How Often Should You Publish A Press Release?
If you asked this question ten years ago you’d get a different answer. Not so long ago, press releases were a powerful way to build search engine rankings. They were part of an SEO marketing campaign. Today, they have a different but no less important value. Press releases are part of a comprehensive content marketing strategy. That strategy determines the answer to the question.
What Are Your Goals?
Ten years ago your goal was probably to boost search engine rankings and you might be inclined to publish a minimum of a press release a week. As part of a content marketing strategy, your press release needs to provide value and information. It has to be newsworthy, and that means it needs to be both timely and relevant. With that in mind, the general rule of thumb is to publish one press release each month. However, that’s just a guideline. Let’s take a deeper look.
Sales Goals
If your press release marketing strategy is designed to boost sales, then your frequency should reflect and align with your sales cycle. If you release one new product, service, or promotion each month then it makes sense to publish a release with each launch. Most organizations launch a new product, service or promotion once a quarter. This leaves room for other press release opportunities.
Lead Generation Goals
Events, contests, and free content are all tools that are often used to generate leads. The goal is to attract attention and draw people to your website or social media page. You want your audience to engage with you and become part of your community. Press releases can be used to announce these events, content releases and publications as well as contests and sweepstakes. It makes sense to stagger lead generation press releases with press releases that announce a launch. You don’t want your press releases and objectives to compete.
Brand Awareness
Finally, a third goal might be to use press releases to strengthen your brand. In this case you might announce key studies and new research. You might announce non-profit activities or issue a response to a controversy in your industry. And you could use a press release to announce partnerships and changes within your organization. These generally occur less often and can be timed to fill in press release gaps from lead generation and sales oriented releases.
Quality Is the Priority
When creating your annual press release strategy and establishing your timeline and goals, it’s important to remember that the quality of the information is important. It’s more important than the quantity of press releases you publish. Make sure each release is newsworthy and relevant to your audience.
