Written by: Mahlet Sintayehu, Public Relations Student
Are press releases still valuable? Are we writing them effectively? These were some of the questions addressed during the CISION virtual workshop held on March 11th. For many PR professionals a press release and wire distribution are a staple tactic, but with new technologies and evolving trends, the importance of SEO key words, multimedia and compact information is key.
The event was hosted and moderated by Michelle Dias, CPRS Toronto’s Vice President. Guest speakers included CISION Canada experts Jeff Vanderby, Director of Global Product Marketing, Michelle Oke, Director of Strategic Accounts, and Duane Bayley, Senior Director of Client Content Services. Each speaker offered their expertise on how to master the art of writing and the distribution of an effective press release. The event went in depth on topics like getting the journalists’ attention, effectively scheduling distribution, using SEO to improve placement, and how/when to use multimedia in content.
The conversation kicked off with Jeff debunking the myth that journalists no longer need or enjoy receiving press releases, using statistics from the CISION 2020 State Of The Media Report. CISION’s annual survey asks journalists about the challenges they face within their industry for that given year.
“The press release isn’t dead; you’re just doing it wrong.” – Jeff Vanderby, Director of Global Product Marketing, CISION
Jeff summarized these findings, including a lack of staff and resourcing, competition between journalists and influencers on social networks, and the ongoing conversation of fake news. He converted these issues into real nuggets of advice for the workshop attendees.
Helpful tips to take into consideration before the writing and pitching process:
- Conduct research on the journalist you’re reaching out to beforehand, ensuring your information is relevant to their target audience (this prevents pitching a story on a topic the journalist doesn’t personally write about)
- Build a relationship with the journalist to understand how they plan their stories, so you know what they want and can write in a way that compliments their writing style
- Using clear and concise quotes help put a face to the story and give the journalist a better understanding of what the potential story may look like
- Multimedia (images, infographics, videos, audio clips, PDFs, etc.) elements are necessary (if multimedia is not included, journalists will be forced to find them on their own, which is a hassle)
Helpful tips to consider when formatting your press release:
- Avoid getting lost in the swarm of pitches sent to journalists by sending your press release a minimum of 1 hour beforehand
- Aim for a minimum of 400 words. This best serves search engines and eliminates the possibility of sending content that isn’t necessary
- Headlines should be engaging, include action verbs to further garner interest, and should NOT be used more than once
- Be sure to be available for contact on the day of press the release, in case the journalist needs to reach out
- Using the F-Shape format helps make writing more digestible for the reader
- Include 1-3 relevant hyperlinks
“One of the things Google hates is duplicative content. Using the same catchy headline over and over again- although you may like it, Google doesn’t.” – Duane Bayley, Senior Director of Client Content Services, CISION
Together, both Duane and Jeff finished off the conversation diving into SEO best practices focused on the discoverability of a press release, tying in the question “what is considered good content?” Using high-quality multimedia helps tell your story more effectively and improves your SEO, which results in higher levels of engagement with your targeted audience.
They reiterated the importance of leveraging wire-worthy content, content not typically thought of in PR but widely used in marketing, in press releases to generate the same amount of earned media coverage those in marketing typically garner. Branching out from traditional press release topics is an excellent way to intrigue journalists and give them content they actually want to write about it. It positions your brand as a thought leader and helps build credibility and trust between you and the customers.
Possible wire-worthy content to include in a press release:
- Statistics of a given industry
- Trends related to your given industry
- Corporate Social Responsibility content
Excellent two-way dialogue between guest speakers and workshop attendees during the workshop’s duration created a collaborative learning environment. It is essential that attendees leave with this as a takeaway: it is now more important than ever for brands to deliver the kinds of timely and relevant information that journalists are looking for while leveraging earned media channels to cut through the noise with content solidifies trust in their brands.
CPRS Toronto plans to continue hosting professional development events, so stay tuned for those.
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For more information on effective press releases, check out these CISION resources below: