Building to the Big Release: Part 1

This is part one of a three part series on Media Releases. Are they worth it? What to consider? What’s their value?

 Part one addresses an age old problem with most company announcements or releases;

Is My Release Too Promotional?

This harkens back on a recent post called 3 steps to intelligent media interviews. In it, I touched on the fact that most of us have one goal with our press releases; sell sell sell.

 It’s time to get real so that your release doesn’t end up in a trash folder and consider what the primary goal of a news release REALLY is:

  1.  Yes, Drive Awareness  - more eyeballs
  2. Offer an Education - tell me something I didn’t know
  3. Engagement - increased traffic, downloading, taking action steps. (I will touch on this in our next post.)

Before you go writing your own media release (or ask your receptionist to  do it – tsk, tsk) Please consider adding some or all of these elements into your content.

 Back up with Research

Statistics, research, internal polls surveys, can give an authoritative voice and add credibility. They can also be attractive to reporters and bloggers who can communicate your point quickly or with visuals.

 Add a Contrarian or Divergent point of view

In other words, come at it from the other side (briefly) Consider what the audiences follow up questions may be when reading, encouraging them to read more.

 Offer a Solution

Don’t leave the reader asking... so what?... Please step in with a strategy, a follow up or a commitment of some sort. The object is to make them want to read more on this topic, share and click on the links you provide to continue ‘following the story’.

Lastly, I’d like to address the dilemma of whether or not to write a release or not.  Often, the content will simply not do it justice. But if not a release, then what?

 There are other ways of getting your message out and having it spread across multiple channels. Here are some ideas:

  • Starting it as a discussion heading on a group or fan page
  • Devoting a blog post to the topic and monitor/engage in the discussion/invite other bloggers to comment
  • Devote a section of your blog or website to a particular event, subject matter.
  • Share. Share. Share.

 These methods position you as an expert who is “leading the conversation” rather than pushing the “news” angle.

Happy Writing!

If you enjoyed this post, please read/share part 2... Is My Release Shareable?

Photo by Jan Kahánek on Unsplash

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