Press releases and other content distributed by PR Newswire reach audiences via news media, search engines, social networks and a huge global content syndication network.
Content marketing is one of the newest communications disciplines. Press releases, on the other hand, are a decades-old tactic. On a webinar held yesterday with the Content Marketing Institute, participants learned how to breathe fresh life into their press releases using content marketing tactics — and how the content the PR department creates can fit into (and even drive) a larger content marketing plan.
The webinar was moderated by Joe Pulizzi (@juntajoe), founder of the Content Marketing Institute, and he was joined by:
When it comes to content marketing and maximizing earned media, the value of the press release is growing ever stronger. Providing an influential and engaging outlet to market one’s brand across multiple channels – as well as increase search visibility of one’s content, press releases are becoming an integral part of the marketing mix.
Michael kicked off the discussion, noting the importance of search engines and social media in the amplification of a message. Ensuring releases are written with search engines in mind, while also including elements that are easy for social networkers to share, are two cornerstones of developing an effective press release. A third key to success, he noted, is the inclusion of multimedia content, which drives overall online visibility and engagement with the message.
The discussion on tactics was followed by a framework offered by Bob, with an additional emphasis on measurement. Bob encouraged listeners to “measure everything they can measure”. As he sees it, a business outcome is a measurable activity that has a quantifiable return, and he believes that delivering relevant, consistent, and optimal content will drive successful outcomes. At Ektron, Bob’s team uses a five step framework for their marketing communications, centered around: content, context, experience, optimization, and business outcome. In other words, if the content an organization creates in taken in the proper context by an audience, they will be inspired to experience an action.
In developing Ektron’s approach, Bob has found that the use of news releases throughout the communications process leads to improved results. When Ektron first decided to use a news release in promoting an upcoming webinar, they saw an immediate 3% lift in registration, which continued with subsequent events. Additionally, Ektron also noted a 30% increase in performance of one of their landing pages when they placed the content directly from a previous news release onto the page rather than writing a normal brief for the same purpose. Bob emphasized how important it was to measure the success of the use of these releases.
For access to the full discussion, please follow this link to the webinar archive: Press Releases: The Content Marketer’s Not-So-Hidden Treasure
Posted in Content PR & Marketing, Tools & Tactics
Tagged content marketing, pr, press release
In today’s world of blogs, social networks, digital media and connected audiences, it can sometimes be tough to decide which communications vehicle is appropriate for a particular announcement. In this article, we’ll consider different ways to distribute messages, and when each is appropriate.
Social media
As always, we advocate adhering to the 80/20 rule – in this case, 80% of your brand’s social posts should be about others – e.g. interactions with audience members, or curation of interesting things from third parties – and 20% (or even less) should be about your brand. So, within this structure, when is it a good idea to “break” a story on Twitter or other social channels?
Blog post
Blogs are a less formal means of communication, but are nonetheless a great way to convey a message and engage your audience, and there are some instances when a blog post is the perfect mechanism for a specific message, including:
Press release
Press releases have long been (and continue to be) viewed as authoritative statements that are part of the permanent public record. While they were once reserved solely for hard news, today, press releases are used for many other types of communications, including issuing statements, sharing survey or study results, offering timely tips or advice (e.g. recipes, how-to’s, etc.) and advocacy. That said, many of these stories make great fodder for a blog or company newsletter. So when should you consider using a well written press release (and a newswire service, of course) for the message?
They’re not mutually exclusive
It’s important to note that social channels, blog posts and press releases are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they can work together to send a strong signal to search engines, to help improve web site rank. You can also use different channels together to tell a complete story. A press release about a new product, for example, would be wonderfully supported by a blog post featuring a video interview with the product manager. Social channels could be used to amplify both messages. In fact, it’s a good idea to think about “the other side of the story” when issuing press releases – background information on key players or product details are interesting to key audiences and are a great way to extend the message.
