PR tip: No one cares about your product launch

Today I want to share an important PR tip. 

Here it is: 

No one cares about your product launch. 

I apologise if the forthrightness of that statement caused you to clutch your pearls. 

But here is the truth, most of the time a product launch is not newsworthy in and of itself. 

I say MOST of the time because there are certainly instances where a product launch receives hype entirely on its own accord. But not every product launch is the Apple iPhone. 

I know your new product is really exciting to you, your team and your business. I know it probably IS groundbreaking in some way. But successful media pitches don’t focus on the perfectly crafted message you want to push on the world. They focus on the story a journalist can tell.

A journalist wants to know why your product launch matters outside your business. Journalists don’t write advertorials (well they do sometimes but that’s not the point), they write stories!

I have received media releases as a journalist and sent them as a hungry marketer. I understand both sides of the fence. I know how annoying it is to read sloppy media releases that don’t get to the point and use too much jargon. I also know how stressful it can be to create a media release that contains every buzz word your boss wants you to include and highlights every cool thing about your product or service. In short, I am not without empathy. 

So let’s say you are a company that’s about to release an upgraded fertiliser with a brand new “groundbreaking” ingredient. 

You could send a long media release about the scientific formula behind the change, why this fertiliser is THE BEST and a whole bunch of other things and then hope for the best. If the journalist you send it to is having a super slow news day (or is being pressured by the advertising department), they might pick it up.

Alternatively, you could do something like this. Send a media release pitching an article about using soil in winter and then offer an expert who is available for interview. Suddenly you are presenting the journalist with a story and a source. Next thing you know the interview is booked and your expert finds a way to mention your new fertiliser. BAM your product is mentioned in a much more organic way and you’ve left a good impression on everybody. 

Now don’t get me wrong. There is a time and place for a simple media release announcing a new product. But many media releases of this nature usually are not simple, overly hyped and laden with expectation (Feature me! I’m important! Hello! Hello! Hello?).

If you are bootstrapping a media campaign for an upcoming product launch one of the best things you can do is brainstorm the stories that can be told around your product. 

One way to do that is to consider news values. News values are something journos are taught during training. They are benchmarks for what makes a newsworthy story. If you send a media release that pitches a story with news values in mind your success rate is more likely to increase. 

I’ve listed 7 well-known news values below. Take a look and consider which might apply to your next media campaign. 

7 news values 

1.Proximity 

Location! If your product impacts people within a particular region then chances are media outlets in said regions will be more interested in what you have to say. 

2. Timeliness/currency 

Is this new news? Is it tapping into a current topic that is trending (think of all the Marie Kondo articles that got published at the same time). Think about whether your product launch is au courant and perhaps even time the launch to coincide with related happenings i.e. unveiling a new chocolate in the lead up to Easter. 

3. Novelty 

We all love reading a novel news story, don’t deny it! Is your product something out of the ordinary, bizarre even? For instance, is it a comb that you can attach by chain to a beard? 

I would also put “firsts” in the novelty section. If your product is the first on the market or something never seen before it will be considered a novel news item and thus this angle should definitely be presented in your media release. 

4. Conflict 

Conflict and scandal are very well reported in the news. If your launch contains any of these elements consider using them. 

5. Impact 

What impact will your product have? Again I refer to the Apple iPhone. Its launch had a huge impact on the way we use technology and thus received news coverage accordingly. 

6. Human interest 

Human interest refers to stories to just that, humans. Is there a personal story you can relate to your product?

Often macro concepts are better understood when presented in a micro way like telling one person's story of poverty to illustrate the bigger picture. 

7. Prominence 

Is there a celebrity, well-known ambassador or public figure involved in your launch? Use them.