Have you ever heard of the term “press release”? If you casually watch TV news, watch company websites, or learn about
marketing
and public relations, you will often come across the word press release. However, there are few opportunities to use the word frequently in daily life, and I think there are many people who hear the word and wonder, “What is a press release?”
Therefore, in this article, we will thoroughly explain the following topics regarding press releases.
- What is a press release?
- Advantages of press releases
- Notes on press releases
- Key points for a successful press release
In this article, we will provide an overview of press releases and explain the benefits of implementing them. Please refer to it if you are interested in public relations or press releases.
What is a press release?
A press release is an official document released by a company or organization, and is a coined word that combines “press” and “release”. Specifically, it is a compilation of corporate information such as new products and services, the start of new businesses, management, personnel information, etc., as documents and materials that are provided to the news media as news material. Let me explain why we do this and its purpose.
Purpose of issuing a press release
The purpose of a press release is to increase public awareness by being published in various media. If a press release is featured in a newspaper or news program, it will have a great advertising effect as a third party will advertise it. Another purpose of using press releases is that, unlike general corporate advertising, public relations through press releases allows you to get coverage in the news without spending on advertising.
Advantages of press releases
So, what are the benefits of press releases? Here are three main benefits of press releases.
Improving the reliability of products, services, and companies
The benefit of a press release is that it increases the credibility of your product, service, or company. By sending out a press release, your company’s information will be published in various media such as news programs, newspapers, and articles.
Because the information is covered by a third party, the media, consumers receive it as highly reliable information, which helps improve trust. In addition, being featured in various media can lead to a company’s achievements, which has the benefit of increasing its credibility.
Connects to marketing
When a press release is picked up by the media, it indirectly leads to marketing. Being featured in various media not only improves a company’s credibility, but also allows it to be seen by a variety of people. As a result, the possibility that consumers will take consumption action increases, which leads to marketing.
Additionally, the marketing effects of press releases are outstanding in terms of cost effectiveness. Since it is a passive position that is covered by the media, the only cost to the company is the time cost of creating a press release. Keep in mind that there are significant advantages in terms of costs compared to general advertising marketing.
Leads to collaboration and business alliances
There is a very high possibility that information in press releases will be viewed by investors and the presidents of companies with compatible businesses. Therefore, if you issue a press release, you may be able to form a collaboration or business alliance. A common example of business alliances is work related to human resources recruitment.
Media coverage increases a company’s visibility and credibility. This increases the possibility that people who say, “I want to work at this company!” will apply, which can bring great benefits in recruiting.
In addition, unexpected new business opportunities may approach you from the other side, so this is a huge benefit from a company’s perspective.
Notes on press releases
Although press releases have great benefits, there are some points to be careful about when implementing them. Be sure to understand the important points before using press releases.
Media coverage is not guaranteed.
Many people believe that if you issue a press release, the media will definitely cover your issue. However, in reality, coverage is not guaranteed. No matter how elaborate a press release is, it is ultimately up to the media to decide whether or not to cover the company’s information.
I think the media have different criteria for making decisions, but what tends to be reported is information that will influence the people who watch the media and find it interesting, such as new measures taken by influential companies. Therefore, when creating a press release, be sure to include information that has a social, topical, and contributing value.
The media decides what is reported
Please keep in mind that the media also decides the content of the report. Companies are no longer able to make clear requests to the media to report things in this way, and the media end up making decisions in general terms.
Therefore, it is possible that only some information from the press release will be covered by the media. When creating a press release, think about how you want the media to receive it.
Key points for a successful press release
There are five key points to a successful press release. If you follow these points properly, your chances of success will greatly increase, and there is a high possibility that it will lead to business development later on, so please use them as a reference.
You can understand the content immediately from the title/lead sentence.
The title and lead sentence are extremely important in a press release. It is no exaggeration to say that the title and lead sentence determine whether or not the information will be picked up by the media.
First of all, if you try to understand the content just by reading the title/lead sentence, your chances of being picked up from among the large number of press releases will greatly increase.
Conversely, if your press release doesn’t have an eye-catching title and you can’t understand the content even after reading the lead text, there’s a very low chance that the media will cover it. The first thing you should be aware of is to create a title and lead sentence that will interest the media from among the large number of press releases. Create content that will appeal to the person in charge.
Convey information including reliable data
Be sure to include reliable data to increase the credibility of your press release. If you use subjective expressions, it will inevitably lead to a sense of distrust, so it is best to avoid using expressions such as “a lot” or “few,” and instead use expressions that use numbers, such as “about 80%.”
The freshness of information is also very important. Providing information from several years ago won’t have much of an impact. Numbers have great power in giving customers peace of mind. Be conscious of including as much new information and reliable data as possible.
Include content related to social issues, etc.
By including social-related content in your press release, the success rate of your press release will greatly increase. As the media disseminating information, they must get as many people as possible interested and view the information.
Therefore, by including social-related content such as current trends, local contributions, etc., you can expand the scope of your content and instantly capture the interest of viewers.
Post images and photos that give you an idea
In order to attract the interest of the media, it is important to publish images and photos that evoke an image.
By posting images and photos, if the image evokes an image at a glance, the chances of people seeing it will increase.
Also, by including photos and images in the press release, it will be easier to read and understand when explaining the data. No matter how much you create the main text, photos and images can make a difference in whether or not your article gets reported, so be sure to be creative.
Post contact information
Include contact information at the end of your press release. It is recommended that you include contact information for reporters, media personnel, and other members of the press, as well as contact information for receiving inquiries from general readers.
To avoid losing customers who are interested in your press release, be sure to list your contact information in an easy-to-understand manner.
summary
A press release is an official document created by a company or organization to provide various information to the media, such as company information, details of services and products, etc. By creating a press release and getting it covered by the media, you can expect a marketing effect that will increase your company’s credibility and name recognition. This can be a huge benefit for companies.
If you keep in mind the precautions and success points introduced this time, your chances of being featured in the media will naturally increase. This has benefits not only in increasing the company’s name recognition and trust, but also in reducing advertising costs. Why not use the contents of the article as a reference and create a solid press release?