The Not So Humble Press Release

I ran across an interesting white paper from PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) and the lead sentence hit home:

“The humble press release is working much harder these days….”

The paper does a wonderful job of making the case for the power of the once lowly press release. 

Multi-Purpose for Maximum Benefit

Press releases are now much more than a method to announce corporate news. 

In business to business communications, online press releases now serve as a powerful means to increase Web page traffic, event registrations, online inquiries, paper downloads, and other measurable activities which add business value. 

This PRSA paper is worth the read.   Many companies might shy away from issuing press releases, but that’s not a wise tactic.

Bottom Line Benefits

Press releases should now be crafted and measured to benefit the bottom line. 

The paper notes that it’s a best practice to target press release audiences and measure lead generation performance using internal CRM systems, social media monitoring analytics and tracking codes for insight into the number of people clicking on a link, downloading content or registering for an event.   

Notes the paper:  “Companies are creating their own branded, helpful content for their community of customers and prospects and using press releases (along with social and other media) to drive engagement with that content.”

PR Best Practices

Any sized business is wise to issue a regular cadence of news and releases, for all the reasons cited in this excellent paper, and many others.

A previous post talks about the power press releases play in Search Engine Optimization (PR).

Other posts talk about a more strategic approach to PR than just issuing press releases.

Yep, there’s power in PR!  Take a moment to read this informative white paper.