How To Know If You’re Getting The Most Out Of Your Press Release
There are a number of ways to discover whether or not you are getting the most out of each press release you send. The beauty of online marketing is how easy it is to track your success using analytical tools such as through Google, your website, and your press release distribution service. However, these tools can also be a curse if you don’t use them correctly.
You need to know what to measure and why. Otherwise you will be comparing apples to oranges and getting nothing more than a fruit salad. Here are some of the best ways to know if you’re getting the most out of your press release.
Campaign Goal Setting
Set goals for every campaign. Do you want more email newsletter sign ups, sales, media pick-ups, or traffic? All of these would be nice, of course, but a clear goal or 2 at most will help you track the success of the press release.
Not all press release serve the same function, after all. Some will be timely and newsworthy, such as the release of a brand new product. Others will be more ‘evergreen’ in the sense that they can be re-purposed and re-used each year, for example, at the holiday season when you want to announce special promotions and sales. Set your goal and then decide what type of press release to create.
Clear Call To Action
Once you’ve decided on your goal/s, create calls to action within the press release that support that goal. For example, if you’ve just released a great new free special report or ecourse on a topic you know will be of interest to your niche, this will be a great chance to build your email marketing list.
Track Results
Create a new list in your email marketing platform like Aweber, and a landing page unique to the press release. Place a sign up box on the landing page so people can give their email address and access the information. Then measure the traffic to that page, and the number of subscribers you get from the traffic to that page.
Track and log your most important information before your press release goes out, and review them again a week after. Make sure you note this info:
- Traffic
- Bounce Rate
- Traffic Sources
- Social media followers, for example, at Facebook, Twitter and so on.
- Sales of the item for that month
- Email sign ups
Tracking Reminders
If it is a new item, sales will be 0. If it is an existing item, consider creating a new order page for it and track the sales through that URL. If it is a new list, it will be 0 also, and therefore easy to track the success of the press release.
Understand that the real work usually begins AFTER you send the press release
As important as it is to be organized, set clear goals for each press release, and create the supporting pages for the press release, good follow up is essential.
First, you will be measuring the success of the campaigns against the numbers you gathered in Step 3. Follow up each day for a week after the press release goes out.
Distribution Analytics
Check your distribution service analytics. Each report will be a little bit different, so be sure you understand fully what’s being measured. If you’re not sure, ask your service representative for help.
There are a range of ways to track the success of any marketing initiative online. Be clear about the goals from the outset and it will be much easier to track your success in relation to these goals.
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