Press Releases are Not Brochures

While we certainly welcome the best companies and PR firms placing us on their press distribution lists, we always assume that these lists are strictly for providing information to the press.

Unfortunately, some companies combine these lists with their list for buyers. So, we get announcements about their latest sale. This is absolutely unacceptable and shows us the company has no idea what they are doing.

Some also do not know that a press release is strictly for news. It should never be written from a direct marketing point of view. It should be written as news. And, your latest 50% off sale is not news unless your company is going out of business. Either way, it means we no longer need to bother covering your company.

Our goal here is not to give you an actual degree in PR. We just want to point out the major mistakes and give some tips to get you more coverage and make our team more efficient in providing that coverage.

So, the tip here is to research the proper method of writing a press release. An even better suggestion is to hire a PR firm. You don’t let your dentist do your plumbing or your plumber do your dental work. So, don’t assume because you are good at building your product that you know anything about PR. Hire a professional!

Always remember that there are thousands PR firms who each have at least 5 to 10 clients. And, there are hundreds of major companies who have dedicated PR departments who also know exactly what they are doing. And, all of them are issuing press releases on a regular basis. All of them will get coverage before companies who don’t take the time to understand what PR is about and how to write a proper press release.