We’re thinking a lot about press releases this week – and a lot differently about them as well. On Friday, I’ll be discussing press releases – and the tactics you need to employ to make them work in today’s digital environment – on the Bulldog Reporter’s PR University webinar titled, “Power-Packed Press Releases for the Digital Age: New Techniques for Increased Pick Up and a Longer Tail,” along with Katie Hasse , global PR manager for Steelcase, and Jon Greer, training director at PR University. I hope you can join the conversation!
Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire’s vice president of social media, and is the author of the free ebook Unlocking Social Media for PR.
Organizations offering aid to the victims of the fires in Colorado can distribute their messages through PR Newswire in the U.S. at no charge
Hundreds of homes have burned this week in Colorado, and many more remain at risk as wildfires continue to rage out of control. We are heartsick for those who’ve lost their homes (and in some cases, livelihoods). As is our practice during major disasters, PR Newswire is waiving fees for all news releases from organizations offering aid to victims and those assisting in rescue and relief efforts surrounding the fires tearing through Colorado.
“With the reports of more than 300 homes destroyed by the Waldo Canyon fire and more than 30,000 people evacuating Colorado Springs alone, there’s a great deal of information that needs to be communicated to the residents of Colorado Springs, its surrounding areas, and the broader country,” said Scott Mozarsky, chief commercial officer, PR Newswire. “We want to make sure that the organizations that can offer assistance have a quick and easy way of getting their messages out.”
If you have a release that you’d like to distribute relating to the Colorado fires and you are a PR Newswire member, you can upload it via the Online Member Center (https://portal.prnewswire.com/Login.aspx) or email it to lahubs@prnewswire.com. All non members can also email releases to lahubs@prnewswire.com. Please include “Colorado Fires” in special instructions or the subject line of the release.
To view news releases issued by PR Newswire members offering aid, please see News About Colorado Fires on PR Newswire’s website (http://latest.prnewswire.com/page/colorado-wildfires)
To our friends, families, colleagues and clients in Colorado, you are in our thoughts this week, and we hope you and yours remain safe and sound.
A snapshot of headlines from last night, on the hot topic of immigration. The focus is rapidly shifting to healthcare today as we await tomorrow’s expected Supreme Court ruling.
The big story in the news this week (so far) has been the Supreme Court’s ruling on immigration. It was the lead story on every news outlet in the country all day yesterday, with journalists analyzing and pontificating about the impact of the ruling, and looking for new angles, content, sources and perspective to provide context and opinion to their reporting.
Today’s papers, newscasts and web sites are all leading with speculation about tomorrow’s anticipated Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of healthcare. Expect Friday’s news hole to be fully occupied with the fallout.
Undoubtedly, if you’re reading this blog, you’re aware of these news trends, because chances are pretty good that you keep your thumb on the pulse of the news. But are you taking full advantage of the news and attention opportunities the US legislative process affords brands and organizations?
Bills and issues are debated daily when the Hill is in session, shaping news coverage nation- (and even world-) wide. If your organization has an opinion relating to pending legislation or court rulings, then you have an opportunity to garner some attention and coverage the point of view your organization supports. How can you do this?
A quick look at the wire last night showed that once again, PR Newswire clients are right in the thick of the story, issuing a broad array of press releases, statements, expert commentary and background information about the impending SCOTUS (that would be DC-speak for the “Supreme Court of the United States”) ruling, giving the news media, bloggers, government officials and social media pundits a wealth of fantastic quality content and access to experts to help them shape their stories. Take a look >http://www.prnewswire.com/search-results/news/%22supreme+court%22-7-days-page-1
If you’d like to learn more about how to take advantage of these opportunities, take a look at PR Newswire’s publicity services for public interest news.
Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire’s vice president of social media, and is the author of the free ebook Unlocking Social Media for PR.
The dealine for submitting your content for The Crowd-Sourced eBook: The Definitive Guide to Social Influencer Engagement is June 29! You are invited to contribute.
Posted in Tools & Tactics
Tagged newsjacking, pr, press release, public affairs, public relations
A look at the new “Pin It” button appearing on press releases hosted on PR Newswire’s web site.
