So your company has a big announcement to make. You’ve released a new product, added a new service, published an eBook, or launched a webinar series. Awesome! Time to tell the world, so of course one of the first things you’ll do is write a press release.
Once you have written a press release that is chock-full of interesting information that your target market will just gobble up (fingers crossed), don’t limit yourself to distributing it on PRNewswire and PRWeb and, oh yeah, posting it on your website’s news page. Go a step (OK, a few steps) further and turn it into a full-blown marketing campaign.
It’s not that hard—really. Here’s what to do (though not necessarily in this order):
Distribute on Social Media
Post your press release on Facebook, send it out to your Twitter followers, and share it with your network on LinkedIn. You’ll reach a lot of eyeballs this way, and they’re not just any eyeballs, either. They’re the eyeballs of the people who already know and like your company (and maybe you, too).
Pitch Bloggers
Now that I’ve been blogging for Tech Cocktail for a few months, I have started getting pitched directly by companies, which is not only rather flattering, but very helpful since I am the lead editor and therefore in charge of the editorial schedule. I might not be able to write about the company immediately, but anyone who takes the time to email me gets a little gold star next to their email.
If there are bloggers who cover your industry that you read and admire, go ahead and send them your press release (especially if they have a big readership!).
Include in Your Newsletter or Email Marketing
Though you may be very well connected on social media, don’t forget that we are all really busy, forget things, and don’t visit our social networks every day. On the day you publish your big announcement, we could be on vacation. So, distribute your press release in even more places by including it in your e-newsletter or creating a special email announcement.
Add Keywords
Once your press release is out there, you’ll want even more people to find it via search engines. Make sure your press release is loaded up with relevant keywords that will ensure your news pops up when people, especially prospects, are searching for information online.
Branding
Think about all the big marketing campaigns from big companies you see every day. Let’s take Gap, for instance. Their emails, postcards, print ads, online ads and in-store signage all looks the same. That’s because when it comes to marketing, consistency is extremely important. That consistency is what we call branding.
So, no matter where you distribute your press release, keep the tone of voice, style, and look in perfect sync. You should also make sure it is consistent with your overall online presence, from your website to your blog to your online ads.
Image by Flickr user Grant (Creative Commons)
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