Press releases are one way to get your company in the news.
When news-hungry editors report directly from your release, or
create their own report and just mention your company or service,
the publicity value is immeasureable. The big guys send out
release after release in an effort to gain free publicity.
But don't toss a good press release once it's distributed! There
are other ways to get continued coverage from that one piece of
writing.
USE IT IN YOUR SALES COMMUNICATION
Whether this includes a sales kit, a welcome packet for new
members, or a direct mail campaign, including a nicely printed
copy of one or more press releases will be both useful and
impressive. Why not dash off a copy of it, with your handwritten
"hello, thought you'd like to hear the news" to old leads?
Did you have a fabulous quarter? Have you expanded to include a
new product or service? Are you ahead of a trend? A press release
like this informs and also hints at professionalism. (And when
you DO get that call from a harried reporter wanting information
about your company, you'll have it ready.)
A recent client asked if he could add the press release I had
written for him to his direct mail campaign. A sales letter was
ready to go to a 70,000 potential new customers. Did I think it
was a good idea? Yes!
In this case the client's business "story", from humble
beginnings to 15 years later, had been intermingled into the
press release. We expected a good chance of having the release
picked up on, since his newest service for finance and credit
managers was newsworthy (solutions offered in a shaky economy)
and groundbreaking (daily credit updates posted to the Internet
on businesses experiencing economic stress). Certainly the
release could add strength to the sales letter! He firmly decided
to include it, in the exact form it had
been sent out to the media.
POST IT ON YOUR WEBSITE
Press releases can be an important element to websites. Who
doesn't benefit by being able to click right to current
information, important announcements, and news about your
company? A progression of releases being made available offers a
real history of the business.
Have you extended the life of your press release in other ways?
Let me know at http://InternetWriters.com.
About the Author
Lisa Lake shares her ability to communicate through
good writing with anyone who wants to learn. See her free tips
at http://MyAdBlaster.com and catch advice from the staff
at http://InternetWriters.com Quick turnaround on writing
from classified ads to ezines and ebooks. Reach Lisa at
lisa@drnunley.com or 801-328-9006.