newswire can do that.

2. Press release can help you target a niche market or geographic area.

3. Press releases can help bring in leads and add customers to your sales funnel with a proper call-to-action.

4. You can add anchor text and URLs in press releases that will help with your SEO to help your appear on the first page of Google for a competitive term which can drive traffic and create increased awareness to your site.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is where information from your company’s website and other online materials are “tagged” in order to ensure that the information is more readily found by “natural search” results.

5. Press releases help a company get media attention. With help from newswires (which is the outlet used to upload and send out press releases), companies are hardwired into a system of thousand of newsrooms and journalists.

Come back next week to learn about the Anatomy of a Press Release!

The Importance of Knowing Your Audience

So far this month, we’ve covered managing your SEO (building your keywords) and building your social media presence. As you build the foundation of your growing business, it’s important to know who it is you’re trying to reach. Although you may have your foundation in tact, it is strengthened by it’s backbone—your audience, who eventually become your brand ambassadors.

Overarching Questions

Here are some questions to ask yourself as proposed by marketingprofs.com:

1. Does the majority of my target market spend more time watching television or using iPads, mobile devices, and other types of new media?

2. Given the demographics of my audience, are they more likely to respond to my offer when driving, waiting at the airport, or taking a break at work—versus sitting at home watching television?

3. Will I be better able to reach a significant number of my target market with a strategic buy of a combination [of outreach tactics]?

To answer these questions, it’s important to listen to what your audience tells you and learn everything you can about them so that you build trust and in the process, build a relationship. While listening to your audience and researching about them, try to decipher what it is that they want. The result of your research should produce a sample profile of your demographic, including gender, age, single/married, education, college, geography, etc.

Presentation is Key

Once you have an idea of who your audience is, the next step is to connect. Tailor your message to meet their lifestyles and interests. Within the interesting messaging should be a snippet of your brand, what you stand for, and how you are different from your competition. Proper branding will help you build a relationship—your messaging should evoke some emotions that encourage your audience to connect with your brand.

Get your branding in line, find your audience and let them do the marketing for you!

Here are some tips to get you started:

http://pdubmedia.com

Organically Managing SEO

blog.hubspot.com

In a world of acronyms and three-lettered emotions, LOL, DIY, IDK, one three-letter “word” should be of utmost importance to the success of your company: SEO.

SEO or Search Engine Optimization affects organic search results. When done properly, SEO can lead customers to your site leading to what would hopefully be high-conversion rates. Proper SEO practices not only organically ranks you higher on search results, but it keeps people on your web page, outranks your competition, and if you keep it up, can work wonders for your company’s marketing.

Renovate to Boost your Online Presence

Boosting your online presence starts with keyword research. When it comes to SEO, keywords are the building blocks to your SEO marketing strategies. To find keywords, use keyword tracking tools such as Google AdWords to see what keywords on your site are picking up the most attention. To see how your competition is doing, see what keywords are helping your competitor enjoy high ranks.

What is a “good” keyword?

According to SEOdesignSolutions, a keyword should:

1. Provide more than 5-10 searches per day (actual type in search traffic).

2. Be capable of stemming to encompass broad match terms. Are your rankings volatile and dynamic?, methodical and calculated (known for the gradual ascent over time)?, bold and daring or subdued?

For example, using the three fundamentals of how search engines assess on page and off page site synergy, the facets of allinanchor, allintext and allintitle come into play. Open a Google search and then add the following search command to find out where your site stands in the grand scheme of things.

In the search box, check these by using the search command followed by a colon, then a space and the keyword.

allintitle: keyword to check

This lists which sites have the highest number of keywords in the title

allinanchor: keyword to check

This lists which domains have the strongest inbound links

allintext: keyword to check

This lists which domains have the strongest on page relevance

allinurl: keyword to check

This lists which domains have the strongest relevance

Word Up!

With the right keywords in hand, utilize the following SEO marketing techniques to get you on the path to renovating your web page for positive conversions:

1. Write articles or upkeep a blog post where you can write content that uses your keywords. This will help your ranking as more and more of those keywords get tied back to your site.

2. Social networks are royalty of the internet. Use social bookmarketing website or networks to get backlinks to your site for more keyword buildup.

3. Popularize your website by working with other bloggers or writing articles for other sites—this will not only gain you credibility but it will boost your page views. Imagine being quoted on Wall Street Journal or Better Homes and Garden! Your credibility will immediately become more legitimate.

An article from practical ecommerce finds that in a presentation given by Andrea Fishman, vice president of global strategy at BGT Partners — a marketing and design firm — at Search Engine Strategies Chicago 2011, “57% of digital marketing impact is derived from SEO.” But search engine optimization also has a symbiotic relationship with social media, press relations, paid search, offline advertising, and other marketing channels.

Be sure to nurture your site with internal and external links, and multitask and manage various facets of opt¬¬¬imization. Build your site with a strong foundation and soon your page will be overflowing with visits and conversions.

How do you build SEO? Share with us on Facebook and don’t forget to Tweet us your ideas too!

Press Releases vs. What?

