Vacationing on a whim is fun but taking a little time to prepare can make it a more enjoyable experience. Distributing a press release is similar; you can rush to send out your announcement, or you can take a few minutes to plan ahead to streamline the process and set yourself up for success.
Pick a destination and plan your route
Just like planning your own vacation, when you send your press release on its announcement journey, you need to determine where the release should go to have the maximum impact upon arrival. Here are four questions to ask when determining where to send your release:
- Who is your audience?
- Where are they located?
- What interests them?
- How do they receive news?
Answering these questions will guide you as you determine how to get your news in front of your audience.
- Once you identify the target audience, your announcement should explain how your news benefits them.
- Next, distribute your press release to the Business Wire circuits that feature reporters and influencers who cover news like yours. Write your news so it is easy for them to understand the connection between your news and their readers.
- Finally, remember to speak the same language as your audience. Skip the corporate speak, and if you are pitching internationally, determine if translations are needed. PS: Business Wire can help with this!
Don’t forget the essentials
When packing for a trip, it’s important to remember your wallet, clothes, and toiletries. Similarly, as you prepare your release, be sure to include these essentials:
- Headline: We recommend including your company name in a concise, attention-grabbing headline.
- Dateline city: This is often overlooked but required when distributing with a newswire.
- Announcement text: In addition to conveying the impact of your news, include any relevant links, quotes, or calls to action.
- Contact information: Make it easy for the media to connect with you by including your email and/or phone number.
Pack the things you need for a successful trip
For additional press release success, think about how to make your key messages stand out:
- Did you include your logo? Adding a logo is a fast, easy way to build brand mindshare even if your press release is not opened.
- Did you add imagery? Today’s reporters and consumers expect visuals with news. Adding multimedia is a terrific way to retell your story to visual-first learners.
- Did you format your release? Simple formatting techniques increase the readership of your news releases. We recommend using bullets, bolding, and hyperlinks to increase message comprehensive and inbound traffic.
- Did you include quotes? A great quote often becomes a great news sound bite.
- Do you have stock tickers, social media feeds, hashtags, or cashtags to include? Each of these elements provides press readers, reporters, and financial analysts additional ways to access your company and engage directly with you.
Double-check what you’ve packed
It never hurts to double- or triple-check that you have all you need before leaving on your trip. Similarly, before distributing your press release, it’s a good idea to confirm you’ve included all you intended in your release, and that you have all you need to submit for distribution.
Tip: At Business Wire, we recommend creating a folder on your desktop and adding your final press release draft, logo, multimedia, and any other assets here to ensure you have everything in one place when it’s time to upload.
In addition to the document and logo you’re distributing, we also suggest creating a separate text file with any hashtags, cashtags, social media handles, suggested tweets, or captions that will accompany your news release. This text file is easy for your team to review and will provide you with a seamless submission process.
Let’s go!
Now that you have your destination, essentials, some bonus items, and you’ve made sure it’s all packed, it’s time to hit the road!
The better you’ve prepared your press release submission, the better performance the published press release will have as a landing page on BusinessWire.com as well as downstream on databases and in email inboxes. As nearly every distribution of your press release links to the version on BusinessWire.com, that page should contain as much relevant information to your company and your announcement as possible. It should be considered both a launch site for your announcement but also an entire webpage for the information and company.
Learn more
View sample press releases distributed through Business Wire
9 (free!) Enhancements to Improve Your Business Wire Press Release Reader Experience
Straight From the Newsroom: Watch for These Common Mistakes in Your Press Release
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