Why Isn’€™t Your Press Release Working?

I recently received another call from an entrepreneur who spent a lot of money on a publicist only to experience zero results and a waste of time and money. “Why didn’t the press releases work? I don’t understand,” she explained. Are you dealing with this same issue? If so, ask yourself these questions:

• What else am I doing in addition to sending out a press release? If you are just waiting for the phone to ring after announcing news to a huge list of contacts, you may be waiting for a long time. Since media members receive hundreds of press releases on a daily basis, your news must stand out. Plus, today’s PR activities are all about targeting the right audience. To get media attention, create a specific story idea for a targeted reporter, editor or producer. Figure out what would peak their interest. Now, this takes extra time, but the end results can be much better than sending out a single press release.

• What is my news? With this in mind, does your press release focus on the features of your products and services and how great your business is? If so, try to rewrite your copy and think about your potential customers and the targeted audience. When they read it, they will think, “What’s in it for me?” If you can solve their problems, offer valuable information or unique benefits, you’ll build more word-of-mouth buzz and grab more media attention.

• What do I want to accomplish? Many times, new entrepreneurs just send out a press release because that’s what they know. But before doing so, think about your goals. For example, if you want to get mentioned in a particular publication, you’ll be better off creating a pitch specifically for that media venue. If you want to give customers a free eBook with new orders, perhaps an e-mail campaign or a PPC campaign with the appropriate landing page will work better. If you want to build buzz online, perhaps you should focus on blogs, search-engine optimization, Facebook®, Twitter®,  Linkedin®, or other social media sites? Basically, if your PR activities aren’t working. Stop and look at what you are doing and who is running your campaign.

Review your messaging, tactics, goals, and your audience. Try new things, monitor results and make changes as necessary. And if you just don’t have time for this, research and find an appropriate publicist or marketing expert to help you. Good publicity results take time and experience. But these extra efforts can result in third-party credibility that cannot be purchased!

By Melanie Rembrandt