The Value of News Releases for Small Businesses
The goal of a press release is to attract favorable media attention about an organization’s products or services by providing reporters with the information they need to begin developing news or feature reports. Press releases may announce new products and services, sales data or other financial revenue, special events, business milestones, acquisitions or mergers, or the hiring or promotion of key employees. When written and distributed properly, press releases are a powerful marketing tool that can be valuable for all types of small businesses.
What can well-written press releases do for your business?
- Boost your business’ profile and credibility. If you consistently write and release relevant press releases, media outlets, local organizations and prospective customers will become familiar with your business and what it offers.
- Be one of your least expensive, but most effective publicity tools. Press releases generally cost nothing except the time needed to craft them and the fee sometimes paid to professional services to distribute them.
- Build your business’ online presence. If you have a well-written news release that includes phrases (or key words) important in your industry that your distribute online, news sites and search engines are likely to pick it up, increasing your business’ visibility dramatically.
- Provide effective ways to communicate directly with current and prospective clients. Although press releases are primarily tools to communicate to news organizations, press releases also can be authoritative tools that provide updates to current and target customers or clients about your business, its activities and achievements.
Valuable – but often misunderstood – publicity tool
Many small business owners are dazzled by the potential of public relations. However, they often aren’t familiar enough with the discipline to know what to realistically expect from it or how to best achieve their goals with it. For example, many people think achieving media coverage is as simple as drafting and distributing a press release. Popular thinking is that TV, Web and print reporters will then show up at the door or ring the phone off the hook, eager to produce major reports about the information in the release.
Unfortunately, this type of approach rarely works. When a business owner takes this approach and is disappointed by the results, he or she may be discouraged from further PR efforts. In the next post, we’ll discuss how to craft press releases and how to distribute them so that you have the best chance of attracting the media coverage you want for your business.
NEXT: How to write an effective press release
