Did you know that American websites publish as many as 1,000 press releases daily, and, within any given day, U.S. journalists read an average of 10 releases? Press releases can act as a valuable marketing tool, garnering a considerable amount of exposure and brand recognition for a particular company. It is vitally important, however, to keep press releases within reason. What constitutes an effective, well-written press release, and how approach distributing them?

Are Companies Abusing Press Releases?

Forbes offers marketers no-nonsense advice, “Press releases are press releases—news announcements meant to disseminate news to (and through) the press and to be discoverable by people looking for information about a topic or a company.” A staggering number of companies publish releases with thin content, filler, and lacking anything particularly newsworthy. How can companies ensure that press releases remain effective and relevant?

• Publish news. First and foremost, businesses need to remember that press releases require news. Companies need to ask themselves, does this contain new information? News can go in a number of different ways. Businesses can focus on a noteworthy individual (commonly referred to as an “authority press release”), or even hone in on a particular season or time frame. The Wall Street Journal, for example, published a seasonal press release featuring the headline, “Back-to-School Means Back-to-Sleep: Mattress Firm Provides Tips for Creating a Comfortable Sleep Environment; Getting Kids Back to a Healthy Sleep Routine.”
• Avoid common pitfalls. Press releases need to remain objective. Some things to avoid include advertising or marketing lingo, spelling errors, fluff or filler, and the use of first person and first person plural (e.g. starting sentences with I, we, and us).

What Are the Best Ways to Distribute Press Releases?

Free press release sites may be some of the most effective tools for distributing PR news. Submission sites offer a number of benefits, including:

• Cost savings. Free press release sites come at no cost, but offer considerable money-making potential. Press releases promote company and brand exposure as well as consumer loyalty and trust.
• Social media sharing. Press release pages enjoy a lot of traffic intrinsically, but they also have built-in tools (like social media buttons) that encourage sharing and promoting releases over a much larger network.

Well-written press releases can help companies gain exposure, traffic, and customer loyalty. Businesses will profit by keeping press releases newsworthy, and taking advantage of free press release services.