That effective brand communication is paramount for business success is incontrovertible. So, at the end of last year, I was astonished to read the results of a survey carried out in the north of England, which revealed that 40 per cent of the businesses questioned did not issue regular press releases to trade, local or national press as part of their marketing strategy. If this figure is reflected nationally, then thousands of UK businesses are missing out on an extremely cost-effective and powerful channel of marketing communication.
Although advertising continues to be the principal method for building brand awareness, it is expensive. And despite my colleagues from the world of advertising asserting that a picture can paint a thousand words, a published news story can convey much more information to your target audience.
So what’s the story?
Businesses produce a wealth of stories that can be of interest to editors and, more importantly, their readers. A quick glance through trade and industry publications highlights the numerous topics and themes on which press releases can be written:
– Product launches
– Branch openings
– Business success
– Investment and acquisitions
– New contracts
– Appointments of senior personnel
– Awards
– Training initiatives
– Charitable activities
However, notwithstanding industry’s apparent apathy towards PR as indicated by the survey results above, editors and journalists still receive a mountain of press releases each week. So how can marketing professionals improve the chances of getting their press releases published?
A press release must be written in clear, concise English and answer the journalist’s six key questions: what, where, when, who, why and how? Always concentrate on the facts, while avoiding opinion. Write in short paragraphs and in what journalists call the inverted pyramid style. This is where the most important facts appear towards the top of the story and not lower down the text, allowing editors to easily cut the text in length without losing the essence of the story.
The headline should contrive to immediately tell the reader what the story is about. And to increase the authoritative tone of the press release, include a quote from a company officer. Even better, if the story concerns the successful completion of a project or winning a new contract, a statement from the client or customer praising your company’s performance provides an excellent independent endorsement.
Distribution, presentation and follow up
Draw up a distribution list of the publications that serve your industry, endeavouring to find out the editors’ email addresses to ensure the release reaches the person that matters. Also don’t forget the increasing number of industry websites that carry news stories.
Today the majority of press releases are distributed electronically and sadly this has resulted in some businesses - and even some PR agencies – paying little attention to the presentation of the release. A press release should be viewed as an official company document and therefore have the appearance of one. It should fit on one sheet of A4, display your company logo and include a timeline so journalists know when the release was issued. The contact details of a named employee should feature at the bottom of the release, so journalists know whom to call to find out more information.
If the release benefits from a supporting picture it needs to be of good quality, clearly relevant to the story being told and distributed with the release as a digital file.
Follow up calls should always be made to publications. This not only ensures the release has been received but also helps build relationships with editors and journalists. As stated earlier, editors receive a large number of press releases, so your call may bring your release to their attention and make the difference in whether or not it is published.
Other avenues
But it’s not just through the issuing of press releases that can have a positive impact, as other PR strategies are available which serve to maintain a consistent presence in key publications, reinforcing your brand message.
– The generic article
– Company profiles
– Interviews
– Product tests
A generic article giving an overview of the latest industry trends and issues, attributed to a senior management figure not only secures valuable column inches, it projects your company as an authority in its particular line of business. While the company profile feature affords an excellent opportunity to talk more specifically about your business, its products and services. Likewise, arranging for a journalist to interview the director or another member of the senior management team is also a well-established PR strategy that provides a platform from which to reach your target audience.
Then there is the product test. Trade publications aim to keep their readership informed of the latest products on the market and the benefits they offer. Having a new product put through its paces by a trade or industry publication, and receiving a glowing report provides a powerful recommendation.
Look through your trade and local press identifying those publications that carry these features, and you will discover many opportunities to gain additional press exposure for your company.
Hold the front page!
A print-based PR campaign offers all the benefits of advertising but at much less cost. It will inform, promote and build brand awareness. PR can enhance your company’s reputation, raise its profile and increase business. To ignore PR when planning your marketing strategy is to miss the opportunity of speaking directly to your target market. The conclusion is unavoidable – no news is bad news for business.
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