Top 10 Benefits of Publishing a Press Release
Public relations (PR) professionals have plenty of tools available to them. They can publish a social media post in seconds and easily write blogs, create short videos and send out email blasts. On each of these channels, they can measure reach, engagement, influence and conversions, then optimize their campaigns. Yet the press release remains the foundation of PR strategy. Why are press releases important, even in today’s digital age? Let’s explore the many benefits of press releases.
Press Release Benefit #1: Enhance Brand Visibility
At their core, press releases are designed to distribute newsworthy content across media outlets and digital platforms. They can reach diverse audiences, including potential customers and industry insiders. By featuring your brand in various media, a press release not only increases brand awareness but also boosts your digital presence, making you more visible and relevant in competitive markets.
Press Release Benefit #2: Control the Narrative
Why write a press release instead of just making a social media post? Press releases are considered owned media, which, along with paid media, are the channels over which you have the most control. With a press release, you can ensure your message is clear and accurate because you dictate the headline and the message. Plus, with tools like PR Newswire’s SocialBoost, you can distribute press releases with pre-written social copy that can be shared with the click of a button, giving you more control over social shares, too.
Press Release Benefit #3: Improve Public Relations
Press releases are the foundation of a solid comms strategy for PR professionals with good reason: The main purpose of a press release is to help them do their jobs well. They allow PR professionals to communicate directly with their audience, manage their brand’s narrative and quickly address public concerns. A proactive press release strategy can foster positive media relations, build trust with the public and enhance your overall reputation. For PR professionals, this is the biggest advantage of a press release.
Press Release Benefit #4: Drive Website Traffic
Press release distribution and promotion are an important part of successful digital marketing programs. When you incorporate targeted keywords into your press releases, they can rank in search engine results and drive direct traffic to your site. Plus, awareness from press releases can generate external links to your site, which in turn can boost your performance in search results. This improves your website's visibility, driving more traffic and potential business your way.
Press Release Benefit #5: Establish Industry Authority
Press releases offer a platform to share insights, achievements and innovations, demonstrating your expertise and knowledge in your field. They can help you position your brand as a thought leader and earn you valuable media exposure. When your press releases are picked up by media outlets, you build credibility and trust with your audience and position your brand as a go-to source for reliable information and industry trends.
Press Release Benefit #6: Reach New Markets and Demographics
One of the biggest advantages of press releases is that they can expand your reach to new audiences, markets and demographics by leveraging the extensive networks of media outlets and digital platforms. When created with newsworthy content and distributed strategically, press releases can effectively introduce your brand to target audiences and potential customers in untapped markets. With today’s tools, they can also be easily adapted to meet the cultural nuances of different demographics and audience segments.
Press Release Benefit #7: Boost Engagement
You may not think of press releases as a tool for promoting interaction with your audience, but incorporating multimedia such as infographics, images and videos into a press release can significantly boost engagement. These visual elements capture attention more effectively than text alone and tell your story in an accessible way. Tools like SocialBoost from PR Newswire also make it easy for journalists to share your content across platforms, driving interaction and interest in your brand.
Press Release Benefit #8: Complement Your Content Strategy
Press releases are a strategic component of your organization’s overall public relations, comms or marketing strategy. Like any good piece of strategic content, a press release can do more than just inform, but persuade readers to act. They’re especially effective at driving traffic to your company website, blog, events page or online newsroom, providing your audience with valuable content and opportunities to convert. Press releases that support your content efforts also help you promote a consistent message across all platforms, which strengthens your brand and earns trust with your audience.
Press Release Benefit #9: Maximize ROI
When compared with other comms tools, press releases are a cost-effective way to reach a broad audience. They require minimal investment compared to other PR tools, but can lead to substantial media coverage and brand exposure. By driving efficiency and maximizing ROI, press releases benefit the entire organization.
Press Release Benefit #10: Drive Business Growth
A good press release strategy should ladder up to your organization’s goals. For example, press releases can highlight your company’s financial growth, changes in leadership or exciting new initiatives that shareholders would find valuable, ultimately improving your investor relations strategy. Or they can build awareness and generate demand around new products, contributing to a successful product launch. Although they’re often thought of as generating awareness and conversation, another benefit of a press release can also be to drive sales.
Discover the Benefits of Press Releases
Now that you know why a press release is important, you probably have another question: How can you get all of these press release benefits for your organization? It starts by choosing the right partner. PR Newswire is the industry’s largest and most trusted distribution network. Our global reach combined with industry-leading targeting makes it easy for you to distribute press releases to audiences in more than 170 countries. Plus, our suite of solutions such as SocialBoost, Guaranteed Paid Placement and Multichannel News Releases help to amplify your content, allowing you to get more mileage out of your story.
Ready to drive demand, engage audiences, enhance client relationships or build investor confidence? Sign up today and start distributing press releases with PR Newswire.
FAQs on Maximizing the Benefits of Press Releases
What’s the most important thing in a press release?
The most important consideration to maximize the effectiveness of your press release is newsworthiness. The content must be timely, relevant and interesting to the target audience. It must provide value by telling them about a significant event and how it impacts them. A compelling message grabs attention and encourages sharing, maximizing your reach.
What’s the best time to publish a press release?
To get the most benefit from a press release, it’s best to send it at an off time, like 10:03 or 2:47. This timing means that it doesn't get lost amongst those going out at the top of the hour, which is when many organizations schedule their press releases. When your press release stands out, journalists and readers are more likely to pay attention.
How often should you publish press releases?
You can publish press releases as often as you’d like. Some examples of major newsworthy events include product launches, growth updates or employee news. However, you can also send press releases for lighter occasions. For example around major holidays, or even national food holidays.
Can small businesses benefit from press releases?
Absolutely, small businesses can benefit from press releases. They’re a cost-effective way to generate publicity, reach the right audience and establish credibility. They can also help you build relationships with media professionals and boost your search engine visibility, especially when you partner with a distribution service that has industry-leading search engine optimization capabilities, like PR Newswire.
Do press releases still work in the digital age?
Yes, press releases still work in the digital age – in fact, they’re more important than ever. They play a role in SEO and online visibility, helping to ensure your news reaches both traditional media outlets and digital platforms. With the right strategy and tools, like SocialBoost from PR Newswire, press releases can enhance your digital presence and bring attention to your brand or event.
How do you measure the success of a press release?
Measuring the business benefits of a press release involves several metrics: media coverage, website traffic and engagement levels such as shares and comments on social media. Additionally, tracking any mentions in the media, increases in business inquiries and sales or conversions can also provide insight into the effectiveness of your press release.
Ready to maximize the benefits of your press releases? Download The Ultimate Toolkit for Getting Your Press Release Noticed and capture the attention of those who matter most.