By: Julia Brolin
We talk with our client family a lot about the do’s and don’ts of sending press releases. We start by discussing their goals of the release and what audience they’d like to reach. Sometimes, the topic turns into a release that we deploy and report on. Other times, that same idea transforms into a social media campaign, a blog post, or a customer email blast.
Over the years, we’ve learned the difference between releases that do extremely well and those that didn’t exactly provide the ROI we were hoping for. The key is strategy. Here are a few tips to ensure that your next release makes waves in the edtech industry.
- Set your goals.
Ask yourself what audience you want the release to reach and what your expected ROI is? Do you want 100 URLs and a potential reach of millions? If so, maybe consider sending your announcement using a wire service. Most of the folks we work with are looking to increase brand awareness and reach their desired audience, which are typically educators and administrators. If your company is in the spotlight for good news, then releases can have a positive impact on your brand. Make sure your message speaks to your audience, and they may take action.
- Refine your topic.
Press releases give media outlets a clear, simple news item served on a silver platter. There are a few topics that edtech media gravitate towards, including new product announcements, district- or statewide implementations or renewals, and releases that include data and research. A big award or a personnel change may matter a great deal to you, but the media and their audience of educators simply may not care. Make sure you keep the audience in mind and reconsider your approach if your announcement only impacts your customers.
- Timing is everything.
There are a few “rules” we follow when sending a release. The time of day and the day of the week you decide to send your release may make or break the response you get. For example, we never send releases on Friday afternoons. Why? We know many editors have tuned out for the weekend, so we wait to send the announcement the following week. We find that press releases sent out the week before large industry gatherings do extremely well. If your company is attending the conference, a fresh press release provides your conference team timely and exciting news to discuss.
- Follow up, follow up, and follow up.
We can’t say it enough. Following up after sending a release is the key to getting your news noticed. We’ve had minimal success with sending a release and hoping for the best. At PRP, we use a relationship-based strategy to make sure releases get noticed. We don’t just distribute releases; we send personal emails to editors to see if they’re interested in doing a bigger story on the topic. A release is a great way to begin a conversation with an editor and provide them with additional info on the story.
So, next time you’re planning to send a release, take a minute to consult these best practices before you decide to deploy!
Thanks for sharing!
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