You’ve probably been told that sending press releases to your chosen press list is a good idea and will help your marketing. But a press release is typically about something that is happening in your business that the readership of those publications will be interested in.
With the best will in the world, few companies – especially small ones – can come up with newsworthy material on a weekly, or even monthly, basis. So, if you don’t have news, how can you get into print?
Be proactive
Take a look at your press list. Are there any industry journals for your target audience on it? If you help property investors, then what do they read? If you offer services to engineers, what publications are on their desks? If you specialist in fitness training, what do your ideal clients read?
When you’ve identified a handful of publications contact the editors. You’ll often find that industry journals don’t have an office full of paid journalists and may welcome a regular article that will appeal to their readers.
Be ethical
You’ll need to provide examples of your articles for the editors to read and it’s wise to submit articles to ONLY ONE editor. If you write well and find it reasonably easy, then you can submit different articles to different editors, but don’t duplicate.
Don’t use your articles as a sales platform. This is the fastest way to alienate editors and get your articles ‘spiked’ (journalese for ‘binned’) or heavily edited. Most editors are happy to have your byline and contact info at the end of the article.
Aim to write useful material that the reader can put into practice.
Get help
If you find writing hard work, but have plenty of ideas, outsource the article writing to a professional copywriter or freelance writer. You can usually get your ideas over in a short phone conversation and then simply polish their draft to your requirements.
You can find a good writer through your network, recommendations or on freelance sites like elance, PeoplePerHour or Fiverr. Always ask for examples before you choose; cheapest is not often best! Your chosen writer should be able to capture your voice as well as your ideas.
If you’d like some help we’re always happy to help! Give me a call on 01245 473296.
