The six most impactful b2b news topics

The press or news release is in my view still a relevant and useful tool in specialist b2b comms. Generating noise among credible, relevant, respected media (whether online or offline) about some news from your organisation is an important part of any good b2b comms or content strategy.

Being clear about the purpose and the possible impact of a news release is important. News releases are designed to get your name in relevant media. And relevant is a key term here used by respectable PR specialists. While SEO is not something to be ignored, having your material published somewhere that is not relevant, credible or where your audience goes for information is, in my view, potentially damaging to your reputation and brand.

However, the main objectives of incorporating news releases into your comms plan fall under three broad headings:

1. Brand awareness – generating ‘noise’ about your company, product or service – especially useful if you are entering a new market

2. Reputation building – incorporating your key messages into your releases and ensuring they reflect the image you want to portray helps shape market perceptions – when used in combination with other PR tools such as interviews, Q+As, blog posts etc

3. Warming up the market – if a potential customer has read about your new product or service online, then you might well have an easier sales job on your hands.

Having spent nearly ten years writing, editing and despatching news releases to the specialist trade media, I would put the most impactful news stories into six main categories (in order of success):

1. Case studies / success stories

Although often like gold dust, in my experience, these are the stories that get the most clippings, views and even sometimes enquires from potential customers. The problem is that clients are often unwilling or unable to get their customers to agree to be featured, which is entirely understandable, but a real shame.

But when they do, the media uptake is always very strong and these stories really help to boost credibility, as you are providing a real example of how your product / service has helped a customer solve a problem or achieve their goals.

2. Investments / acquisitions / geographical expansions

The trade press like a commercial story and if you can provide figures and future plans, you are sure to get lots of juicy coverage. However, always be prepared to answer difficult questions, as these are the types of stories that generate the most interview requests in my experience. In which case, having a media trained spokesperson in each relevant region is important to ensure you keep the story 100% positive.

3. Research

Conducting your own research – whether technical, scientific or market-driven is a great way to prove your weight and expertise in a certain subject area. Making sure that you include great insights into the release is critical though, otherwise journalists will see that you are trying to create news without being willing to share some of your hard-earned nuggets. Commenting on someone else’s research can also get good pick up if you are unable to conduct your own.

4. Awards / accreditations

Feel good stories that show the world how great you are. Very narcissistic, but a useful reputation-shaping exercise. The amount of award schemes out there in b2b sectors such as food, engineering, energy and manufacturing is crazy. The key is picking an independent, respected award scheme or accreditation that has some profile and weight already in your target market. Avoid schemes run by publishers or event organisers or suppliers and go for trade associations, business groups and government organisations (especially in developing or emerging markets).

5. New products, services

I have a secret to share about new product stories. They don’t have to be ground breaking innovations to generate trade media interest. Often, a line extension or new formulation or even a new application for an existing product can all make great stories, as long as you can provide evidence of a market need (quoting market research is always helpful) and some aspect of uniqueness. Whether that’s your expertise in developing it, your market insights or your heritage in that area. Of course, if your product is a true innovation, then you are sure to enjoy a lot of media and market interest.

6. Appointments

You might think that the old fashioned appointment release has had its day, but I often see a huge amount of coverage for them still. They are probably the least impactful or valuable of the topics in my list, as the opportunities for market-shaping messaging are limited. However, the message that you are hiring and bringing in new insights and expertise can only be a positive one. And I find appointment releases to be relatively low effort for a nice amount of reward. They also give a nice welcome boost to your new staff, which is an added side benefit.

The measure of success

The press release is just one tool and, like all comms tools, it will create the biggest impact when integrated with a wider programme of activity. Evaluating success is key to ensuring your press releases pay dividends. Although unable to prove real value or ROI, analysing the amount of coverage each release you send out gets is very useful, as it will help you to see which types of stories have the most impact on the media – and by extension – on your audiences.

However, to measure the true value, you need to invest in research to assess brand awareness and perceptions at different stages of your campaign and ensure your objectives are clearly laid out before you begin, so that the results you achieve link directly to your business goals.

The reality is that despite all the talk of change change change, the humble press release lives on in specialist b2b markets and I for one rejoice!