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PR tips for business

 Question: Why when your business issue a press release? Answer: because you have something to state, you would like to say it in public and a press release encourages the press to say it for you. And because you intend to show your business in a favourable light from the outset and commence the longer-term process of building awareness and understanding of your service or product. There's a lot of research to show that young companies - weighed down by the business of simply running a new business - pay scant attention to PR, yet that's exactly what they must be doing from the start to obtain 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 individuals who you and your products or services are there and permitting them to know why they should be interested. It's about getting column inches in newspapers and magazines and fulfilling the adage an inch of good editorial is worth a page of advertising. It's about making your sales easier. Issuing press releases is really a mainstay of basic PR. It's how you start the ball rolling with the press. The good thing is, if approached in the right way (whether you do-it-yourself or use an affordable professional, this activity do not need to cost the planet earth). But do remember that you're presenting your business to the public. A release that's poorly written, with grammatical or spelling mistakes, or filled with jargon, or long-winded and unfocused, can do you more harm than good. Given the significance of PR, there's something to be said towards spending money on professional writing skills. PR writers don't just turn out good English: they know how to structure a press release and present facts in a way that attracts busy journalists and grabs their attention. Another question is: When must i issue a press release? Certainly, issuing releases willy-nilly, at whim, is not any good. The time to produce a business announcement is once you have something topical and newsworthy to say (but remember: what you consider topical might not be of interest to the wider world or to journalists). All releases need a strong 'hook' - put simply, an angle which will appeal to editors and give your story a good potential for gaining coverage. So, what will be considered newsworthy? To begin with, perhaps you're launching a new product or service? Or opening a new branch? Or you're launching a spin-off venture from scratch? Whatever it really is, it must 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 visible way, you might have the foundation of a release. In Additional info , make sure 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 solution to meet all of your business needs. Tell people what it really is you're actually offering. The above example is filled with hype but what's the merchandise? An accountancy service? read more ? An abattoir? Other company activities could possibly be newsworthy. Perhaps you have appointed any new members of senior staff who've a reputation in your industry? Won a big contract or client? Get involved in a sponsorship deal? Have you received an accolade or won a business award? If that's the case, the trade press may be interested. Forthcoming events can offer ideal material for announcements. Are you 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 increase. The amount of interest will relate with the stature of one's company and the nature of your event. In case a famous chocolate factory held an open day with lots of freebies, it would be of national press interest. If Bloggs the Grocers held an identical event, the local paper would be the main target. When you're seeking newsworthy stories, remember one of your best assets - your personnel. Have any employees been recognised for outstanding achievements? Do they will have unusual hobbies? Have they received any unusual requests or orders from customers that your company has fulfilled? The local press might opt for a quirky human-interest story. Whatever the reason behind your announcement, remember this rule of thumb: just one more pizzeria on a higher street full of pizzerias won't gain many column inches, regardless of how good the pizzas. But a pizzeria offering the latest jalapenos in the UK, singing waiters, Italian cocktails with every meal or three for the price of two (or something!) just might. Sometimes it's even worth discovering an offer of some sort (particularly in retailing) simply to garner press interest. Remember to monitor the news for events to hook into. Can you associate your organization with upcoming holidays, public projects, or fads? Statements that might seem controversial, such as for example stating your organisation's stance on a volatile public issue, might gain coverage. Have you conducted research that provides you statistics you could release? Finally, if you are targeting different press sectors with exactly the same story, write multiple releases instead of issuing one generic release. An announcement concentrating on the metallurgy used to generate your new selection of stainless cooking pans will be of interest to the trade press. However, it wouldn't be looked at too thrilling by the lifestyle press and women's magazines. You need to be cautious in what you're announcing and who it's aimed at, rather than using 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, several hours' homework pays enormous dividends. By Press Dispensary http://www.pressdispensary.co.uk Press Dispensary is a professional UK-based press release writing and distribution service that delivers news to the media and other opinion formers quickly and affordably.

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