Why Press Releases?
In this world of ever changing on-line practises, one activity that you should continue to do on a monthly basis is to write a press release about your company. Now even if you can’t get that press release into the offline world into your local papers or radio, there is every possibility that you will be able to publish it online and produce some cracking back links for your website which will improve your SEO.
However, many businesses think that they have nothing newsworthy to report, that couldn’t be further from the truth and we have put together the main 7 categories that Press Releases fall under, just choose one a month and your half way there, with relevant newsworthy content. So here we go with an image (that you can download as a pdf here) and then bullet points below.
Announcements
Is there something happening that you can make an announcement about? let me give you some ideas
- Announcing personnel change: retirement or new appointments are great
- Announcing a media appearance on radio or TV, you then follow it up with the result of the appearance
- Hosting a seminar or teleseminar
- Appearing at a trade show or Expo
- Receiving a business award
- Partnering with another business or securing a new client
- New certifications achieved by your staff
- Major speaking Engagments
The list could go on, but if there are any announcements then you should be writing a press release.
Company Related
Whats happening within your company, is there something that could be newsworthy, a couple of suggestions for you to ponder
- Has you website been updated / refreshed
- Do you have any new sales collaterol
- Can you make an outrageous claim
- Going green, can you make any steps towards this
Product and Service related PR pieces
Specifically to the products and services you supply, there are multiple press release ideas here
- Price changes
- Product spec changes
- New products or services
- Discontinuing a product or service
- New product collateral
Special Offers and Competitions
From time to time you may find yourself promoting certain products within your business, any promotions or competitions can make great press releases
- Seasonal offers
- Company competitions
- Free delivery offer
- Free limited offers for information
- Free product samples
Industry Related
Industry related news will always be great content to turn into a PR piece, you know what going on in your industry, shout about it!
- Helpful tips related to your industry
- Interesting trends within your industry
- Making predictions for the future
- Provide expert opinion on important subjects
Charity, community and sponsorships
Most companies have some way in which they can contribute to the local community or get involved with a charity, if you are then you need to let the word know the good you are doing. Write a Press Release about it!
- Making a charitable contribution
- Supporting a charity in anyway / time /resources
- Sponsoring an event or team or individual
- Establishing a scholarship program
- Linking with local schools for education / work experience
Celebrations
Reasons to celebrate make forgood press releases as it brings a very human touch so think about
- Has a member of staff had a birthday / birth etc
- Has a member of staff achieved great things personally (marathon etc)
- Has a member of staff achieved great things for your business (exceptional customer service / new qualification)
- Celebrating an important anniversary
- Celebrating and important milestone (sales numbers!)
Most press releases fall into these 7 categories, and as you can read by the list above there are many different ideas that fall into each one. Get into the habit of writing one a month, post it on your blog or news area, circulate it online to the Press Release sites, put it on your Social Media sites, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and you’ll be well on your way to achieving great things!
Of course if you need help in achieving any of this, then you know who to call!!