Every business requires press coverage in order to grow in the market with more organic exposure, leads, and awareness in the market. There is no greater choice than a press release for this purpose that is distributed through news sites and media platforms. The PRs are also picked by journalists and reporters from various industries which are further published. This helps to gain the attention of not only the customers but also potential investors, marketers, and other clients.
However, without an effective distribution, even SEO-friendly press releases can struggle to garner enough attention simply because it is not distributed on the right platform. Think of a news platform that focuses on the tech industry and you own a fashion brand; who you think can help you gather potential customers? Maybe not. That is relevant distribution is required that focuses on the niche industries. Here are 5 pro tips to create a better PR distribution strategy, applicable for all industries.
1. Optimize Your Press Release
It all starts with optimizing your PR to make it SEO-friendly which helps in effective distribution. In order to gain the right attention from the niche and relevant journalists, you need to figure out which kind of publications would be interested in your story. For example, more than 63% of the journalists claim that event announcement PRs come with the best pitches and the top-performing PRs in the industry mainly cover product and service releases.
Understand what is ‘Newsworthy’ for your company as well as for the journalists and then craft the content while optimizing it. Make sure to keep the PR brief, and direct and not consist of any hyperbolic language or exaggeration that is intended to be over-promotional. Follow the specific format and add a few multimedia assets to support your story. Now, your PR is ready to cater to more attention from the target audience.
2. Look for Niche Journalists & Platforms
Conduct thorough research to find relevant journalists and platforms that focus on your niche industry. Ideally, you should be looking for people and platforms that have strong connections with your customer base. It should also have authority in the market which ensures the exposure you get is organic and credible. There are a few ways to do it and the most common three are,
- Simply search the latest updates on Google or any other search engines, regarding your industry. You will find plenty of news and clicking on them can lead to the platforms and news sites that focus on your industry. The news that shows on the top of the results is preferable since they have the best visibility over the internet.
- You can also utilize media databases in order to find niche reporters and journalists.
- Head straight to a professional press release platform to find more resources.
3. Get Your Timing Right
Timing is crucial in the PR business as press releases are the most time-sensitive content which can lose its importance even in a single day. Since every other industry in the using PRs as their greatest business weapon, there is high competition in pitching as well. According to a study found in 2022, Thursdays are considered to have the highest email open rate. At the same time, Wednesdays and Fridays are considered to be the worst days to send a PR. People from the media also claim that Tuesday afternoon is the best time to pitch when the rush of Monday is gone.
However, when it comes to the right timing; you need to experiment a bit in order to get it right. Find the right timing that works best for you the best by paying attention to responses and email open rates. Make sure not to overwhelm the journalists by sending numerous emails every week. Give them enough time to read and respond and then you can follow up.
4. Strengthen Your Bonding with Journalists
A bigger part of the distribution strategy depends on the bond you share with the journalists. If you only going to contact the journalists because you need something, they are less likely to respond. You should look for ways to stay connected with them on a consistent basis which enhances the chances of getting your PR picked more or every time. Here are a few ideas,
- Provide them access to valuable resources that include reports, data, or other files to download which they might be important and trust you with.
- Personalize your PR pitch every time you reach out to them while highlighting the fact you chose this particular journalist over time as the right choice for your business.
- While journalists can take some time to revert, you should revert as soon as you can which shows how eager you are to get the story published by the journalist.
- Make sure to be polite and patient without rushing the process.
5. Do Your Part for More Exposure
It is not just journalists and media platforms that can help you gain more exposure but you need to the things from your end too. It increases the gaining maximum media attention while ensuring more ROI and an effective distribution. Here are a few tips,
- Share link to the PR on your business website, or blogs and other content.
- Use social media platforms to share your press releases and ask followers for feedback. This way, you can also bring more engagement through likes and comments.
- Add the PR to your company Newsletter and send an email blast.
Final Thoughts
Mastering the art of press release distribution cannot be done overnight as it takes years of experience and knowledge. While the aforementioned tips are effective, you can also get professional help from an established agency to gain greater results within a short duration. The key is to craft an amazing press release distribution strategy that ensures success at every step.
