A well-thought out press release can get your business thousands of dollars worth of marketing value for next to nothing. To be truly effective, though, it is important to have a news angle. Sending out a release that merely announces the launch of your review site is not going to get journalists excited unless it is a particularly slow news day. You have to make sure your release has that extra something that will make content providers jump on it.
Instructions
1. Brainstorm some ideas about marketing gimmicks to base your press release on. You could commission some research into how many people consider the advice of review sites before making a purchase or contact some companies in an attempt to secure an exclusive review of a major product before it is launched. You could also consider inviting prominent individuals or celebrities to submit reviews to your site or assume editorial control for one day
2. Make the headline and first sentence about the story you are trying to sell as opposed to your website. Go for something like "Two-thirds of U.S. consumers regularly consult review sites before making a purchase" or "Al Gore slams utility company's green energy tariff." Journalists reading your release will be looking for news value and do not really care about trying to sell your business.
3. Add a quote from a senior member of your staff to the press release after you have concisely conveyed the key facts of the story. Journalists have space to fill and are likely to use any quote you supply as long as it is relevant. Go for something along the lines of, "'John Smith, chief executive of Newreviews.com, said: "We were surprised when our poll found that more than 65 percent of consumers read three reviews from trusted sites before making a purchase."' This is relevant to the story but allows for mention of the website's name and review sites in general.
4. Add notes to the editor containing additional details about your company, the service it provides and background information about the story at the end of the release. Also make sure you add contact details and information about secure spokespersons for broadcast packages.
5. Distribute your press release by email to local and national media. Follow up with a phone call to try to sell the story to individual journalists and news desks.