As Pinterest has grown into the third largest social media platform, its over 10 million members have been making a huge impact.
Pinterest referral traffic has surpassed Google Plus, Linked In and YouTube traffic combined, and as we reported here earlier, brands are seeing an increase in revenue generated by pinned content. (See “Selling in Social” for details.)
Not surprisingly, PRNewswire.com has seen an increase in Pinterest traffic since January 2012, and PR Newswire content has been widely pinned, liked, and repinned. Our clients distribute some fantastic visuals with their press releases (gorgeous photos, infographics, and interesting products), so to make it easier to share them on Pinterest, we’ve added the “Pin It” button to news release pages with images. Yet another reason why adding a visual to your release can increase engagement!
The summary of press release results, from WolfCom.
PR Newswire is a good-sized company, and there’s a lot more to us than the teams of account managers and content specialists, with whom our customers are in frequent contact.
Behind the scenes, we have teams devoted to building the audience for the press releases you issue via PR Newswire. Our media relations and audience development teams recruit journalists and bloggers for the PR Newswire for Journalists media site, which serves tens of thousands of media professionals worldwide. Our syndication team adds new web sites to the global network of web sites that source news from PR Newswire. Our online teams curate and share content on Twitter, building the social audience for news. And our web team is constantly fine tuning the performance and visibility of our web site.
Their work delivers the results you see when you use PR Newswire. The media views, the online views and the search engine referrals your press releases receive are the direct results of the work one by these folks, who operate behind the scenes, and, let’s face it, are somewhat unsung.
Simply put, we work hard at making the wire really work.
Every now and then, a customer will take the time out to do a comparison between PRN and a competitor, and they’ll publish the results. We were very gratified when we saw a blog post titled “Wire Service Showdown: PRWeb vs. PR Newswire” on WolfCom’s blog today.
They compared PR Newswire and PR Web in a head-to-head match-up, using identical press releases.
“PR Newswire clearly won the matchup, both in terms of overall performance and in terms of performance per dollar spent. The regional distribution option actually got national coverage and still ended up beating out PRWeb’s national distribution. Most importantly, PR Newswire beat PRWeb in the Google search results, showing that it is superior for meeting SEO objectives,” they noted in the blog post today.
We’re very glad for WolfCom’s business, and are grateful for taking the time out to share the results of their experiment. As I mentioned, a lot of work goes into the care and feeding of our distribution network, and seeing this post from WolfCom sure made a lot of people smile.
Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire’s vice president of social media, and is the author of the free ebook Unlocking Social Media for PR.
We’ve just announced The Crowd-Sourced eBook: The Definitive Guide to Social Influencer Engagement and invite you to contribute.
PR Newswire’s CEO Ninan Chacko recently did an interview with Marketing Sherpa’s Daniel Burstein, on the subject of content marketing in the context of the recent Benchmark Report: 2012 Search Marketing Report – SEO Edition.
In the discussion, Ninan noted the shift in tactics driven by the move from brand centric communications to a conversation, which requires the creation and curation of content. The growing democratization of journalism, Ninan noted, also delivers more opportunity for brands to publish content.
Maintaining the cadence of quality content is key challenge for brands in this environment. Ninan and Daniel discussed at length the different types of content organization own, and how they fuel their content marketing efforts with that information.
The two zeroed in on what many might consider “run of the mill” announcements, such as new products, and the traditional means of issuing that news – the press release.
Ninan encouraged listeners to think of the press release as a container for a variety of assets that can inform and engage the audience, and even put readers on the path to conversion.
The press release is, in fact, he noted, a content hub, containing not just text but links and multimedia content. The price point and press releases as a vehicle to amplify the message makes them an effective means of “showing up,” online.
The entire interview is under 10 minutes, and is great viewing for anyone who wants to wring more results from their PR and content marketing efforts.
