Businesses are able to use Press Releases to their advantage by getting out the word about any new announcements or initiatives they might have.

Utilize Press Releases to Increase Web Traffic

People love watching and reading the news.

And if the news outlets think the announcement is interesting, they’ll follow up and include it in their broadcast or newspaper.

But how do these stories get out?

Journalists work to uncover stories, following leads and interviewing people. But that’s only one way for them to learn about upcoming trends and happenings. The other is through the efforts of a press release.

These can be extremely useful. A business that successfully makes use of a press release can see some great returns through attention and increase traffic to their website.

Here we like to show you how a Press Release is utilized to increase web traffic:

Understand Press Releases
What Can Be Included in a Press Release
How a Press Release is Written
How to Distribute a Press Release

Understand Press Releases

A press release is a communication sent to various media outlets with the goal of receiving coverage. A successful press release needs to revolve around an announcement that is deemed newsworthy.

Here are five factors in what is considered newsworthy:

Timeliness: Is it recent or ongoing?
Proximity: It is occurring physically near the audience?
Conflict: Does it highlight differences or problems?
Human Interest: Does it connect with people?
Promi
nence: Does it involve a public figure?

Newsworthy stories don’t need to hit all five of these characteristics, but stories that can account for more of them will be deemed more newsworthy.

For example, say a local restaurant is going to team up with a

well-known chef to offer free meals to natural disaster survivors next week. This story hits all of the newsworthy factors besides conflict. It would have a good chance at being picked up by local news outlets.

What Can Be Included in a Press Release

There are a wide variety of types of announcements that can be made with the help of a press release.

Here are 5 Subjects you can add in a Press Release:

Product Launch
Rebranding
Partnership
Upcoming Events

Product Launch

This is a popular reason for a company to send out a press release. It’s of interest to the community if the product is from a pro

minent business or will serve a very useful purpose.

Rebranding

Reintroducing yourself your customers can greatly benefit from a press release. A change in your name and appearance can confuse customers if you don’t get ahead of it and explain your new position.

Partnership

Are you working together with a different company to combine your services? This

is a great opportunity to send out a press release to let people know about the added services this will provide.

Upcoming Event

Events benefit from all the press they can get. After all, no one is going to show up if they don’t know the event is happening. Sending out a press release is a great way to get the word out.

How a Press Release Is Written

Press releases require solid writing skills in order to be effective. Your story is being told to drum up excitement. This excitement needs to begin on paper to your recipients before they can spread the word. Because after all, if they’re not moved by your story in some way, they aren’t going to waste their time telling it to other people. This is why Horton Group offers press release writing in our content marketing services. We know they can be powerful and we want to help you see results.

The most important information should be included right up top in the press release. You want to hook your reader, otherwise they are going to continue along to other things and leave your press release far behind.

Prove your authority on the subject. Tell the reader why you know what you know. Credibility will add weight to your story.

You need to explain the significance of your subject. Imagine an editor tapping his foot and asking, “So what?” And if you don’t have a good answer for that question, your story might not be as newsworthy as you hoped.

Quotes will add even more credibility to your story. They break up the blocks of text and give your press release a little life.

All contact information should be included at the bottom of the press release. This leaves you open for further questions should they decide to run your story.

How To Distributed A Press Release

There’s no point in putting together a great press release if you’re not going to get it in front of people. This is where distribution comes in. There are essentially two main ways to do this.

The first is you can send it directly to journalists. This requires a bit of research. Find the writers that work for local news outlets that have covered similar stories in the past. And once you have a handful of these writers and their contact information, you can send your press release directly to them.

The second is to use a paid database. These come with direct access to places that might run your story, but they often charge based on the length and content of your press release. This can be a great option for those that are willing to put some money into their distribution efforts.

But no matter how it’s distributed, it will have a much better chance at being successful with the help of a professional writer. Visit Horton Group to learn more about our content marketing services.

How to Properly Use a Press Release