Does your business have news to share? Then it might be time to issue a press release. There are several critical ways to make sure your press release benefits your business.

1. IS IT NEWSWORTHY?

First, make sure what you are announcing is actually news. Company news includes an announcement of a new CEO or new product or location. Jane’s 8th anniversary as an employee doesn’t need a press release.

2. WHO IS MY TARGET AUDIENCE? 

Knowing about your target audience means understanding not only your customer but also the people who write about your industry. Is your news suited to local publications or trade publications? Is it regional or national?

3. SHOULD I PUT MY PRESS RELEASE ON A NEWSWIRE?

Evaluate the importance of these factors when determining if your news needs to be distributed through a newswire service:

  1. Visibility – News wire distribution guarantees visibility with the newswire’s partners.
  2. Legitimacy – News wire distribution elevates your brand’s trust factor through association with high-ranking news organizations.
  3. Disclosure – If your business requires investors and customers have access to news about your business and transparency on business changes, a newswire distribution may be a requirement.
  4. History –If you want your news to be accessible and easily found long after your release has been issued, a news wire service ensures your press release has a digital history.
  5. SEO –While press releases no longer have the search engine power they once did, backlinks from the news organization with which you distribute your news gives your website rank a small boost.
  6. Reporting –Do you need to know the reach and total visibility of your press release? How about click-thrus and actions taken on photos and links shared in your release? Most news wire distribution services will provide a report on these factors.

4. WHICH PRESS RELEASE DISTRIBUTION SERVICE SHOULD I USE?

As with most things, you get what you pay for! However, the press release distribution category is competitive, so you have lots of great and affordable options. Before you choose a service, ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Does my news need national or regional distribution?
  2. Does my news need to reach traditional news desks as well as online news services?
  3. How long is my press release? Some services charge for lengthy word count.
  4. Do you have an image or video that accompanies the press release? Make sure your wire service includes image and video distribution options.
  5. Do you want your press release visible on social media?
  6. How much detail do you need in the distribution report?

OUR TOP RECOMMENDATIONS:

Taking into consideration pricing, distribution, content length, reporting, social media, and image inclusion, each one of these news wires excels in different ways. These services are the top five on our list: Newswire, PR Newswire, Business Wire, Global Newswire, and PR web.

Contact us for help with your press distribution and strategy, or if you and your team are interested in our media training workshops customized for your needs.