Promoting your Business with Press Release
A design business can use press release promotion in any number of ways with the most important part of the release being news worthy story or content.
Press Release
The professional press release is a must for any designer wanting to build their own or their companies profile. It should usually be localized to your market but there are other benefits if you include the bigger markets as well. Releasing the same to the Internet press systems and publishing the release on social media and Blog and your own website are simple free ways of increasing the profile of your business and also (and this is extremely important) add the benefit of fresh content to help with Search Engine Optimization. The press release is placed on other areas of your site or blog as links. refer to E marketing.
Your press release may also be picked up by design magazines if the subject material appeals to their audience.
Subjects for press release are difficult and have to be thought out carefully as they need to be picked up as a news item. There are hundreds if not thousands of press releases each day and although you are working in a particular niche you will need to make the news for a press release readable and interesting with a catchy headline. Feel good, sensationalism, technology and trends are just three subjects at the designers disposal for creating a press release and when the head line is interesting the relates will have a greater chance of being picked up by more of the media.
Feel Good Stories for Press Release
Feel good may be a charity that you have helped with or a free service that you have provided. Eg advising on color schemes for the children’s ward at the local hospital, or it could be your local children’s creche and you work in with a community newspaper.
Sensationalized Stories for Press Release
Sensationalism may be the use of green technology in the interior of a community or government building that you are involved in or creating controversy about a design that you don’t agree with (be careful here).
Technology Content for Press Release
Technology may be the fact that you have used passive solar heating in a building that you have been involved in or the press release may be an article that you have submitted to the newspaper explaining the merits of green technology.
Design trends could also be an article that you have written for the newspaper expanding on the international color forecasts. The point is that press releases locally will build your name within the market and if handled correctly will get you into a position of authority. Others may challenge your news or story. There is nothing wrong with that if its taken up by the press as you should be given right of reply and if your story has been well researched and thought out will create an even more interesting article and perhaps even a following.
The Marketing Plan and Press Release
Press release must be carried out as part of the overall marketing plan and not spontaneous fits of inspiration saying I must do that this week. If you think that the TV celebrity’s that we have seen in recent years were off the cuff spontaneous events, think again. All those overnight stars have had their release and roll out very carefully planned to look like a discovered event. Yes they were discovered but the media roll out was well and truly orchestrated. We do the same and time the release in conjunction with other events planned for the promotion of the business or your brand building.
Professional Press Release
Your press releases are best carried out by a professional copy writer who will use the who, what, where, when, why and how to create an interesting article. A local advertising agency should be able to help you for not a great deal of money if you have supplied the copy for editing. Your press release is to be localized for your target market. If you decide that you want to market it on to the world then that can be prohibitive and its also unnecessary.
A word of caution about press releases. Never send them to the media outlet unsolicited. Gain permission from a phone call first, checking if its newsworthy, what format is required and try to build a relationship with that editor or person vetting the releases. Check with the company the criteria they have on copyright. If what you have isn’t what they want, find out what they do want. Follow up with a phone call to the editor to confirm all this once its been sent. Remember this is about marketing not design so keep the marketing hat on. It is all about raising the profile in the market you are in.
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