Last year we published some tips to write a good press release. We have an update: now you can let Verb’s newsroom write, edit, and also distribute your press release to a targeted list of journalists and publications, customized according to your audience and goals.
Why the update? We know our key tip, “pick your target,” can be challenging to get right in the rush to put out the news:
Pick your target
This tip gets overlooked. We may have a tendency to overrate the importance of what we are announcing. We may even think it is worth the front page of a major newspaper. Reality is harsher. Your press release probably is not front page material. Yet if you are realistic, your chances may improve significantly. Start by picking the reporters and news outlets carefully. With the proliferation of news sites, virtually every industry is now covered. Yes, most are niche publications, but these are the ones that are going to help you. The reason is simple: they will listen to what you have to say. Are you in the FinTech industry? There are myriad specialized publications, news sites and blogs that may be receptive. You can still go for the big names, but improve your chances by defining your target first. This applies to whatever your industry is, whether it is cloud services, consumer electronics, or any technology that’s worth something and may interest someone else.
Verb Company
In two words, personalization matters. That’s how Tyler Burt at Muck Rack summarized their collaboration with PR coach Michael Smart to learn some lessons and benchmarks from 5.2 million pitches sent on the platform. This month we have started using Muck Rack at Verb to help us heed our own tip, and avoid this kind of feedback from reporters:
I haven’t changed all that much over the years. But one recent development: I have a new zero-tolerance policy for PR pitches that begin “Hi, Henry…”
— Harry McCracken (@harrymccracken) September 24, 2021
(You might be surprised by how many I get.)
Don’t understand the feedback? Look again at the reporter’s name, and the greeting he’s complaining about.
It’s not the end. If you go down the thread, you’ll see the reporter is not outright rejecting pitches, just letting people know the got the name wrong. But that’s not the answer you were going for, right? You wanted to connect with the person and become part of a story they were working on. You wanted to be meaningful and relevant. And that is why Verb now offers press release distribution.
Of course, you can also benefit from our other tips to write a good press release:
Some Tips to Write a Good Press Release
- Who cares? (really)
- What is new?
- Pick you target (what we just talked about)
- Write a compelling headline
- Be concise
- Be honest
- Send it early in the morning (see Muck Rack research for more timing tips)
- Follow up and don’t give up
- Trust professionals (like Verb!)
- Let us know how we can help you
Contact us for more.