We typically think of press releases as being designed purely for informing the mass media, particularly newspapers, about newsworthy topics. New product releases, promotional events and slightly less ordinary occurrences are all great fodder for newspaper editors to fill their pages and as such they were once the way to get your brand into the paper.
A press release is useful for much more than simply annoying journalists
As the Internet has taken over as people’s primary source of news however, are press releases now redundant?
A Press Release Has Wide Reach
A well targeted press release has the potential to go far beyond your local weekly newspaper, either into the national daily press, local and national radio outlets and potentially even the nightly TV news bulletin depending on the ‘newsworthiness’ of the content. National coverage outside newspapers is notoriously hard to obtain, usually because business-related news is regarded as thinly-veiled attempts at free advertising. This does not mean one should not try targeting media outlets which have a national reach, but such attempts should be directed at those who have an inherent interest in your industry.
Obviously national coverage is the holy grail of any release, but most businesses grow from local interest first. The global market may be more accessible than ever, but it is unwise to neglect potential customers in your own backyard. When publishing a press release you must never forget to include the local press – sometimes national papers plunder local stories later on.
A Press Release Lasts Longer Than One Day
News dates quickly. The articles in yesterday’s paper provide a snapshot in time and the contents themselves are out of date come the publication of the next edition. But the Internet has somewhat changed the game.
Submission of press releases to web-based news outlets provides an historical archive of valuable information regarding your company. Admittedly this information is subject to change just like printed news but it still retains an inherent value when it comes to search engine rankings.
How so? Search engines like Google index news websites, usually with a greater frequency than they do a corporate website because the content is updated much more frequently. As the search engine collects the articles it also gathers the information regarding your business, adding it to the database of search results.
Why does this matter? The more content Google or Bing have on your business, the more value they assign to your website. The greater that value, the higher your site ranks when potential customer search for related products and services.
The press release remains a permanent pointer to your website, providing value long after the actual newsworthy content has diminished. As such, the investment of time and effort (or if you have someone write press releases for you, money) continues to pay dividends long after any initial flurry of media interest.
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