Having prepared literally thousands of press releases for all types of clients, we here at Articlez.com can tell you that press releases that “fail” are failing for 4 reasons, primarily:
Not enough lead time. Press releases, if they are to be prepared properly, need time. Time to write them and tweak them through various drafts. Time to put them into distribution. Time to get them noticed (read).
One big mistake that many make is to try to rush out a press release at the last moment, usually because writing and distributing one has not been a priority. By the time the press release gets issued, it may only be 1-2 days before the date of some publicized event or promotion — and it will not be enough lead time, and it will end up being just a waste of time, frankly, to produce one under these circumstances.
If there is not enough time to write about an upcoming event, but it is still newsworthy, wait until the end of the event and issue a PR as an announcement of what happened — report on it, after-the-fact.
Same-old same-old. Another reason press releases fail is because they are more of the same old stuff, just rehashed. Put a little more effort into your next press release, and come up with a unique angle, one that is not being re-hashed all over the Internet.
Instead of following others, ask yourself: What is truly unique about us, this business, this brand, this organization? What are we doing that is truly unique? How are we different? What are we striving for? What have been our challenges along the way? Learn the lesson well: Telling YOUR story — in YOUR OWN way — is the very best way to stand out from the crowd.
Overly-Promotional. You might be interested in promoting your business or organization via a press release. But media sites are not interested in promoting your group – they are after news, and interesting news at that. Overly-promotional press releases stand out like a sore thumb, and media representatives will run away from them.
Experienced press release writers, however, can still find ways to “promote” your site without being heavy-handed, without going overboard or being obvious. “Newsworthy” is always the right approach with preparing press releases. (And our writers are EXPERTS in finding a newsworthy approach, if you can’t).
Not following the correct style and format. Press releases are not an article or bio piece. And they are most certainly not a disguised advertisement. Strict journalistic standards and formats have to be followed, from the wording of headlines, to the use of embedded links (if any) and contact information. Incorrect usage, violation of TOS, bad spelling and grammar, can all get your press release sidelined.
And let’s face it, can you really afford to take time out from running your business to learn all that stuff? Wouldn’t it be a better strategy to let others, who know how to do it properly…do it for you instead? We’ll do the writing and distribution, because that’s what we’re good at, and leave you to run your business (because that’s what YOU are good at!).
Let Us Write YOUR Press Release
The number-one way to control your brand/business messaging today is through the use of a well-crafted press release, but as you can see from the above points, if you get it wrong, the results can be a disaster.
Why not eliminate all that risk — get a pro on your side. That’s what we’re all about, at Articlez.com. Give us a tryout today.
Laying A Strong Foundation For Your Content Management Strategy
