After writing your business press release, your goal is to distribute it to as many locations as possible. You want to spread the word about your brand and get media opportunities.
If you’re a new marketer, you probably don’t know the places to distribute your releases. Check out the 5 best locations to place your release to get maximum exposure and media coverage:
After crafting your release and making sure that it is written well, you may now distribute it to your email contacts. However, do not email all your contacts. Carefully scan your contacts and send it only to relevant reporters who have covered the same stories in the past or are covering the same industry.
Do not email blast to any media or to any email contact you have. Send your pitch to relevant media only.
There’s no sense in sending it to as many people as possible. Send it to selected press people. Email your story several weeks in advance or before your target product release.
- Website
You can publish your release first on your site before sending it to reporters or to a press distribution company. Publish it on your newsroom. Compile all your releases on the page to give reporters and investors the chance to access your announcement.
Having your release published on your site gives your brand more credibility. Updating your release regularly on your page creates a good impact for stakeholders visiting your site. It builds the reputation that you’re an industry expert.
It attracts media representatives who are looking for brand assets and story angle. They are more likely to connect with you because they think that you’re a trusted source of information.
Eventually, they may come to you for interviews or ask for brand assets. The time will come that they may also ask to cover you.
- Social media.
Content shared on different social media channels has more tendency to go viral. These days, social media has become a powerful method of marketing.
People do their business, get their news or make purchases online. Sharing your release on social media channels can get your story in front of your target audience. It also helps you drive traffic, widen your reach and boost your sales even faster.
Design your newsroom with social media button, so visitors can share your story to their social media channels or email it to their contacts. When hiring an online distribution company, ask if they have a feature that allows social media sharing. Visitors may share it on Facebook, tweet it or email it to their contacts.
- Press release distribution sites.
Another powerful way to land publicity is by sending your business release to a distribution site. They have a network of outlets and journalists that are industry-specific, so your story is accessed by people and publications that are more likely to cover it.
Distribution sites have different features, packages, addons and method of reporting. Check which one is suited to your business goal and budget.
When you hire a company to distribute your press release, reporters covering the same beat and have email alert are notified when you send your story. Your story gets published on the company’s website and other locations, including search engines, sites and portals.
- Local press and local media outlets.
Most companies dream of landing national media coverage, such as New York Times or The Wall Street Journal. The focus on targeting the national outlets, without thinking the media opportunities they are missing with the local press.
If you find it difficult to get publicity, why not concentrate on the local level? Proximity is one of the elements of a good release, which can give you an edge to score a coverage. By pitching to the local media and publications, your story can get more attention than on the national level.
There is lesser competition on the local publications. Moreover, you may not know it, but the national publications sometimes get their news from their local counterparts. It can give you a better chance to get publicity.
Your press release should have a wide distribution to maximize the chance of getting publicity. Try to distribute your next press release to these locations and see the changes