Did you know that about 88% of PR specialists are relying on a new strategy that may shape the future? This new press release strategy is called ‘digital storytelling.’ However, does your business need a press release?
Writing a press release takes a lot of work. You have to create something captivating and entertaining while committing to facts. You have to make something that encapsulates everything you need while being concise enough to drive the message home.
Marketing is a ruthless and saturated industry, and press release distribution is the bridge between your mission and your target. So let’s get down to the basics and figure out what you need in a press release and its distribution.
What Is Press Release Distribution?
Press release writing is heavy on content. Its primary purpose is to inform the media and your target audience about an event. This event could be a new product, service, or promotion.
Reaching your audience guarantees that your message reaches the target. Expanding into top-tier media sources entails that potential clients catch wind of you and your brand.
The responsibilities of a press release distribution service in order include:
- Listing Pitching Options
- Sending the Pitches
- Monitoring Pitch Approval
- Analyzing Performance of Approved Pitches
Press release distribution is a department in itself. It involves connections, interactions, rejections, and revisions. Hiring a service takes the weight off your shoulders.
Benefits of Press Release Distribution
Don’t you feel more secure and confident about products you come across when you read well-written articles about them by reliable sites?
Quality press release distribution allows you to reach journalists who issue announcements. They then write newsworthy pieces that help build trust from your customers and investors.
Speaking of investors, issuing press releases is an excellent way to keep them in the loop. Financial backers help keep wages paid and the lights on. You want to keep your investors interested and informed.
Due to the expansive reach of press releases, you can achieve 360-degree targeting across online and online platforms. Extend your business even to those living under a rock.
Finally, press releases undergo optimization for search indexing. This makes it easier for searches to lead to your website. With a significant amount of transactions migrating to the online realm, high search ranking is power.
Should You Get a Press Release Distribution Service?
You can actually issue a press release for free. If you can release it for free, why bother with a PR distribution service?
Press release writing involves numerous intricacies such as:
- Coming up with a captivating headline
- Committing to truth and accuracy
- Reeling in your target audience
- Employing strategic writing
- Polishing perfect grammar
- Using relatable language
- Choosing the right timing
Think about all that hard work writing press releases wasted if it never saw the light of day. Press release distribution is all about reaching your target audience.
Before committing to press release services, assess if they tick each of these ten boxes.
10 Factors to Consider When Selecting Press Release Distribution Services
If we haven’t stressed enough, press release distribution is a powerful marketing tool when used right. You don’t want your announcements to fall flat, do you?
1. Final Outcome
Marry the vision of your brand with a strategy. What outcome do you foresee with a particular press release? Thinking long-term, how do you see successive press releases impacting your brand?
Are you looking to:
- Increase website traffic
- Become more visible to investors
- Get more sales
- Introduce your brand
Look at what you’re going for. Then, see what distribution service has the best facilities and capacity to meet them.
2. Your Audience for Your Press Release
Who are you distributing to? Who are you trying to reach?
Returning to your brand’s mission and vision, ask yourself who you’re catering to. Do you need to reach a certain high-profile individual?
What demographic is most suitable? Are you trying to tap into media to gain broad exposure?
Determine if you’re testing the waters or want to access a particular audience. A press release has the potential to hit two birds with one stone. Understand your target market and work from there.
3. Budget for Your Press Release
When investing in any commodity, you can’t leave out the price. Consult with the service to understand every aspect of their provisions so you can decide if it’s worth the money.
You want value for your dollar. Scope out several services and compare their reach, placements, and connections. Weigh your options with the price and without it. Check your nonnegotiables and assess your budget again.
4. Type of Press Release Distribution Service
There are generally two kinds of distribution strategies. You can choose either between automated or manual distribution.
Press release distribution services already have news and media outlets that subscribe to them. Using the automated press distribution service, all they have to do is issue the press releases. This is akin to a group chat where everyone gets informed immediately with the same message.
Manual distribution is more personalized. These distribution services work by reaching out to relevant media outlets and journalists instead of doing so en masse.
They pitch the press releases using dedicated tools and await approval.
The manual method is more taxing but does a better job honing in on your target audience.
5. Experience in the Press Release Industry
You want to build the buzz around your news, don’t you? There are plenty of novice services still trying to make their mark.
As much as you want to support a growing business, now isn’t the time to play guinea pig. Contract PR services with expertise.
There’s a big difference between salespeople and editors. You want those with experience in media, journalism, and data analysis.
Distribution puts a high price on connections. Learn what outlets the service has affiliations to and if they use these connections effectively.
6. Press Release Distributor Reputation
Do some digging into the PR distributor’s overall image. Are they trashy or classy? Do they cover questionable topics or have an unsavory approach to sensitive material?
Does their name command a sense of respect and trust? Put yourself in your audience’s shoes and look at it from their perspective.
The ties of your press release distributor are the same ties that others could attach to you. The distributor might collaborate with sketchy-looking sites with less than perfect grammar. To a scrupulous audience, this can raise a bunch of red flags.
The PR distributor helps set the atmosphere of your brand. Not only do people peruse information nowadays, but they also look into where the information comes from. You want a distributing service with a reliable and polished reputation.
7. Press Release Coverage
When broadcasting your news to the public, you want to know how far it’ll go. Generally, the more people your information reaches, the better. You want to shake things up and create awareness.
How many news outlets do the service cover, and are they high-value ones? Do they guarantee you a spot in their spread, and what kind?
Not all coverage is equal. Ask where they’ll distribute your news and the extent of it.
8. Authority
In a sea of search results, how do you stand out? Search engine optimization should be one of your top priorities as a business.
Some distributors earned a higher rank and are more favored by search engine results. This makes you more visible to anyone looking up your particular services online.
Online marketing is ruthless, and it’s easier to sink than swim. The more credible and higher value your distributor, the better you’ll fare.
9. Data Analytics
Whether things are spectacular or less than satisfactory, you want to be able to monitor your performance.
Marketing involves a lot of working backward and revising your strategies. If things go awry, you want to know what specificities caused it so you can manage and modify accordingly.
In a less pessimistic lens, you also want to know what went right. That way, you can replicate and pattern the successes to future operations.
Coordinate with a distributing service that puts a premium on data analytics. Data-driven insights are the best way to adjust your strategies and approaches. You want to see patterns and learn from them as you finesse your public image.
10. Customer Service
Poor service sullies the experience on both ends. Not only do you leave unsatisfied, but your service provider risks a blow to their reputation.
Press releases are very time sensitive. It’s all about catching the wave; if you miss it, the PR service must address it ASAP.
Find a press release service that cares about customer satisfaction. Do your research on how the PR distribution service treats bumps in the road. That way, your complaints won’t meet a dead end.
Press Release Distribution Can Make or Break Your Public Image
Don’t waste the carefully curated press releases your team made. Collaborate with a press release distribution service so that your shout into the void takes you to the limelight. Make sure they’re within budget, have a mutual vision for your brand, and the strategy to make it happen.
Online and offline marketing is a dog-eat-dog world. Contact us today to get a leg up in the industry.