Got news to announce? More and more companies are realizing that announcing their news via an online press release distribution site is a vital part of a marketing campaign. When you submit a press release online, you're directly targeting your customers, as well as journalists and bloggers who are interested in your industry. However, to keep your news from sounding like it's just an advertisement, make sure to maintain your integrity and keep it newsworthy.
Step 1: Write A Newsworthy Headline Before You Submit A Press Release
Your headline is one of the most important parts of your PR, but it needs to be worded very carefully. You may think you're the best company in your industry, but you shouldn't actually say that unless you've won an award. For instance, let's assume you have a towing company in Chicago and you've recently been named the best towing company by a local news publication. Take this opportunity to let your customers know, but word your headline carefully.
Instead of 'Chicago Towing Is The Best,' use 'Chicago Towing Named Best Towing Company By XYZ Publication.' You're still letting customers know that you're the best company for their needs, but the headline has some credibility. Readers will just skim a headline and will often pass it by if it's blatantly promotional or sounds like an advertisement.
Step 2: Keep The Body Of The PR Factual
The body of your PR, that is the part that's not housed within quotation marks, needs to be completely factual. If you're not sure how to determine if you're sticking to 'just the facts,' there's one easy question you can ask yourself. If you can ask 'says who?' after any statement and it can't be easily verified with undisputed facts, then that sentence shouldn't be in the body of the PR.
Step 3: Take Advantage Of Quotes When You Submit A Press Release
Do you have something to say? Say it in your quote! A quote is the one part of the PR that doesn't need to follow the 'no promotion' rule. In the quote you can say whatever you want, as long as you attribute it to someone in your company.
Start a new paragraph each time you write a quote and never place the attribution in the middle -- it should always be at the end. This is because many sites where you submit a press release will highlight your quote in a graphical pulled quote. However, this is done by computers, not people, so you want the entire quote is be housed within the quotation marks. This helps ensure the highlighted quote makes sense and isn't jumbled and choppy sounding.
Step 4: Choose The Right Distribution Network
Online press release distribution sites can vary a great deal. To help maintain your PR's integrity even more, choose a distribution site that reviews PRs before they're distributed online. Customers, bloggers and especially journalists will be able to quickly tell whether they can use a site as a legitimate news source and this last step can go a long way towards maintaining your integrity.
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