Press releases can be an effective way of getting your news out there quickly, improving your SEO and raising your company’s profile. But only if your news is, in fact, newsworthy and if your press release gets picked up by the right publications.
PR Wire services make press release distribution sound simple. They advertise the fact that they’ve got enormous distribution lists and can get your news covered by all the top publications for a one-off fee. It’s an especially tempting proposition for smaller companies that think they can’t afford to contract a public relations agency.
But PR Wire services can’t compete with public relations agencies’ press release distribution – here’s why :
PR Wire services don’t write press releases
While you may be an industry expert and quite a talented at putting words on a page, it’s still worth hiring a professional to write your press release. An effective press release catches an editor’s attention while targeting key SEO phrases, provides a journalist with all the information they need in a concise way and makes technical information accessible without losing meaning. And, while you may trust your word processor to check your spelling and grammar, PR writers have the training and professional style-guides to ensure that your release meets the highest journalistic standards. While your PR agency will take care of all of this for you, choosing a PR Wire service means you’ll have to find and pay someone to write the release in addition to paying for distribution.
They think press release distribution is all about size
It’s easy to get tempted by big distribution numbers – who wouldn’t want their news covered by hundreds of publications all over the world? But B2B marketers in particular need to consider whether there really are that many publications relevant to your target market and industry. PR Wire services may send your news to lots of outlets, but who’s making sure they’re sending them to the right ones? PR agencies distribute their clients’ news to targeted publications that cover their topic and target market – securing coverage by matching the right story with the right outlet.
You can’t have a relationship with a PR Wire service
Public relations professionals spend a lot of time and energy building relationships with editors, journalists and influencers. By engaging with their content we get a better understanding of the kind of news and stories they cover, and by engaging with them as people we build relationships. And they’re more likely to read a press release from some-one they know than a faceless service.
PR Wires don’t follow-up after distribution
Journalists are busy people. Just because you’ve sent them your press release doesn’t mean they’ve read it – even if you have a great relationship with them. Sometimes a follow up call or email is the prompt they need to give your news the coverage it deserves, but PR Wires don’t do follow-ups. Once they’ve sent your press release out they stop working for you.
They only distribute press releases to the press
Press release distribution goes way beyond distributing your release to the press! Posting your news on your website, in forums, discussion groups and on social media are all important (and time consuming) press release distribution activities that PR Wire Services don’t cover – leaving you to fill the gaps.
PR wire services only do press release distribution
Press releases aren’t the only – or even necessarily the best – way to get your product into the press. A press release might get you into the news quickly, but some stories are better suited to being covered in a different way. PR agencies seek out opportunities for coverage by tracking the editorial calendars of relevant publications, keeping an eye on trending topics and pitching stories to get your product or brand included in these conversations.
While writing and distributing press releases are tactics used by most PR agencies, there’s a lot more to public relations that you can’t get from any PR Wire service. And we do press release distribution better too :-)
Get in touch with Little Cricket PR to start experiencing these benefits.