Depending on your storytelling skills and willingness to be creative, it’s likely that you do not need a press release. In the olden days, the press release was used to distribute company news to the media. Companies paid to have a professional press release written and distributed to news media. Thankfully, the days of “begging” media to write about your company are long gone.
In a digital, hyper-connected world, we now all have the power to tell our company’s story ourselves, directly to our target audience. If you have a website, blog or social media page, you can post your news, in your own words, as often as you like.
It’s a wonderful thing to have that power; you’ll never be misquoted again. And, the best part about digital storytelling is that, when done well, the media will take notice.
Here are 4 ways to get your publicity machine revved up right now:
1. Set up Google Alerts – this is by far one of the best ways to monitor your brand, your industry and your competitors. You will receive updates (I recommend once a day) whenever the keywords you’ve entered are mentioned online. With Google Alerts you’ll be able to react quickly to reply to a complaint and to hop on an opportunity.
2. PitchEngine.com – this is a free to low cost press release distribution service that focuses on social. Don’t worry about AP style, just post your story and let the world find it. Be sure to include visuals such as video and photos and hyperlink to relevant areas of your website. A quick search of this site will give you great examples of how creative brands are using it.
3. Designate a Home Base – whether you use your blog or website newsroom, designate a home base for your news and always share it from there. Post a link to the news on all the social media platforms you currently use such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. And don’t be shy about reposting it again so more eyeballs see it.
4. Befriend Local Media – be aware of your local news media and develop relationships with any writers who cover your business beat. Be sure to share your news updates with them and always offer to be a source for them.
Digital gives us great power and deserves our attention, however press coverage is always a plus when you can get some. The assistance of a reputable publicist is always great if you can afford it, but even with a publicist on board, you should be thinking about creative ways to tell your story, in your own words. PR pros are here to help you tell your story and we cannot do it without you.
After all, nobody knows your story like you.
Are you incorporating storytelling into your PR strategy? Is it working? Please share your tips here in our comments.
This blog post also appears at Savvy Digital Business.