Press release vs. pitches. What’s the difference? Do you have to write press releases to get media attention? Press releases and pitches each have their own purpose and in some ways, one can be more powerful than the other.

Press Releases

Press releases are written based on an AP format in a journalistic and objective tone. It should be of a newsworthy topic with most of the details surrounding that topic included in the release so the media can pick and choose what they feel is relevant to their story. It should be complete enough with information to be used in a news story or be quoted.

Pitches

A pitch letter is like a cover letter. You want to grab the attention of a reader right away and make whatever it is that you are pitching seem like the answer to all of the world’s problems. Think of a pitch as a press release extract. It takes all the important information and data reviewed in the press release and puts it in less objective and more informal terms. A pitch gives writers ideas for a story so you’re helping them out with their work!

And so…

When writing either a press release or a pitch keep in mind what or who the product or person is. Also important to keep in mind is why the person you are pitching to or sending a press release to should care. Always, always end your email with where to get more information.

To help the media out with their work however, as we said when it comes to pitches, it takes a tremendous amount of research on your part to be timely and discover what might be of interest. Once you find out what they might like, pitch your product or person to them in an innovative way so it doesn’t fall in line with all the other pitches they are likely receiving.

Keep things interesting and creative, and don’t be afraid to take a risk! The results are rewarding.

Bloggingprweb.com provides a fun infographic on the Journey of a Press Release:

Oh S#*@!- damage control from a PR perspective

In the past decade we’ve witnessed Janet Jackson show us more than her talent during half-time at a Super Bowl, we’ve watched stars spiral into drunken disasters and we’ve seen companies beg for money. The common denominator for all of these events? A PR company working frantically during level 5 damage control.

Now that you have an idea of what public relations and marketing consists of and the common myths behind the secret lives of a public relations company, it’s time we delve into some of our resume builders.

Damage Control at All Levels

We’ve addressed that PR companies serve more than just celebrities and we often wouldn’t think that big companies have their PR troubles, but boy do they!

Here are some helpful tips to help your company or your client’s company get their PR goals into gear and back on track:

1. Utilize SEO and Press Releases

Right now, anything a consumer searches that is remotely related to your company might put you in an unfavorable light. Focus on putting out press releases that inform people on the misinformation haunting search results. Take statements that are not credible, call out incorrect statements for what they are and tell the truth!

2. Prepare Early, Strike Quickly

Utilize your website for what it is. If it’s the first thing that shows up when someone searches your company’s or product’s name (and it should be on page one), then all news related to the truth should be displayed on your landing page. Prepare with a well-designed and user-friendly website that’s mobile friendly so that all reactions to negative press can be put to rest on your site.

3. Crawl Around On Social Networks, Arm the Battleground

Talk to your employees about the impending news. It’s best that they hear it from you rather than come to you concerned with what they just saw on Facebook or Yahoo! News. See that they are able to go through your social networks and speedily reply to any misconceptions or incorrect statements. Utilize blogs and YouTube as well to put out timely visual releases. Arm your PR field where reporters could be lingering so that your PR is ready to delegate to your senior management.

4. Communicate!

It’s hard not to walk away from a hounding reporter but speaking in the positive and openly communicating with reporters will help lessen any ordeal. A mean manager only feeds the fire afterall. Help reporters meet deadlines with stories straight from management so they can report in a timely manner and help spread the truth.

This is a start to handling minor to major damage from a public relations perspective.

What do you do in your company to handle misconceptions or what tips do you have for damage control? Share in the comments below, on our Facebook, and Tweet us @MarketingMaven2!

Simple Steps to Event PR

You’re invited to a big event, an event that could put your small business on the map and help build your credibility, but your PR Company can’t be there and you, yes you, are the on-site contact as the client. Your eyebrows welcome beads of sweat and the to-do list has gone off the page. Who do you call? What do you do first? Where do you go?

Not to worry! The following tips serve as an organized strategy to help you get media exposure to help make your company a landmark on the map of small businesses.

Day Before Event

Call the photographer

There are few things more important than having a photographer or videographer present at your table or event. It’s important to document your successes to be able to share your exposure on your website, social media sites, and networking sites. Just as athletes do, you can use these videos to review and find areas of opportunity, whether that refers to how you pitch your company or simply how you network with people.

Be sure to ask the photographer to bring their computer and memory stick so they can immediately transfer unedited photos onto your computer, external hard-drive, or USB stick.

Before Event

Grab Press Releases

Take 15 to 20 of your most recent press release or a press release that best exemplifies your company’s recent accomplishments with you to the event. Be sure your cell phone number is at the top of the event press release so interested media can quickly refer to your exciting news and call you about the content, the event, and your company.

Bring Business Cards

This is an obvious point but one that can easily be forgotten. You may think you have some in your purse or stowed away in your suitcase from a previous trip, but check! And check twice! Be sure to have a box full of business cards on you at all times so if you run into someone on your way to the bathroom and strike up a conversation, your business card is the perfect way for someone to see your information and keep in touch. Can’t let a sale get away!

