Over the past several years our PR agency has been asked by numerous clients and those looking to hire public relations firms about the relevance and efficacy of press releases. Many know that in the past, press releases were a standard way to share news with the media and releases would often run verbatim. More and more PR professionals are realizing media are far less inclined to use them for anything other than, in some cases, background information. News simply do not generate earned media coverage as they once did.
So, is there any good reason to invest the time and energy writing and distributing news releases in 2024 and in the coming years?
In many cases, yes. This is particularly true for the nonprofit, education, animal health, and general healthcare organizations we represent. It’s just the rationale and outcomes that have changed. Think of press releases as strategic tools that can benefit communications and digital marketing. Here are three ways to strategically utilize press releases and the logic for each.
Online Marketing Benefits
We know that in today’s marketing mix, content reigns. New releases can be search optimized with specific keywords and phrases to bolster organic search optimization or SEO. This can enable you to rank for specific words, issues, subjects, products, or services. and utilize on your website’s blog or news section.
Utilizing a paid wire service, such as PR Web or PRNewswire can help facilitate this. However, it’s imperative that your SEO partner build links to the sites where your news release is posted to ensure that it ranks for your name thus grows your online visibility. If not, it may appear high in search results for a day or two then fall off the charts.
Themed Thought Leadership Topics & Integrating Your Marcom Activities
Content marketing, especially when coupled with integrated marketing, can be a powerful inbound lead generator, advocacy builder, and thought leadership catalyst. We like to see our partners write on monthly themes or topics, which they can strategically work to “own” in the minds of their stakeholders. These articles can be turned into press releases, especially when your organization conducts a survey, has important data to share, or is conducting a speaking engagement on the issue. But notice, this content has much broader reach and value that just what a press release would provide.
For instance, a youth development nonprofit demonstrating its STEM support expertise can write a helpful article on “5 Ways To Get Kids Excited About STEM Careers.” Then, other, coordinated marketing communication (“marcom”) activities that month such as a news release, webinar, speaking engagement, email communique (with tips), an op-ed or bylined article placement, and social media and blog posts can align. This elevates share of voice for the subject and markedly builds thought leadership. This concentrated messaging strategy – and the widespread message delivery outlined – can help your organization rank online for the topic (if SEO activities are also integrated. Rosica calls this our Content Hub model, which we have previously covered.
Press Releases As Newsletters & Email Campaigns
Most of our inboxes are overflowing with e-newsletters, so news releases can bring a fresh format to communicating your news, updates, human interest stories, impact, and partnerships. I don’t know about you, but it’s rare that I receive news releases from organizations. It’s an uncommon and underutilized format, and therefore it’s smart to test the results.
Such releases can also be distributed at tradeshows and conferences to help you stand apart. Along with earned media placements, they can go far to bring a third-party perspective to sharing your news. It does not appear as self-promotional, rather you are servicing industry news to your audience.
Press Releases Go Far Beyond Their Original Intent
PR agency pros primarily use hard-hitting “pitch letters” to garner earned media. They also employ media advisories or alerts to entice media to attend events and build long-standing relationships with reporters, editors, and producers.
Whether you represent a nonprofit, educational institution, ed tech company, animal health, or healthcare organization, you can leverage press releases for these notable benefits.
We believe that incorporating SEO strategies and tactics into press release writing and promotions is essential. Once the release is live, visibility through off-site SEO strategies is a tremendous asset. This includes securing backlinks from reputable websites, blogs, and influencers within your industry.
Press releases are integral in creating and maintaining an “on-brand” online presence. By maintaining a positive perception of your brand, you can proactively manage your reputation online and drive traffic to your sites.
News releases no longer only serve their initial purpose – to communicate information and news to the media in a concise and engaging format. They are a powerful tool if used intentionally in the strategic ways we’ve addressed here.