The press release is still a valuable tool in the public relations cannon. Over the past years, some have become skeptical in regards to its usefulness, but it appears that its nature and scope has changed rather than its effectiveness. Consider the following information.
In the beginning
A press releases primary function was to deliver information about a business. The news would focus on new products, mergers, acquisitions, new hires, etc. Basically, it was a way for a business to make a connection to the public at large.
The press release offered a way to market for your business, indirectly do some advertising, and solidify a brand name.
To whom are they speaking?
Press release information is meant to reach customers. The actual release may first be used by journalists and bloggers, but the information is to eventually be shared with a large mass of people.
The structure of the release is pragmatic, but when written well, it compels a customer to take action in the form of a purchase or to research for more information in order to make a purchase. The release must be written to the customers. It has to inform them of useful knowledge rather than information about a business that cannot be readily used or directly pertain to potential customers.
A traditional release
A traditional release serves as a springboard to others delivering news to the masses. When writing a release, it helps to think ahead and estimate what will be most helpful to others delivering news.
Many releases are rich with advertising jargon, company accolades, and self-serving content. As stated, a good press release will deliver information that is helpful to the readership rather than be a self-focused diary.
Write your traditional release like a reader. You want it to be informative and to the point, yet entertaining and intriguing at the same time. Keep the release under one page and let its information flow from the top, mentioning the most important information first, and then supplying support through data and quotes.
For online marketing purposes
Many companies vie for top spots on the search result pages for particular keywords. They assume that they are losing revenue opportunity if they are not found within the first or second page of the results.
Those familiar with search engine optimization practices know that content is king. SEOs urge businesses to write a proliferation of content in order to increase their chances of being seen by consumers on the Web. Companies often orchestrate press releases for this purpose.
Keywords and phrases, which businesses want to be ranked well for, are inserted a copious number of times in a SEO-minded press release. Search engines pay particular attention to keywords appearing repetitively in the top half of each page, in the title, and in the boilerplate of the press release.
A new breed
Recently, press releases have undergone a transformation. Traditional press releases and those with higher search engine rankings in mind still exist, but a new breed has been introduced. Current releases are constructed with social media in mind.
New releases are much like blogs. Blogs offer a mixture of information, entertainment, and a variety of stimulus including text, pictures, and videos. Blogs offer the information contained within, but also include links to other blogs, videos, Web sites, etc.
The difference is that social media releases are not meant to be sent over the wire like traditional or SEO releases, yet serve as a supplement to these entities and other information residing on a company blog or within pages of a Web site.
The main purpose of a social release is to get it recognized and posted on social sites such as Digg, Reddit, Technorati, etc. If your information becomes popular on these sites, then there is a greater chance of more people seeing it and becoming familiar with your company. There is a high likelihood they will peruse your site to see what else you have to offer and tell others about their find as well.
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