There is no denying that the need, demand, and usage of press releases have increased much regardless of the industry. Therefore, every other business owner and individual is using this marketing tool for the growth of their business. While it is just a written document, only writing is not enough to gain results as you will need to distribute it too. As there are multiple professional PR submission agencies available; it often goes daunting to choose one, and everybody starts searching for the best service.
When it comes to finding the best press release distribution service in the market; it is fairly impossible to pick one as each of them comes with a different set of features and beneficial aspects. Here are two ways in which you can embark on your journey of press release distribution; the first is the DIY method where you take care of things alone without hiring anyone and secondly, you can always hire a professional PR agency that takes care of the whole process. Let’s take a better look!
Press Release Distribution in DIY Methods or Personal Approach
Press release distribution requires a credible network including news sites and media platforms that can help you to gain more exposure. But since you do not have a wide network or an effective distribution list; you can try alternative methods of pitching personally and in this case; journalists are very helpful.
1. Understand Your Target Audience
First of all, your PR content is distributed with the goal of getting read by the maximum number of online readers including the target audiences. So, before you proceed to distribute; first, you need to understand your target audiences. Based on your services or products, you should focus on a particular demographic of people to reach who can enhance your business sales and growth, such as potential customers, journalists, reporters, other marketers, competitors as well as investors. Without understanding your target audience and their preferences, PR distribution is just like throwing darts in the dark.
2. Find the Journalists from Niche
Journalists can definitely help you gain more exposure but the person needs to belong to a relevant industry or else they would not find your story attractive enough to share or publish. For example, your PR is regarding loans and financial services but you are pitching to some sports journalist; do you think that will work? Well, no. That is why, you need to find niche journalists who will understand your story and will actually publish it if the story is worthy.
Once you find niche journalists, now it is time to find out their email IDs or media contacts of them where you can contact them and pitch your content for distribution.
3. Create the Perfect Pitch
Honestly, the journalists from the industry already have a lot on their plate as they receive a ton of PRs every day. Usually, they are so busy, they hardly get any time to read so much, and thus, many PRs get rejected every day. So, if you want to stand out among the bulk of emails, you need to craft the perfect pitch that can easily grab the attention of the journalists. Here are some tips to utilize,
- Before even reading the pitch, they will notice the subject line based on which the email will be accepted or rejected. So, make sure to craft a precise and accurate subject line that offers an idea of the story of the PR.
- Personalize your pitch by offering adequate logic why your PR can be important for the niche industry or how you can bring a change to it.
- Also, do not forget to explain why you have chosen this particular journalist for the purpose as it helps them to clarify.
- Repeat the pitch for every journalist that you want to pitch as creating a different pitch for everyone can be daunting.
- As said earlier, journalists are quite busy and so you make it easier for them. In the pitch email just add the pitch and a PDF attachment of the PR that makes it clean and easy to decide whether to read or not. When you paste the whole press release on the body of the email, it makes it look clumsy and big content that is often ignored.
- Add media contacts, website links, and other details that help journalists authenticate or even follow up if they find your story interesting.
4. Wait for the Right Time
A press release is time sensitive, and it loses its importance if not distributed at the right time. So, it is important to pitch earlier than the time you want the content to be hosted. The journalists receive the most PRs on Monday, right after the weekend. Evidently, pitching on Monday is not a wise move if you really want to stand out. Avoid the rush and try pitching on Tuesdays or Wednesdays when the flow is more manageable and who knows, you might get featured as well.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Pitching Personally
Well, the only advantage of this method is that you do not require to spend any money on any service, but you take complete control. It also helps to strengthen your bond with the journalists. However, there are a handful of disadvantages as well.
- Comes with no guarantee of distribution.
- Have to be consistent all the way from the beginning.
- Perhaps it does cost any money, but it sure takes a lot of time.
- You will not receive any analytical report from the journalists.
- Take too long to offer fruitful results.
Press Release Distribution by Hiring a PR Agency
Professional press agencies are well-versed in the field and hiring them offers a handful of benefits as well. All you need to do is to opt for a suitable agency, check its PR distribution packages and purchase one based on your requirements and budget. The rest of the process will handle by the agency only. The price for the packages can vary from low to high, but each of them is absolutely worth it due to its advantageous aspects.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Hiring a PR Agency
There is only one disadvantage in this case and that is the monetary requirement. In order to hire an agency and to run a PR campaign; first you need to create a PR strategy and fix a budget for the campaign. Based on that, you can find a package that resonates with your needs.
When it comes to the advantages of hiring a PR agency, there are many.
- Diversified Packages – Since budget is the biggest concern, professional agencies usually offer diversified packages where there are packages for beginners as well as industry moguls. Obviously, you can find it a little pricey to buy a top-tier premium distribution package. However, there are freemium and reasonable paid packages as well.
- Effective Distribution Network – professional agencies have huge networks with plenty of newswire and credible media platforms that help you garner attention from the niche. So, you do not need to find people from a niche but the agency and distribution network can sieve them out. Such a dynamic network is applicable to all kinds of industries.
- Additional Features – other than distribution and guaranteed placements, professional agencies also offer a handful of features like SEO optimization and Audit, mobile distribution, social media buzz, permanent hosting, and the list goes. Based on the price of the packages the features can increase.
- Knowledge and Experience – Professional agencies possess an intricate knowledge of the market and with their experience in the field, they can create robust strategies that help to gather more exposure from the market. They are also aware of the latest trends and will guide you if needed.
- Transparency and Professionalism – In this case, you will be able to get a complete analytical report of the PR campaign that helps understand whether it was successful or not. Not only do they show transparency but professionalism as well through their consultancy. There are a lot of people still not aware of the nitty-gritty of PR distribution and the consultancy can help them guide through the whole process.
So, What Should You Do?
Clearly, hiring an agency can help you with a lot of beneficial aspects than personal approaches. But if you are short on budget, pitching a journalist can help only if you are consistent. Considering you have a business or some small ventures; it can be very daunting to waste all your behind a PR campaign when that time could utilize in something more important. PR is important but you need to run your company too.
Therefore, it is recommended to follow a hybrid strategy where you can use the benefits of both, paid and free distribution. DIY approaches can help rise in the beginning, but the results would not last. Create your PR strategy, fix your budget, and move forward!
