No one can deny that free advertising is a good thing—most of the time. Press releases are a way of having control over what the public sees of you or your company; however, that free advertising can hurt you if you aren’t paying attention.
For the sake of clarity, a press release is defined as a statement issued to the press to give information about an organization. This might be anything from a change in company policy, the advancement of an individual, the company’s involvement in an event, etc. Most often the goal is to show the organization in a good light or to clarify and issue. A press release can be a valuable tool if handled right.
First and foremost, your press release shouldn’t sound like an advertisement, and rethinking the goal of the release is the first hurdle. If your company sponsors a ball team or you as an individual realtor is involved in a community event, the focus should be the event or team, not your affiliation. You are doing a good thing; let that shine through. Let your affiliation be a minor part of the press release. So how does that help you? People pay attention. Mention your company once (or twice at the most), and they will figure out you are the good guy, and your name will filter up through their mind if they need a real estate professional in the future.
Know your audience and the style of the venue. Most press releases are sent to newspapers, but not all papers are the same. Your community may have several papers focusing on a different audience. Also newspapers will often have a unique style of writing or voice. Study the newspapers you are targeting and fit your release into their style. Know the correct procedure to submit a press release. Most newspapers have an online source to submit releases. Scout around the website to find it (usually under contact information) or call if it isn’t online. Some larger papers have a department that handles press releases and sometimes will edit or rewrite.
A final thought about press releases: It’s been my experience that often the best source and most read venue is the small-town paper. Press releases often get lost or shoved to the least desirable sections of city papers, but small-town papers love a well-written release and readers love to catch up on local chit-chat. It’s free, so send your release to all viable sources, but don’t ignore the little guy.
If there is no one in your organization who is proficient at writing releases, consider hiring a professional freelancer. Most freelancers, including myself, will come up with organized, well written copy for a reasonable per hour price. Considering how valuable a press release can be and how time consuming, not to mention painful, writing a press release can be for you, this is money well spent.
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