The press release has evolved through the decades to meet the changes in how the media, and people in general, get news from companies. The days in which a hungry press waited for news releases to come in are long gone as there are simply too many other ways for the press to source original stories.
Yet social media and the internet have also opened up a direct channel for companies to get their announcements right in front of their target customers. Companies no longer have to wait for a writer to pick up their story. It is now instantly published through search engines and social media.
Don’t be fooled though. A social media press release will not likely get you that killer story in the Wall Street Journal, Vogue or TechCrunch. You are likely going to need a connected publicist for that. A social media press release is simply an affordable way to make an announcement directly to the people looking for information in your business niche and should be used alongside other marketing and PR campaigns.
5 Reasons to Use A Social Media Press Release
1. Social media and search are pervasive.
Almost everyone is on social media and / or uses search engines to find things. A good social media press release service publishes your announcement to Google News, Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon and Google+ where people can read, like, favorite, comment and share your release. Be sure the service you use is adding #hashtags to the release when they publish links to it on Twitter and Facebook.
2. It’s really affordable.
At $20-$39 per release, it is a budget-friendly component to add to your marketing mix. You can even find someone to write your release for as little as $5. And most of us cannot afford a $2000-$15,000 per month Publicist or PR firm on an ongoing basis so it is a great way to keep your news out there.
3. Social media press releases show your business is active up-to-date with trends.
Putting out a social media press release at least once a month shows your customers, clients, partners and investors that your business is active and successful. Announce new products, new hires, new events, new partners, charitable activities, milestones hit, new office locations, etc.
4. Search engines index social media press releases.
Once your press release is published, it can stay for months or years in Google, Bing and Yahoo, potentially showing up when people search keywords from your headline.
5. Instant and broad reach.
Within minutes the news is on social media, in Google News and on a broad range of sites like Boston.com, DigitalJournal.com, HousingWire.com, International Business Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, TravelWeekly, AZCentral.com and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. You could be a one person business at home in your PJs and all of the sudden with a click of a mouse it seems like you are a big business with a national PR team working for you.
A social media press release is not a magic bullet that will single-handedly propel your business forward. But, it is an affordable marketing tool that anyone can use and should be a component of any larger marketing plan.
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Do you use Press Releases to market your business? Share your experience and tips with us!
