Traditionally, the press release was a company’s way to deliver a piece of important news to the media. Now, through the changes in the way audiences consume media (think Facebook rather than broadsheets) and the highly accelerated product cycles of many brands, the press release has become the means with which to detonate specific conversations at a specific time in highly targeted audiences (not just journalists).
The Basics
Remember to keep everything in context and be brief –who, what, when, how and why; and make it obvious.
Don’t use jargon, and remember that a press release is a document that lives in the public domain and should be treated as such.
Don’t blindly send releases to a database, target them specifically. There’s nothing worse than receiving irrelevant information.
Considered Communication
Think about what your audiences want and when. It’s important to build a communication calendar that safeguards against saturation but still builds a constant narrative.
Product launches, prizes, mergers, opinion pieces, seasonal storytelling are all great reasons to communicate. But be wary of the time of year as well as the general news commentary to make sure your content will not cause a crisis for the company.