Press Releases - Proactive Press
When we respond to an existing editorial calendar, it is reactive press. We are reacting to an existing review that is already scheduled. However, when we have “news,” we can be
proactive. We usually do this in the form of a press release, or as I would prefer to call them, a “news” release--since it better have something newsworthy.
There are numerous articles on how to create a good press release. I have attached a few of them below:
These templates provide some basic guidelines. However, one of the measurements of an effective press release is if it is replicated with few edits. If it has too much “puffery”
(we’re so great, we’re so grand, we’re #1, etc.), or if it is boring (think IBM stuffy copy), then it may take too much work for the editor to use (he/she will have to re-write or
strip it of the sales copy) and it either won’t get published, or you’ll get a summary version that often does not replicate your primary positioning. As a result, you unique positioning
will get watered down (instead of repeatedly hammered home) and you’ll have a mess all over the Internet.
Following is an example of a very effective news release. This release was almost copied exactly and was published on over 300 locations! On the Thursday before Christmas, the company was
unknown--by the following Monday--there were hundreds of mentions and links (which is also great for SEO).
Note that the product has positioning, it bucks against the trend (call-centric), it is newsworthy and has a little bit of controversy (“Most CRM is junk.”).
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