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PR strategies for business

 Question: Why should your business issue a news release? Answer: because you have something to say, you wish to say it in public and a news release encourages the press to say this for you personally. And because you need to show your business in a favourable light from the outset and begin the longer-term process of building awareness and understanding of your service or product. There's a lot of research showing that young companies - weighed down by the business enterprise of simply running a new business - pay scant attention to PR, yet that's exactly what they should be doing from the start to get their names and products known. For some businesses, PR isn't about spin or the abstract maintaining of good relations with the press and public; it's simply about telling people that you and your services or products are there and letting them know why they must be interested. It's about getting column inches in newspapers and magazines and fulfilling the adage an inch of good editorial will probably be worth a page of advertising. It's about making your sales easier. Issuing press releases is really a mainstay of basic PR. It's the method that you start the ball rolling with the press. The good news is, if approached correctly (whether you do it yourself or use an affordable professional, this activity need not cost the earth). But do remember that you're presenting your organization to the public. A release that's poorly written, with grammatical or spelling mistakes, or full of jargon, or long-winded and unfocused, can perform you more harm than good. Given the significance of PR, there's something to be said in favour of paying for professional writing skills. PR writers don't just come out good English: they understand how to structure a press release and present facts in a way that attracts busy journalists and grabs their attention. The next question is: When must i issue a press release? Certainly, issuing releases willy-nilly, at whim, is not any good. The time to make a business announcement is when you have something topical and newsworthy to state (but remember: everything you consider topical may not be of interest to the wider world or even to journalists). All releases require a strong 'hook' - in other words, an angle that will appeal to editors and present your story an excellent chance of gaining coverage. So, what would be considered newsworthy? For starters, perhaps you're launching a new service or product? Or opening a new branch? Or you're launching a spin-off venture from scratch? Whatever it really is, it should be presented as offering something reasonably new and interesting, not just as a me too. Hopefully, your product or service has particular benefits and applications that will interest your market segment and generate interest. If whatever you're launching is technically innovative or it's being marketed within an unusual or high profile way, you could have the foundation of a release. In singh saab da dhaba , ensure you don't fill your release with unnecessary jargon or marketing-speak which could alienate journalists, such as the price effective, integrated, seamless, one-stop-shop treatment for meet all of your business needs. Tell people what it really is you're actually offering. The aforementioned example is filled with hype but what's the merchandise? An accountancy service? A stationers? An abattoir? Other company activities could be newsworthy. Have you appointed any new members of senior staff who have a reputation in your industry? Won a big contract or client? Become involved in a sponsorship deal? Have you received an accolade or won an industry award? If that's the case, the trade press might be interested. Forthcoming events can offer ideal material for announcements. Are you currently holding any open days, speakers' panels, rallies or debates? Charity events or donations from your own organisation to good causes are worth highlighting, as are initiatives that benefit the wider community. If celebrities or public figures are participating, your newsworthiness will increase. The level of interest will relate to the stature of one's company and the type of your event. In case a famous chocolate factory held an open day with lots of freebies, it might be of national press interest. If Bloggs the Grocers held an identical event, the neighborhood paper will be the main target. When you're seeking newsworthy stories, don't forget one of your very best assets - your personnel. Have any employees been recognised for outstanding achievements? Do they have unusual hobbies? Have they received any unusual requests or orders from customers your company has fulfilled? The neighborhood press might decide on a quirky human-interest story. Whatever the reason behind your announcement, remember this rule of thumb: just one more pizzeria on a high street full of pizzerias will not gain many column inches, no matter how good the pizzas. But a pizzeria offering the hottest jalapenos in the united kingdom, singing waiters, Italian cocktails with every meal or three for the price of two (or something!) might just. Sometimes it's even worth coming up with an offer of some kind (particularly in retailing) simply to garner press interest. Remember to monitor the news for events to hook into. Can you associate your company with upcoming holidays, public projects, or fads? Statements that may seem controversial, such as stating your organisation's stance on a volatile public issue, might gain coverage. Have you conducted research that gives you statistics you can release? Finally, if you're targeting different press sectors with exactly the same story, write multiple releases instead of issuing one generic release. An announcement focusing on the metallurgy used to generate your new range of stainless steel cooking pans will be of interest to the trade press. However, it wouldn't be looked at too thrilling by the approach to life press and women's magazines. You need to think carefully about what you're announcing and who it's aimed at, rather than utilizing the 'scattergun' approach and sending untargeted releases to whichever journalists you happen to get. Professional PR distributors retain up-to-date lists of all the journalists in each industrial sector and geographical region, and take a great deal of care to target the proper journalists with the proper releases. If you are distributing your release yourself, a few hours' homework pays enormous dividends. By Press Dispensary http://www.pressdispensary.co.uk Press Dispensary is a professional UK-based news release writing and distribution service that delivers news to the media and other opinion formers quickly and affordably.

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