When Hurd reviews vehicles for Speed:Sport:Life, he occasionally gets to drive them on local tracks to get a better feel for their performance. Here, he’s driving a 2011 Lexus IS F at Summit Point Motorsports Park’s Shenandoah Circuit. Photo credit: Chase Adams
(This year, we’re highlighting some of the folks who keep PR Newswire operating smoothly. Meet Byron Hurd, a senior customer content specialist at PR Newswire, with a serious penchant for speed.)
Most people prefer driving either a stick-shift or an automatic. PR Newswire’s Byron Hurd doesn’t much care. It just has to drive well.
Hurd, a senior customer content specialist at PR Newswire, is a bit of a car addict. The obsession began innocently enough – Matchbox and Hot Wheels and by his teens, he toted the occasional car mag on long road trips to visit family in Texas. Today, he owns four cars — a 2008 Mazda Speed 3, 1997 Jeep Wrangler, and two Mazda Miatas (1990 and 1994 – one is a parts car and doesn’t run). They all neatly fit into his driveway in Annapolis, Md.
In addition to driving cars on closed race courses, Hurd also participates in auto-cross events. Auto-crosses are held in parking lots on courses delineated by parking cones, and drivers try to beat times set by others in vehicles of similar performance. It’s not just for fun; auto-cross teaches drivers a lot about emergency vehicle control and allows them to explore the limits of their cars in a safe and fun, competitive environment.
Hurd also blogs for Speed:Sport:Life. And he occasionally spends weekends racing cars at the track.
“Driving for the first time on a racetrack is pretty intense,” said Hurd, 27. “But it’s the best rollercoaster ride you could ever take.”
Hurd got his blogging start with Speed:Sport:Life through a connection he made as a member of an online Volkswagen enthusiast group. The guy also happened to blog and was a racing driver. They went out to the Virginia International Raceway. The rest is history – Hurd was invited to write for the blog.
When he’s not driving cars provided by manufacturers, Hurd tracks his personal vehicles. Here, he drives his 2008 Mazda Speed3 at Mid-Ohio Raceway, one of the nation’s premiere sports car and open-wheel racing venues. Photo credit: Dave Everest
That was a few years ago.
Hurd’s favorite thing about writing for Speed:Sport:Life is the ability to experience many different cars. “They give me a car for a week and sometimes I get to commute in them and take them on racetracks. You can’t get that from a test drive,” Hurd said. “We’re just a few friends who like to write about cars. Something will occur to me about a car I drove recently, and I’ll sit down and write.”
Hurd has been on a racetrack dozens of times. It’s usually an all-weekend situation, and he meets up with others from racing organizations and clubs. The groups usually are broken down according to beginners and advanced driving groups. (Beginners, for example, must drive with instructors and are only permitted to pass drivers in certain areas.)
Hurd’s longtime girlfriend Nicole – who also comes from a car family – is very understanding about his passion. “Her one rule is that we can’t have more than one car that doesn’t run so we don’t get overwhelmed,” Hurd said. “I don’t think I could get by with owning one car. The monotony would drive me crazy.”
Hurd’s next track weekend is this month in Summit Point, WVa.
There, he plans to drive a new Porsche 911. He also anticipates more track weekends in his future because the season for car racing is heating up in the Mid-Atlantic. (Most car clubs will get together between now and October.)
“Driving” press release distribution
When Hurd isn’t living and breathing his vehicular hobby, he splits his work day within the DC office of PR Newswire doing a variety of things. He spends half of his day proofing press release copy, reading and checking for typos. Hurd then puts the release into the system and spends the rest of the day talking with PR Newswire clients, confirming press releases, troubleshooting, and assisting with customer service.
He also curates the @PRNauto presence on Twitter for PR Newswire, sharing auto and motorsports news and press releases from around the web.
Christine Cube is a media relations manager for PR Newswire and freelance writer. You can follow her @cpcube.
Last week I penned and article for Ragan’s PR Daily titled “The 5 Mistakes Press Release Writers Make” and followed that up with a more detailed post here titled, “The 6 Mistakes That Can Sink Press Release Visibility.” I shared these on several PR discussion groups and solicited additional feedback from my fellow members, asking what other press release tips they would offer.
