As a business owner, you are always on the lookout for new ways to market your products and services. Likely, you’ve heard of press releases—but there are a lot of different opinions on them.
Some sources swear that press releases are dead. Others treat them like a cure-all for all your marketing woes.
We think the answer lies somewhere in the middle. When implemented properly as part of a larger marketing strategy, you can enjoy some major benefits of press releases for your business.
What Is a Press Release?
You don’t want to invest in a digital marketing strategy that you don’t understand. So let’s make it 100% clear what we are talking about here.
A press release is a piece of content that is written to announce some sort of newsworthy event or situation. They are specifically written for and distributed to members of the press. Editors and journalists for news sites, radio stations, and magazines, for example.
Journalists are always looking for new stories to write about. And a press release helps get your story in front of them.
7 Benefits of Press Releases
Now that we’re on the same page about what they are, let’s look at 7 of the top benefits of press releases that you can enjoy.
#1 Announce Big News
Obviously, the press likes to write about interesting stories that are going to attract clicks and draw in readers.
So a press release is the ideal opportunity for you to share big, game changing news about your business. Maybe you’re opening a new location that will create dozens of jobs for the local economy. Maybe you’re launching a new service that customers are in dire need of. Maybe you’re holding a fundraising event or charity drive.
Whatever big news you have to announce, a press release gives you a channel to get it in front of as many people as possible.
#2 Take Control of Your Story
Beyond announcing the good news, sometimes you’ve got to mitigate the bad. Or, at the very least, you have to take control of a situation to prevent it from being misinterpreted.
For example, if there was an accident at your business that injured a customer, you could be facing a public relations nightmare. But a well-worded and quickly distributed press release can help you tell your side of the story first.
Even in less drastic circumstances, it can be helpful to mitigate potential damage before it happens. Maybe a change in your company’s recycling policies could lead to increased cost to consumers. But a press release allows you to control the story to show that these changes were necessary to meet new local regulations aimed at protecting the environment.
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#3 Get Featured in News Media Small and Large
A well-distributed press release is going to land in the inboxes of hundreds of journalists, editors, and other media personnel. If you’ve got a truly newsworthy story, odds are good that you will be featured somewhere.
It might not be a prime time spot on the evening news, of course. But even just being shared on their website is going to get you in front of readers and maybe even help your SEO (more on that later).
#4 Attract the Attention of Customers
When you do get featured on news sites and other channels, you are hopefully landing in front of your target customers.
Of course it depends on who decides to publish your news or how they choose to report on it. But, generally, you are writing your releases with a particular audience in mind, and news sites are publishing in line with that.
So, when hundreds or thousands of local readers read about that new service you are launching, it’s just one more chance to win a new customer and raise brand awareness.
#5 Attract the Attention of Investors and Local Leaders
Customers aren’t your only audience, of course. Investors, industry leaders, and politicians all keep up with the news too.
You already know the importance of having the right connections when it comes to growing your business. Well every good piece of news published about your brand is one more opportunity to form a new partnership or win a new friend in high places.
#6 Manage Your Online Reputation
Have you ever Googled your company name?
If your reputation management is on-point, then the first page of Google is hopefully filled with things like your website and social media pages. But occasionally, that one bad review from that one unhappy customer months ago is still plastered on the front page of the search engines.
Even that one bad review can’t be overlooked because customers read about 7 reviews before making a purchase, and 60% of consumers in one study revealed that they were turned off of a company because of negative reviews.
Press releases help you manage your reputation proactively by making it more likely for your news stories to show up on the first page of Google. And 95% of online searchers never go beyond the first page. So the further down you can push those negative reviews, the less likely anyone is to see them.
#7 Boost Your SEO
Google’s John Mueller recently highlighted the importance of digital public relations when it comes to SEO. Google controls the algorithm, of course, so you have to take any “secrets” they reveal about it with a grain of salt.
But, there is pretty good logic behind what Mueller is saying:
Basically, good link building is about giving people a reason to share your content and link to your site. So if major news sites are talking about your company and sending traffic your way, other people will be more likely to share.
The direct SEO value of the actual press release is debatable. But the indirect benefits that they can bring are pretty much undisputed.
Press Releases Made Easy
The benefits of press releases are clear. But unless you’ve got an in-house marketing team, the process of writing and distributing them can get pretty intimidating.
That’s why a lot of business owners turn to expert freelancers who specialize in press release distribution. At Legiit, we offer a secure platform that business owners like you use every single day to outsource tasks like this to the best freelance talent in the world.
Make the job as easy on yourself as possible. Check out these direct links to some of our best-selling press release freelance specialists:
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