Notes

PR strategies for business
Question: Why should your business issue a news release? Answer: because you have something to state, you want to say it in public areas and a news release encourages the press to say this for you. And because you wish to show your organization in a favourable light from the outset and begin the longer-term procedure for building awareness and knowledge of your product or service.

There's a lot of research showing that young companies - weighed down by the business of simply running a home based business - pay scant focus on PR, yet that's just what they should be doing from the very start to obtain names and products known. For some businesses, PR isn't about spin or the abstract maintaining of "good relations" with the press and public; it's simply about telling people that you and your products or services are t here and permitting them to know why they should be interested. It's about getting column inches in newspapers and magazines and fulfilling the adage an inch of good editorial will probably be worth a full page of advertising. It's about making your sales easier.

Issuing press releases is a mainstay of basic PR. It's how you start the ball rolling with the press. The good news is, if approached correctly (whether you do it yourself or use an inexpensive professional, this activity need not cost the planet earth).

But do remember that you're presenting your business to the general public. A release that's poorly written, with grammatical or spelling mistakes, or full of jargon, or long-winded and unfocused, can perform you more harm than good. Given the significance of PR, there's something to be said in favour of paying for professional writing skills. PR writers don't just come out good English: they learn how to structure a press release and present facts in a way that appeals to busy journalists and grabs their attention.

Another question is: "When must i issue a press release?" Certainly, issuing releases willy-nilly, at whim, is no good. The time to produce a business announcement is once you have something topical and newsworthy to say (but remember: what you consider topical is probably not of interest to the wider world or to journalists). All releases need a strong 'hook' - quite simply, an angle which will appeal to editors and give your story an excellent potential for gaining coverage.

So, what will be considered newsworthy? For starters, perhaps you're launching a new product or service? Or opening a new branch? Or you're launching a spin-off venture from scratch? Whatever it really is, it must be presented as offering something reasonably new and interesting, not only as a "me too".

Hopefully, your service or product has particular benefits and applications that may appeal to your market segment and generate interest. If whatever you're launching is technically innovative or it's being marketed within an unusual or visible way, you might have the foundation of a release. In cases like this, be sure you don't fill your release with unnecessary jargon or marketing-speak that could alienate journalists, such as for example "the price effective, integrated, seamless, one-stop-shop treatment for meet all of your business needs." Tell people what it is you're actually offering. The aforementioned example is full of hype but what's the merchandise? An accountancy service? read more ? An abattoir?

Other company activities could be newsworthy. Perhaps you have appointed any new members of senior staff who've a reputation in your industry? Won a big contract or client? Become involved in a sponsorship deal? Have you received an accolade or won a business award? If so, the trade press may be interested.

Forthcoming events can offer ideal material for announcements. Are you currently holding any open days, speakers' panels, rallies or debates? Charity events or donations from your own organisation to good causes are worth highlighting, as are initiatives that benefit the wider community. If celebrities or public figures are participating, your newsworthiness will increase. The amount of interest will relate to the stature of one's company and the nature of your event. If a famous chocolate factory held an open day with lots of freebies, it could be of national press interest. If Bloggs the Grocers held a similar event, the local paper will be the main target.

When you're seeking newsworthy stories, don't forget one of your best assets - your personnel. Have any employees been recognised for outstanding achievements? Do they will have unusual hobbies? Have they received any unusual requests or orders from customers that your company has fulfilled? The local press might opt for a quirky human-interest story.

Whatever the reason behind your announcement, remember this rule of thumb: another pizzeria on a high street filled with pizzerias won't gain many column inches, regardless of how good the pizzas. But a pizzeria offering the hottest jalapenos in the united kingdom, singing waiters, Italian cocktails with every meal or three for the price of two (or something!) might just. Sometimes it's even worth coming up with an offer of some sort (particularly in retailing) simply to garner press interest.

Remember to monitor the news headlines for events to hook into. Is it possible to associate your organization with upcoming holidays, public projects, or fads? Statements that may seem controversial, such as for example stating your organisation's stance on a volatile public issue, might gain coverage. Perhaps you have conducted research that gives you statistics you could release?

Finally, if you're targeting different press sectors with exactly the same story, write multiple releases instead of issuing one generic release. An announcement focusing on the metallurgy used to generate your new range of stainless cooking pans would be of interest to the trade press. However, it wouldn't be looked at too thrilling by the approach to life press and women's magazines.

You need to be cautious about what you're announcing and who it's targeted at, rather than using the 'scattergun' approach and sending untargeted releases to whichever journalists you happen to get. Professional PR distributors retain up-to-date lists of all the journalists in each industrial sector and geographical region, and have a great deal of care to target the proper journalists with the right releases. If you are distributing your release yourself, a few hours' homework can pay enormous dividends.

By Press Dispensary http://www.pressdispensary.co.uk Press Dispensary is a professional UK-based press release writing and distribution service that delivers news to the media and other opinion formers quickly and affordably.
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