How To Get Your Press Release Noticed

As a public relations practitioner at a Chicago PR agency, I have learned a few things about how to get a press release noticed; after all, Chicago has plenty of PR agencies and so just having a press release will not get you noticed by the media, you have to make it worth their time.

Pitch a story that is relevant. 
You want to pitch a story to journalists that is on topic with what is going on in the world or a certain industry. Make sure to give people a reason why your story is something that people will care about and how it will help them, this stands out.

Make the info easy to find. 
A journalist will love when you have a press release that contains the important and relevant information at the top, not at the bottom. There is a trend in the industry that has some PRPs putting bullet points in their releases, some journalists find this attractive while others do not.

It helps to put the contact information at the top of the release as well and paired with a couple sentences giving a summary of what the release is about, this is similar to a budget line. You are sure to get your release tossed by a journalist if they have to dig through your release just to figure out who you are, that is a no-no. In order to succeed at a franchise PR agency, you have to succeed at this.

Make sure, above all things, you list the Ws! Who, what, where, when, why, and how in the release. Now, not all the points will be important enough to be in the first paragraph but list them all in the release somewhere, according to importance.

Do a full subject field and headline. 
Make your subject line something creative and catchy but do not make it over-the-top or cheesy; if you try to oversell in the subject line, this will not get your release noticed. You have to have a valid subject line, do not make it misleading or you will only frustrate the recipient. Give the person a reason to care and to continue reading.

Think like the audience. 
Whoever you send the release to, you will want to think like their audience. This will help you get the attention of the recipient. If you are in franchise PR, you will realize that thinking like the audience will get you great results.

If you have any questions, then contact All Points PR - a franchise public relations agency.

5 Tips- The Importance of Press Releases

If you have heard of franchise PR then chances are that you have heard of press releases; even if you have not heard of franchise PR but know of other kinds of public relations, then you most likely heard of press releases anyhow. They are a staple of the public relations industry and they hold a lot of power. While the way press releases have changed over the years due to technology and the importance of them has changed some due to new aspects of PR, the press release is still a top priority.

So if press releases are so important, how can your business benefit from a good press release from a good franchise PR agency?

1. Well, for starters, all businesses can use a good press release and benefit from them. Any industry that you are in, having press releases about your business submitted to the media can get you some results and gain exposure for your company. You do not need to have some crazy story to make a press release about your company worth while; all you need is news about your company. 
2. It is a relatively cost-effective way to gain exposure for your company. With press releases, the only real expense for your business is the fee for hiring a franchise public relations agency or if you write them yourself, then whatever you pay yourself. To submit a release does not cost money and having them printed does not cost money. If you compare this to paying for an ad, then you will see that it is much cheaper than even a TV ad on a local channel at 2 AM. 
3. A press release will get you increased exposure in the media. If you get increased exposure in the media then you will be noticed by more of the public. When people in the public know about your company, then you have a much better chance of being on their minds, which is what encourages them to check you out and utilize your services or purchase your products. 
4. A press release gives you credibility. If people see your business and like what you have to say, then they will regard what you say as trustworthy. When people believe your are trustworthy because you have the right credibility, then they believe they can trust your company and what you have to offer. 
5. People can keep up on your business if you notify the media. When people are able to keep up on the news about your business then there is less doubt. If there are people who want ton know more about your company, such as investors, then they will want to know the latest info. 

So a press release is a big deal for companies who want to gain customers and get larger. If you do not currently utilize the power of the press release, then you are missing some real fire power. Contact All Points PR - a franchise public relations agency. 

Why Optimize Press Releases?

-->

As a franchise public relations agency we know how much time and effort goes into making a press release perfect.  We know what it takes to make a press release more powerful than the words itself, and that is by optimizing the content.  To get the most out of a press release in terms of it reaching a large audience it is crucial to optimize the content so it can be found online.

Before writing the press release, we recommend that you come up with a minimum of five different keywords to use throughout the press release and link those keywords back to a website.  Keywords do not only make the reading easier for the reader, but it makes the search engines understand that the article is talking about.  When our Chicago public relations franchise uses keywords, we do it to make sure that people can easily sum up and remember what the article discussed whether they read one paragraph or two pages.

It is also important to make sure that the keywords are relevant to the content and that they are all scattered throughout the article.  Our public relations company likes to keep the press release visually balanced and we like to include links to our website and the franchise PR website. 

Also, if you want to make the press release more visually captivating, it is critical to use images in the release.  Not only that, but you can link the image so it sends the viewer back to a website.  What our franchise PR firm loves about linking images is that when you search the keyword in the Google images, the image will come up under the keyword.  This is very important because it gives ownership to the image and this way people can site a source instead of stealing images online.

Don’t let your press release get lost in cyberspace.  Use keywords in your press releases and link them back to credible sites.  If you are in need of assistance writing press releases or optimizing content in general, please contact our firm for franchise PR consulting or comment below.