Ways to market instead of using news release services
Years ago, the press release was the best tool to use if you wanted your story to be picked up by the media. This is still what many new business owners believe, which is why their first thought when marketing their company is to send out a press release.
The question is, do journalists read them today? People rarely read these days, so maybe it’s time to consider new ways to market instead of using news release services.
The competition for journalists’ attention is quite fierce, with almost everyone vying for the much-coveted attention of news reporters and to be used as the next big scoop.
There are DIY methods that are also effective in achieving media mileage. Let’s look at some of them.
You need to build relationships with your target journalists and editors. Start coming up with offers that are personalized. By doing this, you will show the journalist that you have done your homework by researching them and their publication. This takes time and effort, and journalists appreciate what is done for them. An audience-targeted presentation of their posts is heaven-sent because it makes their job so much easier.
Find out the name of your target journalist and make an introduction that is personal to him or her. Don’t send copy and paste suggestions that are impersonal. Learn more about the journalist and how your content will help them and the publication they work for. Show interest in his work by coming up with an introduction that you’ve read his work.
Use a subject that can attract attention. Do not use a general “For your information” or “To whom it may concern”.
You can format your email as a blog post or article. Break the ice by being chatty, try to tell a story. Tag your email with keywords and include a link to your company website.
Before emailing your pitch, try to engage the journalist by sending a tweet. You can also turn the content of your email into a tweet or two. Once you’ve sent your Tweet material, you can continue with your email pitch.
You can also try sending a message on Facebook. Add famous journalists and influencers to your Facebook friends list. Start engaging by following them, liking their posts, and commenting.
If you have the courage to do so, you can call a journalist to see if they are interested in releasing you. This will save you a lot of time and effort, getting a positive or negative response will help you direct your efforts to other journalists or build on what you have already started.
Why not go one step further and meet the journalist for coffee and pitch your pitch face to face. There are journalists who would use this invitation as a way to get out of their offices.
If you’ve built a relationship with the right reporter, you can reap the benefits of that relationship by delivering an outstanding story. Reporters like to get exclusive stories that are newsworthy and relevant. Once they write your story, there’s a huge chance you’ll get publicity in many other publications. You can achieve PR results without having to write a press release.
There is a tendency for people to prefer watching video to reading. Over 500 million people watch videos on Facebook every day. A quick video can take the place of a free press release and get better results. You can start sharing your video on the various social media platforms for better exposure.
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