A public relations program is the least expensive and potentially most powerful form of promotion available.
One well-placed feature article in a newspaper or magazine, or a favorable segment on a television show, can put you in front of thousands, potentially millions, of potential customers with the credibility of independent journalism. One way to earn this type of coverage is through a news-release program for your company.
News releases demonstrate that a company is active and evolving. They also create awareness among key stakeholders: the media, potential customers and potential business partners. Press releases can cover events large and small, so don’t be shy about trumpeting your company’s news. Potential topics for press releases include:
To accompany your news releases, consider creating a “media kit” with a company history, profiles of key employees, product descriptions and photographs. These can be helpful when introducing your company to a new reporter and also can be part of a standard marketing kit.
News releases and media kits also provide valuable content for a company’s website or blogs. Many companies create attractive, feature-loaded websites or blogs, but then fail to generate content needed to update them on a regular basis. This can make a company’s site — and the company itself — appear stagnant, certainly not the impression you wish to make. A lack of regular updates also hurts a site’s ability to rank highly on search engines. Posting a steady stream of news releases helps your site appear current and timely, and will improve your search engine results.
Another, more sophisticated form of public relations is “thought leadership,” where someone uses speeches, commentaries or media interviews to demonstrate knowledge and expertise. Topics for thought leadership can include analysis of recent or future business trends, case studies of ways your company has helped clients solve problems, or a wide variety of other topics. Promoting your availability for this type of analysis, along with media relations, can strongly position you in the market.
A news release program can cost-effectively serve a variety of purposes in marketing your company, so remember to put it to good use.
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a leading Hudson Valley advertising and public relations agency. He can be reached at josh@focusmediausa.com or 294-3342, ext. 303.
