For many decades, the importance of press releases was unquestionable. The press releases have played a quintessential role in public relations for large-scale businesses. They have been a go-to PR tool in key moments of business change and crisis. Their use has been fairly limited and reserved for high-level announcements. But with digital media quickly taking over the printed forms, the role of a press release has also changed profoundly. It’s now an important marketing tool that could have a much deeper and broader impact on your business.
So, let’s take a look at how you could benefit from press releases in today’s highly connected and digitised world.
1. Access to a massive audience
Unlike printed newspapers, digital news media have no boundaries. They have the potential to reach millions of people across the planet within mere seconds. And that’s the power of a press release today. It can take your business story to all corners of the world instantly.
2. It’s there for the long haul
Your press release published on digital media can remain there for a much longer period, unlike with the daily newspaper. As a matter of fact, St. Bernardine Media partnered with press release distribution company, which made a deal with press outlets not to delete our press releases from the archives. Therefore, this allows readers to access it even weeks or months later. Consequently, your business could benefit from continuous visibility and brand exposure with a digitally published press release. Now that’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss.
3. It’s searchable
In the old days, searching for a press release in a printed publication meant a lot of time wasted browsing the archives. This almost guaranteed to put off anyone unless they had a significant interest in your business. However, today, all your press releases published online are easily searchable. This alone is a remarkable advantage over a printed publication. The press releases are indexed by search engines like Google. This increases the chances of readers searching and finding your news stories. Moreover, tools such as RSS feeds have made uncovering your stories even easier for those interested.
4. It’s shareable
When press releases were limited to print media, the only way to share them was by using a photo or another printed copy. And this significantly limited its ability to extend its reach. However, with digital media, your online news stories are easily shareable. Anyone can share them on social media platforms, in other news stories, websites, or blogs. The viral spread of press releases enables your business to reach a wider audience and increase exposure. However, this also means your press releases should carry news that is worthy of sharing and must be written in a more engaging style.
5. A boost for your SEO strategy
Press releases provide great ammunition to support your SEO efforts, which is an important task for today’s business owners. This is why keyword research and backlinks to your website have become essential components of the modern-day press release. And the cumulative effects of these can go a long way to boost awareness and sales for your businesses. Big news outlets carry authority. In the eyes of search engines, particularly of Google, the news outlets authority backlinks elevate your website to authority level as well. After a consistent press release campaign, your rankings will soar.
6. It’s absolutely low-cost marketing
A press release is one of the handful of cost-effective marketing tools available today. It gives you an excuse to get massive free media publicity for your business, with all the SEO advantages for low price. Unlike paid advertisement, it’s searchable and, by using St. Bernardine Media press release distribution partners, lasts forever compared to, for instance, a paid Facebook ad. And what’s more, you can also measure results. The only cost you would incur is to get it written by a professional and trustworthy submission company. All these make press releases a highly economical option to create regular brand visibility.
7. Digital reputation management
Press releases have long been hailed for their importance to manage the reputation of a business, especially during crisis situations. But reputation management in the digital world is quite tricky. News could now travel faster and farther, and a simple remark could damage your business with a multiplying effect in the digital space. This is why carefully crafted press releases can play an important role, not only to correct the situation but also to push back those negative search results, which could otherwise haunt you for a very long time.
8. It’s a versatile communication mode
Unlike ads, which are essentially used to “sell”, press releases can be used for a variety of purposes. You can use it to talk about company expansions, new products or services, investments in research and development, a new loyalty program, or an acquisition or a merger. You can also talk about awards won, new business affiliations, community projects, financial results, new senior management appointments, and countless other things about your business. This makes it a highly versatile and powerful communication tool that you can use to communicate with various stakeholders, including existing and potential investors, potential employees, local communities, as well as the general public.
9. Helps brand positioning and builds trust
We are well acquainted with big names such as Bosch, Samsung or closer to our Australian home, Bulla’s dairy products. Before they become household names, they all have a big PR campaigns beforehand. Hence, whether you want to showcase your company values or establish your industry expertise, press releases provide a great means to help position your brand and most importantly trust. Unlike a typical advertisement, press releases are not limited to a few words and can allow you to provide plenty of examples to establish your key messages. All you need to do is find the right stories and narrate them effectively.
10. It can support your marketing efforts
Unlike a few decades back when press releases were limited to public relations efforts, today they have become an essential component of the marketing strategy. So, if you want to make the best use of press releases, then use them in parallel with your other digital marketing efforts rather than in isolation. Remember, when the brand messages are synced, the results are powerful.
As you can see, the advantages of press releases for a modern-day business are undeniable. And unlike in the good old days, they have become a much more accessible tool even for small-scale businesses. St. Bernardine Media will help you crafting them strategically and making them an essential part of your marketing strategy. We will help you to increase reach and visibility exponentially. And imagine getting all of this with a low-cost marketing burden to your budget. So, get to work and churn out those press releases!