PressDr.com - Press Release Distribution

Thousands of businesses, organizations and even individuals want to bring attention to their products, services, causes, etc. This happens every day. However, only big corporations and rich individuals can afford to advertise. So, most entrepreneurs go the alternative route – they issue press releases by means of various forms of media. This may seem simple but it is a little more complicated than it sounds.

First of all, editors, publishers, producers and reporters receive at least hundreds of press releases daily along with other letters and requests. So, it is not surprising that as much as 97% of these releases never have any results.

You have to get the media’s attention if you want your press release to be published at all. How do you do that? Following are some steps that will help you:

1. Target your press release to specific publications
   
   Build a media outlet list. Don’t send out your press release to every publication you can think of. Make sure that the publications that you will choose are related to your press release (e.g. if you are marketing a new vitamin supplement, you shouldn’t send your press release to a publication about the latest technology.)
   
2. Target specific people
   
   Once you have a list of media outlets, find out who the key people are in these outlets. By checking their website, you can find out who deals with what your press release talks about (e.g. if your press release talks about easy DIY projects, you have to find out who is responsible for such a topic). If you cannot find a person who handles topics related to your press release, move on to another media outlet.
   
   An easier way to build this list of people would be to utilize Google News. Just type in keywords into the search box and you will find stories that are similar to your press release. Usually, the reporters’ names are published along with the story. Just list down the names and contact them through phone or you can check their email address from the publication’s website.
   
3. Build a database of all your contacts
   
   Once you’ve collected the names of the media outlets and the key people that you will contact, build a database with complete details such as first name, last name, publication, address, phone number and whether or not they have published a press release/story for you already.
   
4. Find out which tool you should use
   
   Once you’ve established your contacts, find out if you should send a complete press release, send a tips sheet or media alert. Different media outlets have different preferences. When you have that information, make sure that your press release will stand out. Make sure that your headline contains a compelling piece of information such as a statistic or fact.
   
5. Email key people
   
   Once you have the list of names of key people that you will contact, send them an email. But at this point you should make sure that you won’t trigger their SPAM filters. There are several words that set off SPAM filters such as:  free, “click here,” “click below,” text written in capital letters, etc. To help you find out if your press release contains words that will trigger these filters, you can use software like Aweber which will indicate which words you need to change or remove from your release.
   
6. Grab the editor’s attention at the start of your email
   
   With hundreds of email coming in, most editors, publishers, producers and reporters do not read everything all the way through. As stated earlier, your headline should contain compelling information – use statistics and/or facts.  Your email should be interesting enough to catch the editor’s attention after reading the first ten words. You should also address the person that you are sending the email to, by his/her full name.
   
7. Follow Up
   
   Within 48 hours of sending your press release, you have to call up every editor, publisher, producer or journalist that you sent your press release to. Determine whether your press release was received and whether the media has any interest in it.
   
   If your release gets little or no attention at all, do not be discouraged. Treat it as a learning experience. Ask them what kind of stories they want so that you will know how to tailor your next press release.

Just like any business relationship, if you establish a working rapport with people in media in addition to coming up with a great product (press release), it will not take long for media to choose you over other businesses or individuals vying for the same spot in the limelight.