My PRgative

In my career, I’ve probably written more than 1,000 press releases. Some were just FYI awareness updates for journalists and/or other relevant stakeholders such as elected officials or community leaders. Most, however, have been structured as calls-to-action for journalists to request interviews or for media organizations to assign reporters to cover an event such as a groundbreaking ceremony, grand opening celebration or some milestone achievement.

To measure the effectiveness of press releases, it’s important to first be clear about your intended outcome. If you want publicity on a bunch of websites, then distributing a press release through a wire service is a great way to go. News wires have syndication services that can get your news posted on several websites.

If, however, you’re aiming for a flood of calls from reporters requesting interviews that generate major metropolitan newspaper headlines and stories on local TV’s 6 o’clock news, then you’re best bet is to do your homework. Find out who covers business, technology, arts or whatever topic that relates to your idea, then pick up the phone and talk to him or her about it. As you end the call, ask for an email address so you can send a well-crafted, brief summary of your pitch. This approach can be far more effective in getting a journalist’s attention.

If you’re out for search engine optimization (SEO), press releases can help improve your rankings, drive traffic to your website and provide more inbound links. The more sites that link to yours, the more valuable search engines consider your content. By far, blogging is what’s going to drive website traffic — especially if you combine it with other SEO strategies.

I believe the most effective, relationship-building strategy for generating publicity over the long-term is just to make it easy for journalists to do their jobs and find you and your products or services. The more relevant information you provide on your website, the better your chances of attracting reporter interest and requests for interviews.

Finally, understand that press releases require preparation. They should be written in a concise, high-quality manner that will entice journalists to read them. Most importantly, they should contain legitimate news. And keep in mind the tie-ins with your online content and SEO.

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