Anyone who has worked in the Public Relations industry knows
the importance of press releases. They
have been the traditional method of providing information from a business to
various media publications for years. However,
advances in technology have created many new ways that people get information,
and the news cycle has evolved from weeks or months to days or minutes. Blogs
and Social Media sites have greatly expanded where information is found, how
many people obtain it and how quickly the information is spread. Could the process of writing and submitting
press releases to publications become obsolete?
Why not skip the submission and post the information through your own
blog? While I love the ease of use that
comes with blogs, press releases serve as a vital part of your communications
toolkit that should not be overlooked or discarded.
Blogs are great for releasing company news, discussing
industry issues, and expanding the reach of your business. One of the advantages of writing a blog is
that it can bring more traffic to your company website. Publishing new literature to your website and
social media on a regular basis allows for the opportunity for new traffic to
flow into your website. Once visitors
are there to read the blog, they can browse your site to see what your company
is all about and hopefully they will inquire about using your services. Having a company blog on your website and
social media can help improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The
increase in traffic to your website will hopefully increase your number of new
customers. Your blog will also keep
current customers interested and engaged in your company.
Blogs allow you to be the writer and the editor so you have
more freedom to discuss what you want and at what angle. They are very convenient in that you can
write it up, edit it and post it all in the same day. Because you post your blog, it’s easier to
link related materials such as articles, pictures and videos to your
message. This helps you stay current
which is very important since mobile technology keeps everyone instantly
updated on any issue.
Being a young social media specialist, my idea of spreading
news is to post it instantly over several media channels, so sometimes I don’t
see the advantages of having to submit press releases, as it can take a much
longer time to see results. It is fun
being young in the Public Relations industry and bringing new ideas to the
company conference room, but my junior industry experience has taught me that while
speed is great, it is not always the most important aspect of public relations. Sure, I could write a release and post it
instantly to my Facebook, Twitter, blog page, etc. but if those media channels
are lacking the proper audience, the speed of release won’t mean a thing
because it’s not going to reach the right audience.
Press releases can be more time consuming, but when sent to
the right publications they can reach a much larger audience. And you
still have the online advantage: these publications will most often publish the
release on their website which you can simply link to your website and social
media feeds. Third party credibility is
also important – because a trusted publication picks up the release, or writes
about the information included in the press release, it’s a more credible
story. It’s not just you writing about your firm’s news; an editor is saying
this news is important. And if you post
the release to a wire service, your pickup will be significant, boosting Search
Engine Optimization (SEO) and reaching an even broader audience, well beyond
what your blog and social media tools will reach. Press releases are still a
valuable part of a company’s public relations toolkit and an important way to
expand a company’s audience.
