This question has come up twice this week – once in the #CMOcoffeetalk community and the other with my management team.
My answer: absolutely press release are still relevant and valuable.? (And that’s not just because I started my career on the PR side.)?
Here are some of the benefits I see from memorializing your news in a press release and putting it on the wire…
… but before I remind you why releases are still valuable, let’s be sure to establish that NOT everything DESERVES a press release.? There are costs associated with putting news on the wire, so you need to assess the ROI from that effort.? (And let’s face it:? if you’re only issuing a release without investing in related sales and marketing activities, your news probably isn’t worth putting on the wire.)? Remember, a press release is a means to an end, not the destination many think it is.
So, why do I think issuing a release is still worth the effort???
- Increased visibility and reach: a well-written press release can help attract more media attention and reprints.? Very few (quality) media outlets will directly leverage your release, but it may help catch the attention of reporters and outlets you may have missed.? (Besides, you should be using the release as part of your pitch for an exclusive or embargoed news PRIOR to the release going out.)
- Helps with internal alignment:? media is only going to write about your news if you have a good, tight, compelling story.? The process of distilling your news down to the press release format can be amazingly helpful in focusing and aligning your team.? Even the act of securing proof points for a high-quality release, such as customer/partner quotes or product performance stats, can help you assess whether your news really is ready for the wire.?
- Memorializes the moment for the public record:? press releases issued on the wire are considered part of the company’s permanent public record.? Sometimes you’re required to do this, for example in the case of public-company earnings and some acquisitions.? Private companies can also benefit from memorializing the moment in cases such as a funding announcement, major product release or the appointment of a senior executive.? Also if you’re on the path to IPO, establishing a regular cadence of releases can help you establish a “normal course of business” that could allow you to keep conducting some marketing activities through your quiet period.
- Delivers SEO (search engine optimization) value: Press releases with keywords and backlinks can help increase your website's visibility as well as rank in search results for your company/sector/key words.? This isn’t a primary value driver, so try to avoid issuing a release just to try and drive SEO value.
- Creates another marketing asset for:? in addition to using the messaging from your announcement, your press release can serve as another asset you can use to engage your customers, investors, partners, etc.? Remember that in a press release, you control the narrative and can use this artifact to deliver your messages directly to the people you want to see it.
Press releases are still relevant, but they are not silver bullets.? Before putting something on the wire, you should make sure your release is part of a broader marketing and comms strategy in which you reuse and recycle those messages across multiple channels to help make sure it has the reach and impact you’re hoping for.?
What did I miss?? I’d love to hear from some of the PR experts in my life to see what benefits of a well-executed press release I missed:?
Donato Casarella
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Courtney Chennells
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Jenny Bavinger
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Ulysses King (he/him)
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Cyndi Reseburg
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Larry Yu
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Cyndi Reseburg
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Yael Berger
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Katja Gagen
.
Strategic communications and reputation management professional
2 年I think you nailed it. I never considered point #2 but you got that right. I think releases also serve the purpose of introducing subject matter experts/expertise to journalists by offering a compelling viewpoint on a particular topic. This helps position your organization as a go to source on that topic.
Builder, Connector, Synthesizer | Director of Growth Marketing | Campaign Strategy | Integrated Marketing | Demand Generation | Global Marketing | Communications | B2B SaaS
2 年Spot on, Scott.
Vice President, Marketing and Communications at Sapphire Ventures
2 年You got it Scott! I'd add that a press release sometimes celebrates something. I'm sure that could be more elegantly put. But my thinking is a critical exec announcement, a new product unveiling, cornerstone partnership, etc. It gives the moment more oomph and forces people to take a look -- even if it's not particularly newsworthy from a media standpoint.
Hey Scott Brown - great post, and I agree with your assessment. Press releases are NOT silver bullets but have a purpose when executed well. Ideally, they are one piece in an integrated marketing/PR strategy.