7 Common Misconceptions About Press Releases
Are you tired of wondering if distributing a press release is in your best interest? Are you worried that you are wasting both time and money? Do you have concerns about the approach you are taking and the strategy you are using?
There is a right and wrong way of writing and distributing a press release. Unfortunately, there are many myths that can cloud your judgment and force you into making a poor decision.
Below, we are going to discuss seven press release myths in an attempt to help you better understand the truth.
1. Reporters have time to read every press release.
It is easy to believe that publishing your release is all that it takes to achieve success. This is a giant myth. You will need to create a hook and a story to capture the attention of media.
Does this mean your press release is worthless? Of course not. What it does mean is that reporters come across hundreds of these per day. You need to share unique information that these professionals will be interested in covering.
Not every reporter will be interested in what you have to say, but if you get your release in front of a large number your chance of coverage is much greater.
2. Everything you have to say is important. (Caveat: only to the right audience)
This goes along with the myth discussed above. Just because you believe something is important does not mean every reporter will agree with you.
The good thing is this: there are likely to at least be a couple of people who think your news is worthy of coverage. You will need to target these groups.
Once again, this is why you need to get your release in front of as many reporters as possible. By using an online distribution service, you can be rest assured that hundreds upon hundreds of outlets will have access to your release. At this point, all you can hope for is that a large portion of your audience likes what they see.
3. The only benefit of a press release is media coverage
There is no denying the fact that this is the primary reason for distribution, however, it is a myth that this is the only benefit. You can now reach consumers directly with online press release distribution.
Have you considered the fact that your press release may be able to generate traffic to your website? Did you know that there are SEO benefits of a press release? For example, the more times your release is published, regardless of the outlet, the more backlinks you are generating to your site. From an SEO perspective this is a big deal.
4. You have to be a professional writer or experienced PR professional to craft the perfect press release.
Where did you hear this myth? Even if you have never written a release, it will not take you long to learn the finer details of doing so.
Writing a press release that gets noticed is not rocket science. It may take you a while to become familiar with the finer details of this process, but practice makes perfect.
The more press releases you write the more comfortable you will become. Soon enough, it will only take you a few minutes to write what is on your mind.
5. The only way to get coverage is to personally contact reporters.
Go back in time 20 years or so and this may be the case. Back then, you had to do all the work yourself (or pay the money to hire a public relations agency). This meant calling reporters on the phone, faxing your release, and following up time and time again.
This can still be effective, but consider this: it will take you many hours to personally contact a sizeable number of reporters.
When you use an online distribution service, all you have to do is upload your release and wait for it to be published. Once it hits the “news wire” reporters can contact you on their own time. Along with this, there is a good chance your release will be published by media outlets without ever contacting you.
6. Every online press release distribution service is the same.
Who told you this? Until you personally experiment with several of these, you will never realize just how different each one can be. Even more so, it takes first hand experience to see which one gives you the best chance of exposure.
Once you compare the features and pricing structure of several services, take the time to submit a release to each one. Upon completion, you can go through your notes, paying attention to the final results, to see which one suits you best.
7. The press release died a long time ago.
Somewhere along the line, many people began to believe that the internet killed the press release. This is not true. If anything, the power of the internet gave the press release another outlet for distribution.
It doesn’t matter what you hear, remember this: a press release will always be a viable option for garnering the attention of news outlets.
Don’t let these press release myths slow you down. You now know the truth. Press Release are a smart way of sharing your news and information online and gain new customers.