During the Event

Mentally Categorize the Press and Be Attentive

Have an idea of what press were pitched, in which categories, and who might arrive. Keep an eye out for photographers, journalists and T.V. cameras and grab their attention. If you see T.V. cameras for example, approach the cameraman and ask who the producer or reporter is because the producer or reporter will be your point of contact, not the cameraman.

Directly greet media contact upon their arrival by walking up to them and introducing yourself.

Introduce Yourself

What do you introduce yourself as? The client? The company? Your title? Introduce yourself as the main point of contact and explain the series of events that will occur including a timeline and your association to the event. While doing this, give them your business card and offer a press release.

Pitch Your Company, Yourself, & the Event

After the pleasantries, offer to walk them around the event and point out what you think “might be interesting” for their viewers, readers, or listeners. With that in mind, know your audience! Who is this producer, editor, or reporter? Knowing what outlet they come from and their audience will help gauge what they are looking for making it easier for you to tailor what “might be interesting.” It also doesn’t hurt to mention who you think “would make for a great interview” by explaining their significance to the event and/or your company.

After you’ve both had a chance to walk around the event, ask when their broadcast segment regarding the event will air, when the publication will print, or when the article will post. Mention your PR team will follow up with photos and the post-event press release.

After the Event

Coordinate with your PR Company

Being in sync with your PR company will help you get the most media coverage possible. Provide media attendee details to your PR team so they can follow up as soon as possible while all the information is still fresh in the media’s mind, especially while the event is timely.

Upload hi-resolution (300+dpi) photos to your photo-sharing site and email your PR team any big event outcome details to incorporate into their post-event follow-up and pitching efforts.

Keep those tips in mind and you are sure to make your presence known at your event, and all events to come.

Share how you make yourself stand out at an event in the comments below, on our Facebook and our Twitter!

Compound Trust, Build Credibility

Banks house a lot of money but how do they bank on spreading the word about their services? Trust is a necessary foundation for someone to hand over their money to corporate giants like banks and these finance management companies build trust by being credible.

Bank on Public Relations Tactics

Credibility is key for success in the financial world. Think of how you put your company on the radar: how did you attract your first client? Where did your client base come from? What did your initial clients know about your company? To get started and grow successfully, companies utilize publicity to earn trust from consumers. The big question is what constitutes trust?

From a marketing point of view, trust is the idea of validation. Can a previous client or customer vouch for your services? Where can they find the information which validates your services and above all, your company? Using a third-party, unbiased endorsement is a credible and direct form of validation. Another way to attract positive attention to your name is by properly distributing news about your company. Whether you are distributing company news via press releases or sharing media placements through social media, be sure to share and share often! Trump your competitors by becoming an expert in what you do, do it well, and tell the world.

Cash In With Third-Parties

Although retaining customers is important, acquiring new customers is vital to perpetuating growth. In an unstable market, the number of clients willing to risk their income on investments to grow their portfolio might be few and far between. To help increase sales, build on your foundation of consumer trust to retain and grow your client base.

For example, your organization should highlight third-party testimonials rather than being self-promotional. Evolve from one-sided information and validate your position and sales messages in the industry with third-party statements from local and national media outlets. Support your company and its services by sharing feature articles that present your company in a positive light. Articles provide an outsider view and when read in a respected publication by a prospective client base, your credibility gets an immediate boost.

Don’t be afraid to position yourself as an expert. How do you do that? Writing or by-lining articles about financial trends will not only open your client base but will position you as an industry expert, all while increasing your credibility.

Direct Deposit on Your News

Another way to generate visibility is by disseminating Search Engine Optimized (SEO) press releases. When press releases go live, the media picks them up and immediately builds a positive image of you that would typically be unattainable through traditional advertising or promotion. Whereas self-promotional messages in advertisements tell people what to believe, press releases are picked up by media who find your information newsworthy enough to tout it themselves! Now that’s credibility consumers can trust.

When your news does get picked up, why leave it online for people to find? Improve its placement on a Google results page and your news and your company have been crowned experts in the field. Placing on page one of Google is merely proper optimization.

For example, if you put out a press release about your charitable endeavors and the media picked it up, did a news segment, and composed an article on corporate charitable efforts, how would you best share it? To rise in the ranks of Google results and place your company name on page one of a keywords search, putting out press releases is a great start but be sure to share your news!

Share it on all your social media outlets, both personal and professional and focus as much attention on this exciting news as possible. Repurposing finished products is a great way to add to your inventory of credible material. Take the newspaper article and share it via company newsletters and don’t be ashamed to publically display them throughout your offices or physically hand to a new customer in your lobby as they’re doing their background research on you and your company.

Both online and offline, you are proactively and organically managing your search results and placing yourself as an industry expert while building trust. Take charge of your reputation and be found!

Lindsey Carnett is CEO and President of Marketing Maven Public Relations, Inc., a bicoastal PR and marketing firm with offices in Los Angeles and New York. Specialties include financial, lifestyle, health, Hispanic marketing and social media campaigns. Carnett can be reached via email at Lindsey@marketingmavenpr.com or via phone at (310) 994-7380. For more information, visit www.MarketingMavenPR.com