Using Press Releases to Promote Your Events or Your Brand

Chris Wechner

Director of Marketing

The Ultimate Analyst

I used to be a poor writer!

• Childhood & College

• Career / Work World

• Today in Business

Tonight’s Goals

• Provide Background Knowledge

• Show Different Uses for PRs

• Demo

– Writing a PR

– Submitting a PR

• Give Ideas of when YOU can write a PR

Why I Like Press Releases

• SEO: Good backlinks, esp. for Tier 2 or 3

• Strong Branding SEO – Builds Credibility

• Great Citation Support (Directory Listings)

• Broadcast Events – Some people read these!

• Not many people feel confident about them

• They’re shorter than articles (on average)

First, let’s discuss some basics…

Press Release: What is it?

• A Public Relations Announcement about an– Event

– Performance

– Some Other “Newsworthy” Item

• It is issued to the news media and targeted publications to be distributed to editors and reporters

• A BIASED Publication from the Company or an Individual—Not a Reporter

Press Release: What it is NOT!

• It is NOT an.......Instruction

• It is NOT a……….Product or Service Review

• It is NOT a……….List of Facts

• It is NOT………….Sales Copy

• It is NOT…..……..General Information

• Note: A press release may CONTAIN these things, but these are not the MAIN topics of a Press Release.

Press Releases vs. Articles

• Many writers mix-up articles and press releases.

• Press Releases: Identify an event.

• Articles: Provide Information(may not necessarily be about an event)

Press Releases vs. Articles (Cont’d)

• Articles1. Focus on Facts, Tips, Opinions, etc.

2. Meant for People to read

3. Length: About 500 to 800 Words (rough estimate—not official)

4. Example Headline: “6 Tips to Writing Great Press Releases”

• Press Releases1. Focus on Newsworthy Events

2. Meant for Journalists to read (so that they write an ARTICLE)

3. Length: About 300 to 500 Words (rough estimate—not official)

4. Example Headline: “Author Creates Helpful Guide to Improve Press Release Writing”

What makes something “news?”

• News Elements– Conflict

– Progress and Disaster

– Consequence

– Eminence and Prominence

– Timeliness and Proximity

– Novelty

– Human Interest

– Sex and Romance

Press Release: Example

Press Release: Sections: Example

Headline

Summary

Body:-Dateline-Lead Paragraph-Main Body

Press Release: Sections: Example

Company Boilerplate

Body:-Last Paragraph

Press Release: Sections: Example

Contact Info: PR Person(at the very end)

Press Release: Sections

• Headline: Grab Attention; Briefly Summarize Press Release

• Summary: Provide enough info to entice reader to read more

• Dateline : Release Date and Originating City

• Lead Paragraph: Lists event(s) and generally answers the basic questions of Who, What, When, Where and Why

• Body: Further Explanation/Additional Information

• Company Boilerplate: Short “About" section, providing independent background on the issuing company, organization, or individual

• Contact Info: Contact Info for PR Contact Person

Backlinks: Basics

• Backlinks are links from another location that point to your website.

• Standard Backlink

– Example: http://www.TheUltimateAnalyst.com

• Anchor Text Backlink

– “Clicky” Text that takes you to another website

– Example: Chris Wechner’s blog site is helpful.

Backlinks: Quick Tips

• Use “http://www.” in your linkDon’t just use “www.” otherwise, it might not register as a backlink.– Correct: http://www.TheUltimateAnalyst.com

– Wrong: www.TheUltimateAnalyst.com

• Try to use words within your Anchor Text that relate to the website it is linking.– Example: “I really like yams on Thanksgiving.”

This should NOT go to a mechanic’s website, because it does not relate to neither yams nor Thanksgiving.

Now, let’s discuss some tips for

writing effective press releases…

Writing a Good Press Release:

SEO for Backlinks

• Title

• Summary

• Text Body

– Keywords

– Naked URL Links

– Anchor Text Links

• Pic & PicDescription

Main Goals

1. Provide Relevant Backlinks (related to the subject)

2. Affect Anchor Text Percentage (Dilute or Increase)

Writing a Good Press Release:

Branding SEO

• Title

• Summary

• Text Body

– Keywords

– Naked URL Links

– Anchor Text Links

• Pic & PicDescription

Main Goals

1. Look good to anyone reading the PR

2. Look good on search engine result when people type name or brand

Writing a Good Press Release:

Citation Support

• Title

• Summary

• Description

• Pic – Logo

• Boiler Plate “About Us” with Phone #

Main Goal

1. Mention

a. Brand Name

b. Location (at least the City)

c. Phone Number

Writing a Good Press Release:

Broadcast Events

• Title

• Summary

• Description

– 1st Paragraph

– Middle

– Last Paragraph (KEY)

Main Goals

1. Rank for Relevant Keyword

2. Prompt Readers to take certain action (register, visit, buy)

Demonstration:

Let’s Write a Press Release

Places to Submit (Free)

• PRLog.org

• BuzzFeed.com

• PRUrgent.com

• PR.com

• PR-Inside.com

• iNewsWire.com

• OnlinePRNews.com

Places to Submit (Paid)

• PRWeb

• PRNewsWire

– iReach

• EmailWire

• PRBuzz

• BusinessWire

• MarketWire

Demonstration:

Let’s Submit a Press Release

• Press Releases are overlooked(but not that hard)

• There are plenty of places to submit(even free)

Go Press Releases!

Press Release: Topic Ideas

• Website– Website Launch

– Change to a Website (Website Update/Improvement)

• Company– Owners/Management/Employees

– Customers/Suppliers

– Earnings Report

– Community or Charity Involvement/Contribution

• Industry– Sales Trend

– Big Concern

Topics: More Ideas

• Announcing a new branch/ subdivision of a business

• Announcing a partnership

• Announcing a public appearance

• Celebrating an anniversary

• New laws that affect the business/Industry

• New management

• Obtaining a new, significant customer

• Offering an article series for publishing

• Reaction to new developments, laws, etc.

• Using new technology

Topics: Places to Get Ideas

• Google– Standard Web Search

– News

– Trends

– Blogs

– Timeline

• Company Website– About Us

– News/Press Room

• Industry Journals

Press Release: Topic Ideas

• Website– Website Launch

– Change to a Website (Website Update/Improvement)

• Company– Owners/Management/Employees

– Customers/Suppliers

– Earnings Report

– Community or Charity Involvement/Contribution

• Industry– Sales Trend

– Big Concern

Topics: More Ideas

• Announcing a new branch/ subdivision of a business

• Announcing a partnership

• Announcing a public appearance

• Celebrating an anniversary

• New laws that affect the business/Industry

• New management

• Obtaining a new, significant customer

• Offering an article series for publishing

• Reaction to new developments, laws, etc.

• Using new technology

Topics: Places to Get Ideas

• Google– Standard Web Search

– News

– Trends

– Blogs

– Timeline

• Company Website– About Us

– News/Press Room

• Industry Journals

Review: Tonight’s Goals

• Provide Background Knowledge

• Show Different Uses for PRs

• Demo

– Writing a PR

– Submitting a PR

• Give Ideas of when YOU can write a PR

• What is YOUR objective?

• How can you benefit from press releases?

• What will you write your NEXT PR?

• What’s stopping you?

Final Questions

Using Press Releases to Promote Your Events or Your Brand

Chris Wechner

Director of Marketing

The Ultimate Analyst