Press releases are an important part of Content Marketing and serve as a quick tool to get your message out to millions within seconds, but what really happens when you hit the send button on your computer? Take these steps to make sure your story gets shared.
1. Find Your Niche
Instead of focusing your efforts on a broad press release that is positioned to the masses, find a niche. By having a specific focus, you are more likely to have search engine success with your press release.
2. Make the Press Release Relevant
Speaking of finding a niche, this is important when pitching to editors who will pick up your story. Make the press release relevant to that editor so they want to read past the headline. This leads to my third step, saying thank you.
3. Say Thank You
If a particular editor picks up your press release, thank them. I once learned in seminar that thanking the media for their coverage may be the most important thing you can do when trying to get your content picked up. Give them a reason to choose you over everyone else.
4. Share, Share, Share!
Social media is crucial to your marketing strategy so make sure to share your press release on social media sites. By posting on social media, you will increase awareness for the topic you wish to highlight and may even get a few shares from your audience. Remember to archive the press release on your website as well.
5. Subscribe to a Media Monitoring Service
Google allows users to track specific keywords and receive email notifications when the keywords get picked up. This is useful to track and evaluate the media coverage for your press release.
After executing these steps, take the time to evaluate what worked in this process and remember to create a thoughtful message to reach consumers. One of the individuals retweeting your press release may just be your next customer.