One of the best ways to gain media coverage is press release distribution and every business owner is aware of that. The press release is being widely used in every other industry and however, most people are still unaware how to churn out maximum efficiency from each campaign. It requires knowing the additional tips of distribution that make it more successful and helps to gain more organic exposure in the market.
If you think only purchasing PR distribution services is enough to gain fruitful results, you are wrong since it also seeks some input from your end even if you take professional help. So, here are the 12 effective tips that can help gain more exposure!
13 Effective Tips for Press Release Distribution
A successful press release distribution depends on a few major aspects like optimizing the PR content, distributing it to the right people, and also boosting the press release after distribution. Let’s find each aspect of distribution that can be improved to gain impressive results.
In the case of Optimizing the Press Release,
1. The Correct Press Release Format
If you want journalists to consider your press release seriously, then it has to follow the correct format that makes it appear more authentic. PR follows a strict industrial format that helps to gain maximum media coverage. The correct PR is comprised of a headline, a dateline, a leading paragraph, the body or supporting paragraph as well as a boilerplate. In order to ensure that everything is picture perfect, you can simply purchase an all-in-one press release writing and distribution service from professional PR agencies who can take care of the whole process. Even, if you want to do it alone; do not forget to take help from the PR professionals.
2. Enhance with Multi-media Elements
Visual elements help to gain more attention from the readers and therefore a wide use of Multi-media content such as images, graphics, videos, and so on are being added to PRs to make it even more engaging. According to a recent study, media is seven times more likely to cover your story when there are visual elements present in it than the PRs that include none. Adding those elements also helps to establish your story making it more engaging for the target audience. You can also brand logos or other stuff that helps to reflect your brand. But always remember not to overuse it.
3. An Excellent Press Release Email Pitch
Before sending your press release to journalists, make sure to craft an attractive pitching mail that helps you get featured. It is not the PR that grabs attention, but your pitch that makes them curious to read the content. So, crafting an attention-grabbing subject line and pitch is the key here to gaining maximum open rate. In order to craft an excellent pitch, you need to research the publication’s audience and their characteristics such as demographics, topics of interest, and concerns. Based on these aspects, you can explain to a journalist why your story is important and needs to be distributed. This helps to add more newsworthiness to the content.
4. Use the Right Time to Send Your PR
Time is a crucial factor in the case of press release distribution as the is highly sensitive with its time and deadline. The newsworthiness of PR content remains intact when the story is fresh and updated. But if you distribute a press release based on an old topic, most readers might not feel interested read it all. So, you need to find the right time for distribution in order to make the greatest impact. Recent research based on 55,000 press releases showed the most optimal times for sending a press release. It goes as,
- The highest email open rate of 26% is noticeable on Thursdays
- Wednesdays and Fridays are considered to be the worst days to send a press release as 85% of them get lost in inboxes
- When it comes to the hour of the day, the best time to send a press release is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Distribute Your Press Release to The Right Audience
5. Opt for the Right Press Release Distribution Agency
Ultimately it comes to your PR agency’s performance when you are trying to achieve maximum. When purchasing a package, you need to opt for an agency that understands your needs and also works on your niche since you need relevant exposure that stays with an impact. With a simple search on Google, you might find numerous options to hire, but it is recommended to hire only the agencies that fulfill your needs within budget. PR is a fairly reasonable tool and there is no point in investing a ton in distribution. Find a reliable agency and make sure to buy packages from them in the future as well. Customer Loyalty can help you get bigger deals at a nominal price.
6. Mutually Beneficial Relationship with Journalists
A major part of press release distribution is based on how well you can build a connection with the media. Just like your need journalists to cover your story, journalists are also in search of updated and newsworthy content from the niche that helps them to achieve their own media goals. So, basically, it can be a win-win situation for both yourself and the journalists. Here are some ways to strengthen your bond.
- Engage more on social media platforms
- Offer Journalists valuable resources to help
- Personalize your pitch in an email
- Always express appreciation and gratitude to get the work done
7. Keep the Media Contact Updated
Checking the health of your media contact and email list is important on a regular basis. This helps to refine your contacts and helps to determine if there are any email addresses or numbers that do not exist anymore. Your media contact list includes inaccurate information, which is not going to work even if you do email marketing. Make sure to use some digital tools that help to update the list regularly.
8. Email to Journalists, Not Newsrooms
Distributing press releases to a generic email address or to a newsroom does not guarantee the fact that they will be featured by some journalists. Instead of targeting the newsrooms, email the journalists directly which helps them find your story easily and ensures more success in distribution. Make sure to find relevant journalists from the niche and make a list of them. Pitching them might help you to showcase your story directly to the target audiences.
9. Send the PR to Influencers and Bloggers
Influencers and bloggers are like the hotcakes of the industry who are always on top of the trends. Reaching out to them can help you reflect your story directly among a huge audience base and since they trust the person already, they are more likely to take interest in your story. Make sure to look for the persons who work in your industry and are able to highlight your PR content in front of the right audience.
How to Boost PR Exposure After Distribution?
1. Follow Up with Journalists after Distribution
As you already know, journalists are very busy and they receive a ton of press releases every day. Therefore, it is quite normal if your PR gets skipped among the horde of others. In such cases, you can send a follow-up email after three days of pitching. Remember, your job is to make it easier for the journalists. So, be respectful when reaching out to them and gently remind them of the PR that you have already sent.
2. Share the Press Release on Social Media
The influence is social media in daily life is undeniably huge and most online users like to spend their maximum digital time online. Include Social media marketing in your press release strategy and it will eventually help you with a greater reach. Share your press release content on social media platforms and tag the publication and the journalists who covered it. This can help to enhance your reach while targeting a huge number of people from different demographics.
You can also proceed with paid social media advertising which offers additional reach with efficiency and for exchange a nominal amount.
3. Track and Monitor Press Release Analytics
How would you know that your press release campaign is working effectively after distribution? The answer is Analytics. With the help of PR analytics that includes different metrics, you are able to track and monitor a handful of data which improves your strategies for PR campaigns. Starting from the number of media outlets that covered your story to the type of media that offered the most engagement; you will gain crucial insights that help in making press release distribution even better and more effective.
Concluding Thoughts
As you can see, there is a lot of work even after you have distributed the press release. So, evidently, you have to be engaged throughout the whole process in order to churn out maximum benefits. Do not neglect personal responsibilities even if you get to hire an agency!