Newsworthiness
Newsworthiness was a prevalent theme, and was in fact echoed in a video interview by Steve Farnsworth (@steveology on Twitter) in which he asked EE Times editor in chief Junko Yoshida for her opinion on press releases (see the video at the top of this post.)
F. John Sbrana, Communications Coordinator at Vineland Public Schools near Philadelphia noted, “ I try to write short, interesting news stories and not “press releases”.
Tonya Hayes, a Bay Area PR pro, said “ I say “no” to some press releases. That means having the energy to say “no” to a CEO. If there is no news, it’s better to put the brakes on than to tick off the media. Or worse, have them ignore your next one. “
Images
Tracey Paleo, blogger and editor at Gia On The Move, noted in a comment on the Ragan story the importance visuals play when she’s evaluating a story. “When receiving press releases I almost 100% will follow up with a pr rep or whoever is sending when photos are included. Online readers are visual. So am I. Especially when talking about non-corporate content, i.e. arts & culture, events etc. It’s essential. Often what I see also are embedded links to internal host sites/pages (other than press release sites) where photos or video can be downloaded with a password. It’s a great alternative to getting caught in a spam blocker and completely helpful.”
Kim Stevens, publisher of State Aviation Journal and Arizona Aviation Journal concurred. “I believe in running photos with every article or brief we use in our aviation journals. I’m amazed at how many releases we get that don’t include any photos or even company logos – and this from major companies or organizations. Fortunately, we’ve built up quite a library, but it is frustrating to send an email asking if a photo is available. Although not my first choice, I find myself hitting delete more often rather than going photo-less or holding a story while we wait, and wait, and wait even longer for a photo.”
Michael Crabtree agreed. “ Always try to include images. From a recent survey, access to high res images was highly valued with 87% (of journalists) saying that’s (very) important.
http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/site09/archives/2011JournalistSurvey.html
Formatting basics:
In an interesting twist, many of the participants in the discussion highlighted issues that could be best described under the header of “Press Releases 101.” The PR Newswire Content Services team would agree – though the end of the first quarter 2012, they found (and fixed) 27,414 client mistakes in press releases. In particular, numerous people noted that spelling is a prevalent problem.
Gwen Watkins, the Botswana-based director at entreprenuers for Africa Ltd. was adamant, saying, “ Learn to spell! I sub 10-15 press releases every night for an online marketing magazine and am horrified at the careless spelling. The cardinal sin – misspelling your own client’s name, or company name, followed by misspelling an internationally recognized name or brand. It’s not as if Microsoft doesn’t help – more than half the mistakes are picked up for me by its Word spell check.”
Brevity was also a recurring theme. From a user (and search engine) standpoint, a 400 word release is more effective than an 1800 word tome.
Yassir Islam, a Washington DC-based communications professional talked about how to combine brevity but still offer detail to those who need it, “I like to keep press releases to one page, if I can. You can always add links to fact sheets for those who want to dig deeper.”
Tactics for keeping the key messages of the press release front and center were also discussed, and to the points I made about developing focused messaging in both articles, I think that these tips are particularly important.
Caryn Starr, NYC-based owner of StarrGates Business Communications, noted that having a boilerplate about the company to keep too much ancillary information from creeping into the release. That’s an excellent point, and segues nicely into some advice about the lede (or “lead” as some prefer.) Staci Harvatin, interactive communications & media melations coordinator at Saint Louis University Hospital, said, “One of my favorite press release tips is “don’t bury the lede.” Part of this falls under the “don’t lose focus “point, but I think it is important enough to restate. Also, I still write down my top three key messages before writing the release. I know many people do this in their head, but I like checking them off as I go along.”
When combined with the tips offered earlier that were really geared toward driving social interaction and online visibility, I think that these suggestions will really help communicators produce more effective content. Do you have a favorite tip that we missed? If so, share it below!
Author Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire’s vice president of social media, and is the author of the free ebook Unlocking Social Media for PR.
Posted in Digital Content
Tagged multimedia press release, press release, press release writing, public relations, SEO
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