About 60% of consumers prefer to shop from familiar brands. If consumers don’t know who you are, they won’t trust your business. Instead, you can use press releases to boost brand awareness and recognition. Are you unfamiliar with the press release submission process? Here are the seven steps you need for success. With these tips, you can start submitting press releases with ease.
Then, you can reach your target audience, draw more website traffic, and generate fresh leads!
Don’t miss a chance to reach customers. Get started by learning how to submit a press release with these tips today.
1. Develop Your Media List
Before you can get your press release to the public, you’ll need to send it to journalists and publications. Take the time to start building a media list. Include journalists and press contacts that fall within your industry.
It’s important to choose the right publications and journalists when building your media list. Otherwise, you’ll fail to appear in front of your target audience.
If journalists don’t think your press release is relevant to their readers, they won’t publish it.
Start by looking at different news outlets, including:
- Radios
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Bloggers
- Social media influencers
You can create an Excel spreadsheet to organize your contacts. Include the outlet name, press contact, and their contact information. Take the time to research the publication’s target audience, too.
You can use tools like Google, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms to develop your list.
If you’re struggling to build your media list, consider finding a press release distribution company. They can save you valuable time and effort with this process. They already have a strong network of journalists they can contact.
They’ll help you build relationships with publications, journalists, and influencers relevant to your industry.
2. Read the Guidelines
Once you have a list of media outlets to contact, research each publication’s submission guidelines. These guidelines are a list of press release requirements specific to each publication. If you don’t meet their requirements, they could toss your submission out.
You might struggle to reach your target audience as a result.
Most publications post their requirements on a submissions or contact page. Take the time to review each publication’s requirements carefully.
Don’t assume everyone’s requirements are the same.
These requirements might indicate the publication prefers specific topics. They might outline technical details you’ll need to follow, too. For example, they might prefer a certain file type or word count.
Make sure your press release submission suits their guidelines. Make changes as needed.
Creating Your Press Release
Learning how to properly write and format a press release can take time and practice. If you lack experience with press releases, consider finding a press release service. An experienced team can write your press release for you.
Otherwise, make sure to write using the inverted pyramid style. This style focuses on the most important information at the top of the press release.
If journalists need to trim your press release down, they’ll start from the bottom and work their way up.
Make sure your press release has a singular focus. Make sure that it’s newsworthy for the publication and readers, too. Otherwise, journalists might not continue reading your press release.
When writing your press release, it’s important to grab the reader’s attention as soon as possible. Use a strong, attention-grabbing headline that:
- Includes engaging adjectives
- Conveys urgency and excitement
- Is honest
- Is short, sweet, and concise
- Uses action-oriented verbs
Make sure to include the five Ws at the start of your release, too (who, what, when, where, why).
3. Create Your Pitch
When developing your press release submission, a killer pitch is essential. You can use email to send your pitch to the journalists on your list.
Make sure to get straight to the point when writing your email. Use an engaging, attention-grabbing subject line, too. Your subject line should:
- Sound short and sweet
- Offer an interesting angle
- Seem super-specific
- Offer exclusivity
Journalists receive hundreds of press releases every single day. If it doesn’t stand out, they might not read it.
In the first paragraph, introduce yourself and the business you’re representing.
Then, tell the journalist what to expect from your press release. Include a call-to-action in the form of a question. Using a question could compel the journalist to respond.
Make sure to provide your contact information within the email, too.
Avoid adding your press release to the email as an attachment. Journalists don’t want to open attachments. Instead, add the press release into the email’s body, below the pitch.
Consider adding multimedia to your press release. About 64% of consumers purchase a product after watching a branded video.
Above all else, keep your pitch email short and sweet. The journalist will likely skim-read your email. Get to the point before you lose their interest.
Mistakes to Avoid
Don’t rush to send your press release and pitch. Instead, make sure to avoid these mistakes before sending it. You could increase your chances of getting picked up if you edit your release before.
First, make sure your press release isn’t too long. Remember, journalists will skim-read. Make sure to cut the fluff from your release before you send it.
Make sure every sentence has a purpose, too.
Before sending your pitch, double-check the publication’s target audience. Make sure their audience is relevant to yours. Otherwise, journalists might decide you’re not the right fit for their readers.
Make sure your press release is newsworthy, too. If it’s too promotional, journalists might toss it out. They’re not looking to give you free publicity.
Rather, they’re looking for stories that are relevant and engaging.
Make sure to add your contact information to the bottom of the press release, too. Otherwise, journalists might struggle to contact you for more information. You could lose your chance to gain exposure as a result.
4. Follow Up
Remember, journalists receive hundreds of press releases every week. Don’t feel discouraged if they don’t respond right away. Their delayed response doesn’t mean they tossed your press release out.
It’s likely they’re still sifting through the hundreds of emails they receive.
Consider calling the news outlet immediately after you send the release. Let them know it’s in their inbox.
Then, consider waiting three days before following up. You can confirm that the journalist received your press release. You could remain top-of-mind with them as well.
When drafting your follow-up email, make sure it’s short and sweet. You can ask if they received your press release (specify the day you sent it). Then, add a few additional pieces of information about your business.
There’s a fine line between sounding annoying and helpful. Avoid making multiple phone calls or following up by email daily. Instead, try to follow up only once.
Make sure to let a little time pass, too.
Don’t spam the journalist with the same press release and pitch. Instead, consider changing the pitch’s angle. You might have an easier time drawing their interest.
5. Syndicate
Consider finding a press release distribution service. Their service will allow you to submit your online press release to hundreds of contacts at once. You can reach journalists, reporters, news outlets, bloggers, and influencers with ease.
Some press release distribution companies offer multiple services, too. For example, they might offer to add multimedia or analytics reports.
To syndicate your release:
- Choose a provider and plan
- Consider the release date
- Specify your target audience (such as a demographic, location, or industry)
Then, upload your press release and provide any relevant multimedia.
You can also choose a press release writing service to create your press release for you. Finding a service can save you valuable time and effort. It could increase your chances the release will get picked up, too.
6. Promote on Social Media
Once you’ve sent your press release to various publications, use it to your advantage. Grab the link to your published release and share it on social media. Sharing your published release on social media can boost your reach.
Social media platforms gained 490 million users in 2020. That’s a 13.2% increase year over year. Today, 4.2 million people use social media around the world.
That’s over 50% of the world’s population!
As more people read your press release, they might click on the link to your website within the release. You’ll start generating referral traffic to your website as a result. Your search engine ranking could start to improve.
A higher ranking will help you reach even more customers.
7. Review the Analytics
After a little time has passed, make sure to review the press release’s performance. Reviewing the analytics can help you make more informed decisions in the future. You can improve your next press release to maximize results.
Many distribution services provide a dashboard where you can track basic metrics.
Expand Your Reach: 7 Tips for a Successful Press Release Submission
A successful press release submission can help you reach more customers and boost brand awareness. You can generate more traffic to your website and boost sales as a result. Use these seven tips for a successful submission today.
Remember, you don’t have to work through this process alone. Working with a press release distribution company can give your release a boost.
Ready to get started? We’re here to help! Explore our pricing today.