Having trouble getting your press release in the newspapers and magazines? Then your next inclination might be to take it online. You know there exists the possibility of thousands, even millions of eyeballs will see your press release there. It’s just whether or not you can get these eyeballs to click on your story.
And that’s the trouble – literally anyone can put up a press release on the web. Just throw it up on your blog or maybe get a local newspaper to put it up and there it is for everyone to see. But how many people are actually seeing it? Just because it’s on the net doesn’t mean anyone’s actually clicking.
In fact, unless you take steps to correct it, your press release could end up totally ignored. This is because there is just so much stuff to see online that your release could easily end up dying in total obscurity. Here’s how to prevent that.
Remember Your New Audience
The audience for your press release in a local newspaper won’t necessarily be the same audience online. There’s a much broader spectrum of people on the web looking for interesting material. If you treat both parties the same you might be in for some trouble.
So you might want to consider rewriting the press release before you put it online. For example, let’s say the press release is about your new product line of Halloween decorations. The original press release was about the local Halloween event where your company was going to show them off for the first time.
This wouldn’t necessarily work for the online press release because someone reading it 1000 miles away wouldn’t be able to make the event. Instead, you might want to redo the release to make the products the focus rather than the event.
Avenues to Success
Before you send the press release off to the digital version of your local newspaper in order to “just get it out there,” take a minute to think if this is the best route. Is there a better place to send your press release or should even put it up on your own blog instead?
One reason to consider your own blog is control – when you send the press release off to a digital publication you have no idea how they’ll treat it. They could stick it up and not promote it at all or even add an inappropriate image, hurting your brand.
When you post it on your own blog, you have control over its success. You decide how it looks and can edit on the fly when something changes. You find great images and add links when necessary. This means you have more control over how popular or obscure your press release ends up.
However, if there is a local or national newspaper you want to send it to, be sure to check their policies. Some expect or require an exclusive – i.e. that a story not be printed anywhere else on the web – and they WILL check. Be sure this isn’t the case so you don’t mess up your chances by posting the release on your own blog.
Have you ever had an amazing press release go totally unnoticed for no reason?