A key to building and maintaining your company's reputation is generating media interest in your business. In technology PR, press releases are a great way to announce company news, communicate key messages with your target audience and increase your company’s ability to influence potential customers.
However, having a great story to tell is no good if you’re unable to issue the press release effectively and garner valuable media coverage for your business. The news cycle is fast-paced, and journalists are inundated with coverage requests so it’s important to know how to distribute your press release effectively and get best results.
Here are five ways to distribute your press release:
Understand the PR angle
The first step that will inform your PR issue strategy is understanding the angle of your press release. Are you launching a new product? Do you plan to hire new employees? The target audience of your release will help you to figure out which publications you should be contacting.
In technology PR, the content of some press releases may be of interest to the wider public while others may be more suited to trade only publications with specialist readerships. Making this distinction and altering your issue strategy accordingly will save time in the long run.
Research relevant media outlets
When it comes to distributing press releases, timing is everything. Once your issue list is prepared; you will need to consider the optimal timing for issuing it. If your goal is to land your release in the business pages of national publication, for example, you’ll need to know what the best days are, when the editorial deadlines are and when journalists are most likely to be open to suggestions for stories.
These are vital factors which will vary depending on the publication and the individual journalist. An expert in technology PR will know, depending on the nature of the release, who to contact and when.
Build relationships with journalists
Writing a press release and sending it in to the abyss that is a typical journalist’s inbox is not going to get you the results that you want. Having positive, personable and trusted relationships with journalists, on the other hand, will significantly increase your chances of getting your press release covered.
Experienced technology PR professionals will have a track record of providing journalists with engaging, relevant and newsworthy content that is of interest to their readers. Having these long standing and trusted relationships with journalists can help to secure those coveted-column inches.
Prepare an engaging press release pitch
Want to get a journalist’s attention? Prepare an engaging pitch or your press release. Journalists have strict deadlines, crammed inboxes and are often the focus of many different PR agencies. So, to attract their interest, you need a pitch that grabs their attention and encourages them to read more.
An engaging pitch could be drawing their attention to some fascinating survey findings, pointing out eye-catching photography or highlighting the relevance of your press release in the context of another breaking news story. It needs to be snappy and well-written and provide journalists with all the key facts they need to write a clear, accurate and interesting article.
Say thanks!
Often, issuing a press release is all about securing a piece of press coverage. However, if you’re interested in building the long-term reputation of your brand, you need to think about your relationships with the media.
Showing gratitude to media outlets should be a major focus of your PR issue strategy. It doesn’t take much to send a quick thank-you note to a journalist who has covered your press release. Similarly, if a journalist lets you know that they won’t be covering the press release, it’s important to thank them for their feedback. This helps to foster good relations between you and the journalist.
When executed correctly, distributing your press release can lead to stellar coverage results and generate lots of interest in your company. If you’re interested in the learning more about the power of technology PR for your business, and would consider appointing a tech PR agency, why not get in touch with us. You can contact Comit here.
