What are some effective ways to distribute a press release?

A press release is a written statement that announces news or updates about your organization, product, service, event, or project. It is a powerful tool to generate media coverage and reach your target audience. However, writing a press release is not enough. You also need to distribute it effectively to get the attention of journalists, editors, bloggers, influencers, and other media outlets. Here are some effective ways to distribute a press release.

1 Choose the right timing

One of the most important factors in distributing a press release is timing. You want to send your press release when it is relevant, newsworthy, and timely. Avoid sending your press release on weekends, holidays, or during major events that might overshadow your news. Also, consider the time zones and deadlines of your target media outlets. Ideally, you want to send your press release early in the morning or mid-afternoon, when journalists are more likely to check their emails and look for stories.

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John Coulman

🚀 Founding partner PRKarma.com News Distribution & Newsroom platform 📰 | Effective media pickup
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In our experience, we have found the best days for sending a news release to be Tuesday & Wednesday, mid morning local time. Like stated, weekends are not fantastic, avoid timing around holidays and long weekends. That said, we have heard the occasional success story over December holidays, perhaps because there is less competition.

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2 Segment your media list

Another key factor in distributing a press release is targeting. You want to send your press release to the right media outlets and contacts that cover your industry, niche, or topic. To do this, you need to segment your media list based on criteria such as location, category, audience, reach, and tone. You can use tools such as Cision, Muck Rack, or HARO to find and organize your media contacts. You can also use social media, blogs, podcasts, and newsletters to identify and connect with relevant media outlets.

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3 Personalize your pitch

Once you have your media list, you need to craft a compelling pitch that summarizes your press release and explains why it is worth covering. You want to personalize your pitch to each media outlet and contact, addressing them by name, referencing their previous work, and highlighting the value of your news for their audience. You also want to include a catchy subject line that grabs their attention and a clear call to action that invites them to read your press release or contact you for more information.

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John Coulman

🚀 Founding partner PRKarma.com News Distribution & Newsroom platform 📰 | Effective media pickup
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We have found that personalizing pitches can go a long way. Especially if one has done their research to ensure that journalists is within your segment and if you make reference to a couple previous articles. Especially if your press release is related to their beat. At PR Karma, we have seen a couple of success stories with people personalizing their press releases and the results are fantastic.

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4 Use a distribution service

If you want to reach a wider and more diverse audience, you can use a distribution service to send your press release to multiple media outlets and platforms. A distribution service can help you increase your visibility, credibility, and SEO ranking by syndicating your press release to online news sites, search engines, social media, and RSS feeds. However, you should be careful to choose a reputable and reliable distribution service that offers quality, accuracy, and transparency. Some examples of distribution services are PR Newswire, Business Wire, and PRWeb.

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John Coulman

🚀 Founding partner PRKarma.com News Distribution & Newsroom platform 📰 | Effective media pickup
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Depending on what you are trying to achieve, (we recognize two goals people are trying to achieve) will depend on the type of service you may want to use. We have found there to be two very different goals that people have. First are the people that really don't care if they are picked up by the media, they only want 'backlinks' and to gain SEO. The second are the individuals that recognize the value in earned media and truly want to reach a journalist for a story. PR Karma (we are not a PR company) is proud to be able to provide personalized news distribution which has yielded our clients many media spots. Otherwise, websites like PRWeb, 24-7 Press Release Newswire, Canada Newswire (if in Canada), or PR Fire are great options.

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5 Follow up and track results

The last step in distributing a press release is following up and tracking results. You want to follow up with your media contacts within a few days of sending your press release, to remind them of your news, answer any questions, and offer additional resources or interviews. You also want to track the results of your press release distribution, such as how many media outlets picked up your story, how many views, shares, and comments it generated, and how it affected your website traffic, leads, and sales. You can use tools such as Google Analytics, Mention, or CoverageBook to monitor and measure your press release performance.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What are some effective ways to distribute a press release?

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1 Choose the right timing

2 Segment your media list

3 Personalize your pitch

4 Use a distribution service

5 Follow up and track results

6 Here’s what else to consider

Public Relations

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What are some effective ways to distribute a press release?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Choose the right timing

2 Segment your media list

3 Personalize your pitch

4 Use a distribution service

5 Follow up and track results

6 Here’s what else to consider

Public Relations

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