PR strategies for business

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

There's plenty of research to show that young companies - weighed down by the business of simply owning a new business - pay scant attention to PR, yet that's just what they must be doing from the start to get their names and products known. For most 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 there and letting them 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 really a mainstay of basic PR. It's the method that 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 do not need to cost the planet earth).

But do remember you are presenting your organization to the 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 spending money on professional writing skills. PR writers don't just come out good English: they discover how to structure a news release and present facts in a manner 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 not any good. The time to produce a business announcement is if you have something topical and newsworthy to state (but remember: what you consider topical is probably not of interest to the wider world or to journalists). All releases require a strong 'hook' - in other words, an angle that may appeal to editors and give your story an excellent chance of gaining coverage.

So, what would be considered newsworthy? To begin with, perhaps you're launching a fresh service or product? Or opening a fresh branch? Or you're launching a spin-off venture from scratch? Whatever it is, it ought to 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 which will interest your market segment and generate interest. If whatever you're launching is technically innovative or it's being marketed in an unusual or high profile way, you might have the basis of a release. In cases like this, make 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 solution to meet all your business needs." Tell people what it really is you're actually offering. The above example is filled with hype but what's the merchandise? An accountancy service? A stationers? 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 large contract or client? Become involved in a sponsorship deal? Have you received an accolade or won an industry award? If that's the case, 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 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 with the stature of one's company and the nature of your event. In case a famous chocolate factory held an open day with lots of freebies, it might be of national press interest. If Bloggs the Grocers held a similar event, the local paper would be the main target.

If you are seeking newsworthy stories, remember one of your very 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 neighborhood press might decide on a quirky human-interest story.

Whatever the reason for your announcement, remember this guideline: yet another pizzeria on a high street full of pizzerias won't gain many column inches, no matter how good the pizzas. But a pizzeria offering the latest jalapenos in the UK, singing waiters, Italian cocktails with every meal or three for the price of two (or something!) just might. 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 might seem controversial, such as stating your organisation's stance on a volatile public issue, might gain coverage. Have you conducted research that gives you statistics you can release?

Finally, if you're targeting different press sectors with the same story, write multiple releases instead of issuing one generic release. An announcement concentrating on the metallurgy used to create your new selection of stainless cooking pans will 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 think carefully in what you're announcing and who it's targeted at, rather than utilizing the 'scattergun' approach and sending untargeted releases to whichever journalists someone happens to find. Professional PR distributors retain up-to-date lists of all journalists in each industrial sector and geographical region, and take a lot of care to target the proper journalists with the right releases. If you are distributing your release yourself, several hours' homework can pay enormous dividends.

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