4 ways to elevate the humble press release

Targeting is paramount when trying to spread the word on behalf of your client, but which tactics work best? Try these approaches to stand out from the crowd.

Ragan Insider Premium Content
Ragan Insider Content

Still, their effectiveness depends upon what is being measured.

The competition for placement has increased, so it’s safe to say that press releases can always be improved. Here are four ways that PR professionals can do just that:

1. Reconsider your target.

In his book, “The New Rules of Marketing and PR,” David Meerman Scott tells how authors Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg successfully marketed a book by sending out digital press releases every day for months. Though this sort of “outside the box” thinking isn’t something that every business can (or even should) do, it does illustrate why they published so many press releases: They were targeting “influencers,” not mainstream journalists.

Along those lines, a friend who’s a history buff recently read in The Wall Street Journal about a book of letters written by a German soldier during World War II. When my friend looked for the book, he found it had a limited printing and would cost hundreds of dollars.

To read the full story, log in.
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today

Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.