In recent years, social media has quickly become a requisite communication and advertisement tool for both small-scale and large-scale companies. With tried and tested methods, businesses have cracked the code behind successful marketing campaigns and press releases are an important component. As businesses spend days and nights figuring out how they can harness the inner power of social media to drive their campaigns with more effective results, an all too familiar concept of press releases has found a new purpose. So, let's figure out what press releases are and how they can be used to create better, more impactful communication and marketing campaigns.
What is a Press Release?
A press release is a text-based announcement that is sent to the press and the public to share important information. Thai pieces of information or news carry information of material significance or something noteworthy. Usually, these announcements are handled by a company's public relations department.
Businesses from all around the world, no matter how big or how small, issue press releases which are then spread to a wider audience by using newswire services, simply known as distribution services. These are mainly used to announce newsworthy topics, such as launches of new products or services, an impending merger, new brand openings, earning reports, etc. Now that you have an understanding of what a press release is, let's move on to some extremely popular topics that a press release site usually covers.
What are Some Common Topics of a Press Release?
As mentioned earlier, press releases are issued to mainly announce something newsworthy and garner positive media coverage. Here are some common topics that a PR (Press Release) mainly uses -
- New Product or Service - When there is a new product or service launching, a press release is effective in making the news reach audiences. These work effectively in creating interest and engagement about the new upcoming product in the market that puts the spotlight on the company and its products.
- Awards - Press releases are a remarkable way to share news about the company or the businesses winning any awards, whether they are industry-specific, local, or international.
- Partnership - When a company goes into partnership with another company, a prowess release is usually a great way to share the news and inform the public. It successfully generates excitement about the mutual collaboration while emphasizing the segment of the business, or a particular product or service the collaboration will be based on.
- Events - Another use of a press release is to announce any upcoming event that the company is hosting or report about an event that has already been hosted. These are usually issued to make people aware and create goodwill about the brand.
- Mergers and Acquisitions - These business transactions are another way to get the eyes of target audiences on the brand and press releases do the job perfectly.
- Product of Service Updates - Not just about new launches, but when there is an update about any existing product or service, people need to know about it. Press releases are an effective way to let consumers know about recent updates.
- Crisis Management - PRs work amazingly when it comes to crisis management. As these announcements are a way to communicate with the public, brands often use press releases to express their narrative and take control of the situation. By sharing their side of the story, brands use press releases to put an end to false and negative stories about the situation.
What are the Pros and Cons of Using a PR?
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Pros -
Issuing a press release is an affordable, and effective way to create buzz around products, partnerships, updates, or any newsworthy information. It makes the journalists eager to cover the story and make it available for the rest of the target audiences, in a way helping the brands gain more visibility, trust, and credibility. A recent survey found that 67% of journalists use different distribution services daily, or occasionally, and around 78% of them use the services for news stories. On top of that, around 56% of journalists use press releases for articles and feature ideas, whereas 56% of them use PRs to monitor industry trends. Press releases work magically and help brand again instant exposure mitigate negative coverage garner positive ones, and increase web traffic.
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Cons -
However, press releases as a matter of fact can only do so much. They can never replace a well-crafted marketing campaign but surely add so much to it. Sometimes these can come out as shallow and pretentious as companies use superlative and exaggerated language to praise themselves.
Why Press Releases are More Important than Ever!
Over the years, just like how media and usage of media have changed, press releases have also changed. Especially since brands and businesses have realized the importance and significance of online marketing, PRs have found a new purpose that is being used in marketing campaigns. However, using a press release effectively requires some strategies. Here are some of the key reasons why PRs have become so important even in this digital world -
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Announcing Something New -
In today’s world, if you want to announce a new product or service, you can issue a press release. By using a reputed distribution service, you would want it all over top-rated media and news outlets and you will receive immediate exposure. This also enables you to target journalists from the top-tier media houses.
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Instant Worldwide Distribution -
Before online press releases were a common thing, most press releases were sent directly to print media journalists or editors. If the press release failed to catch the attention of the reporters, they lived on someone's desk, collecting dust. Now a press release can get instant exposure and can be distributed worldwide with just a click via emails and social media platforms. So reaching out to global publications has become easier and faster for press releases in modern times.
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Improving Brand Image and Reputation -
Because it has been so easy to distribute press releases, brands, and businesses can now publish these announcements more frequently. This helps them create a stronger bond with the media while improving brand image and reputation in the market.
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Expanding Public Awareness and Knowledge -
With the closer frequency of publishing press releases, brands also get the chance to increase their awareness in the general public. At the same time by adding links to other pages filled with information, PRs can also be used as a tool to expand public knowledge.
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Driving Public Interest -
Online press releases include photos, videos, and other forms of multimedia which means you can convey your message in a more eye-catching and interactive way to the public, increasing public interest.
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Convenience -
Press releases are now available online which means readers and target audiences can read the text on their smartphones, laptops, computers, etc. using just the World Wide Web. They don't necessarily need to open the newspaper to read about the company and its news.
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Search Engine Optimization -
Last, but not the least, press releases are a terrific tool to improve the SEO performance of a brand. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) decides which rank the brand name or its content would come up with if someone queries anything related to it on the search engines. The higher this rank will be, the more people will know about the brand, and the more readers will turn into paying customers. SEO is crucial for strengthening a business's online presence and PRs are a way to improve SEO.
How and Why PRs Boost a Brand’s SEO Performance?
As mentioned above, press releases are remarkably important for a brand's SEO performance and can improve it. Here are some ways PRs help boost SEO for companies online -
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Stirring up Interest in the Brand
A well-executed press release containing beneficial information about the company will spark the interest of the consumers in the company. If it is done correctly, it is proven to be an amazing SEO tool. High-quality PRs lead to backlinks providing referral traffic. This usually comes from the readers reading and sharing the media publication. This high-quality backlink will then point to the original website when a publication cites the initial content.
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SEO Benefits
A press release that is written for SEO by using all the best practices will give the brand’s online presence in several ways. It increases the number of backlinks from different websites while introducing the website or the business product to new audiences. It also helps establish a new marketing channel and increase the website’s visibility in search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo!, etc. A well-crafted SEO press release will provide massive exposure to the online brand and increase ranks on the search engine results.
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A Good Impression of the Brand by Optimization
A well-optimized press release, especially containing backlinks on the anchor texts, leaves a good impression on both the search engine and the readers. It enhances the keyword network related to the content and improves the SEO score. Moreover, readers will be left with an authoritative source that gives them a lasting impression, keeping them coming back to the website for more. You can optimize the content by starting with an eye-catching headline, using natural links, and making the content shareable.
What are the Other Benefits of Using a Press Release?
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Affordability -
PRs offer interesting benefits that are almost similar to a well-crafted marketing plan and work as an impressive advertising channel. However, press release writing and especially distribution services are extremely affordable. This means any business, small scale or large scale, even with an affordable marketing budget can still enjoy the benefits at a low price.
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Brand Authenticity -
Frequent publishing of press releases gives the brand credibility and authenticity. By providing important information through these announcements, brands position themselves as an authoritative figure and an industry expert. This increases the trust of the customers in the brand, increasing potential sales as well.
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Wider Distribution of the News -
Well-crafted press releases that get regularly published in high-end news and media outlets not only target the company's niche audience but also help build a new audience pool. This creates goodwill for the organization and a strong reputation which helps incredibly in drawing new customers to the brand.
Press releases are amazing; they are affordable, boost SEO performance, build brand reputation and awareness, and bring more visibility to the brand. So, if you are still wondering whether you should use a PR, you are missing out already!
