Five Ways to Repurpose Your Release
After years of debate around whether or not you need it, one of our recent blog posts confirmed the press release to is dead – for good. In 2013, the PR Newswire came out with the Top 10 Reasons to Distribute a Release, most of which have now been debunked.
Yet, there are still great things that come from a press release that are effective – just not always in press release form.
Five ways to repurpose your press release for good.
- A planning exercise. Despite its faults, a press release requires communicators to figure out what story, facts, and figures work best. Quotes have to be written and approved, language is decided on, and compelling stats are calculated. This all must be done – but doesn’t need a press release to be justified.
- A distribution plan. Having a news release begs the questions: who is going to see this and how? Rather than spend time organizing a release and sending it blindly over the newswire, craft a specific pitch grid of which reporters the story fits with best.
- Write a blog. Content helps build a brand (and SEO!), and one of the best ways to repurpose your press release is into a blog. Not only can you share the blog post with media partners (they’re often looking for web and digital content), but also you can share your post across social channels with your internal and external audiences.
- An archive. Press releases on your website provide a great stream of constant “news.” They create legitimacy for you and your brand, and serve as an archive or resource center for anyone looking for additional information. They can live on your website without being a tool you use to garner media attention.
- Sponsored posts. Most major news companies now accept sponsored content. Depending on the context of your announcement, rather than spending the money on crafting a press release and bombing journalist’s inboxes with it, consider writing the article yourself. Many PR pro’s can craft this for you or find a freelancer to help draft the story. Rather than sending it out across the news landscape, pay to have the article featured in specific publications that make the most sense.
