Is a Press Release Really Worth It?
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The answer is yes. But...And it's a really big BUT.
A press release is worth the time and effort but only if you're willing to put in the time to follow-up with it. Most people who write press releases have no idea what to do with them afterwards. Or at best, they send it to a few local news press and put it on their website. Then, the press release faces a long-forgotten death.
But there's hope. I've created a checklist of 5 unique but simple, actionable steps that you can do even in your pajamas (hahhaha, I had to..):
1.) Ideally by the time you've finished writing and editing your press release, you will have curated a list of news press contacts to send the release to. These include but are not limited to: news stations, newspapers, news magazines, news radio stations, and online media contacts including relevant bloggers, and editorials. These can be broken down to local, regional, and national. On my google sheets list, I created columns for Editor Name, News, Phone #, Email, Last date of contact, Confirmed(receipt of my press release), Accepted (for publication), Rejected, and Check Back.
2.) Once you've emailed your press release along with high quality photos the news can use, wait a little. The next day, call them to ask if they have received it and tell them that you'd be happy to answer any questions pertaining to the release.
3.) Post on Medium.com. I love medium.com. The reason is your press release will most likely be read for a long time to come. This is great not only for search engine optimization, but for marketing, in general. You can, also, post, a link to your landing page or any other website you want to lead readers to.
4.) While news press is debating whether or not to feature you, now is the right time to see if you can obtain sponsorships in exchange for free publicity for a small business. Doing this enabled us to receive $750 in additional funds to go to our business. Since this book was about tennis, I called nearby tennis clubs to see if they would like to be featured in upcoming newspaper articles and TV station features in exchange for a kind sponsorship.
5.) Post your articles in relevant facebook groups. For this specific press release, I posted in tennis groups, racquetball, and pickleball coaching and parenting groups. I try to add something personal with the post like, "This is my son!" or "This is my first book!" And I like to ask questions to garner engagement.
And that's all! Done from home in your Pjs. Now, if you're like me sometimes you might have doubts about sending it to the press, but fear not! Many a journalists are looking for stories and if you write a well-written one with a good angle, they're sure to pounce on it. Here's a list of the news press that grabbed this one:
Edmond Outlook | Winning On and Off the Court | Aug 2019
Little Reading Coach | How to Win the World Cup in Your Pajamas Book Review | 6/19
A Sailor's Wife |CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEW: HOW TO WIN WIMBLEDON IN PAJAMAS | 6/19
Eugenia Chu |Meet Dynamic Mother and Son Writing Team, Mary and Kobe Nhin | 6/19
Mom's Favorite Reads | How to Win Wimbledon in Pajamas Review | 6/19
Niecyisms|Reading is Better When Your Child is the Author of Their Favorite Books|6/19
Edmond Sun | Edmond Eighth Grader Publishes First Self Help Book of It's Kind | 5/19
Edmond Life and Leisure|Edmond Eighth Grader Pens First Book on Mental Toughness |5/19
Edmond Sun Tennis Skills Translate into Business Skills 4/18
LoveTennisBlog |Eighth-grader Writes and Publishes First Book on Mental Toughness | 4/17/19
Digital Journal |Mother-Son duo determined to equip children with essential life skills come up with brand new book series
called Mental Toughness for Kids | 4/21/19
News 9 | Edmond Eighth-Grader Writes Motivational Book For Children | 4/24/19
News 4 | Edmond Teen Pens Book with Mom | 4/26/19
A press release is worth the time and effort but only if you're willing to put in the time to follow-up with it. Most people who write press releases have no idea what to do with them afterwards. Or at best, they send it to a few local news press and put it on their website. Then, the press release faces a long-forgotten death.
But there's hope. I've created a checklist of 5 unique but simple, actionable steps that you can do even in your pajamas (hahhaha, I had to..):
1.) Ideally by the time you've finished writing and editing your press release, you will have curated a list of news press contacts to send the release to. These include but are not limited to: news stations, newspapers, news magazines, news radio stations, and online media contacts including relevant bloggers, and editorials. These can be broken down to local, regional, and national. On my google sheets list, I created columns for Editor Name, News, Phone #, Email, Last date of contact, Confirmed(receipt of my press release), Accepted (for publication), Rejected, and Check Back.
2.) Once you've emailed your press release along with high quality photos the news can use, wait a little. The next day, call them to ask if they have received it and tell them that you'd be happy to answer any questions pertaining to the release.
3.) Post on Medium.com. I love medium.com. The reason is your press release will most likely be read for a long time to come. This is great not only for search engine optimization, but for marketing, in general. You can, also, post, a link to your landing page or any other website you want to lead readers to.
4.) While news press is debating whether or not to feature you, now is the right time to see if you can obtain sponsorships in exchange for free publicity for a small business. Doing this enabled us to receive $750 in additional funds to go to our business. Since this book was about tennis, I called nearby tennis clubs to see if they would like to be featured in upcoming newspaper articles and TV station features in exchange for a kind sponsorship.
5.) Post your articles in relevant facebook groups. For this specific press release, I posted in tennis groups, racquetball, and pickleball coaching and parenting groups. I try to add something personal with the post like, "This is my son!" or "This is my first book!" And I like to ask questions to garner engagement.
And that's all! Done from home in your Pjs. Now, if you're like me sometimes you might have doubts about sending it to the press, but fear not! Many a journalists are looking for stories and if you write a well-written one with a good angle, they're sure to pounce on it. Here's a list of the news press that grabbed this one:
Edmond Outlook | Winning On and Off the Court | Aug 2019
Little Reading Coach | How to Win the World Cup in Your Pajamas Book Review | 6/19
A Sailor's Wife |CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEW: HOW TO WIN WIMBLEDON IN PAJAMAS | 6/19
Eugenia Chu |Meet Dynamic Mother and Son Writing Team, Mary and Kobe Nhin | 6/19
Mom's Favorite Reads | How to Win Wimbledon in Pajamas Review | 6/19
Niecyisms|Reading is Better When Your Child is the Author of Their Favorite Books|6/19
Edmond Sun | Edmond Eighth Grader Publishes First Self Help Book of It's Kind | 5/19
Edmond Life and Leisure|Edmond Eighth Grader Pens First Book on Mental Toughness |5/19
Edmond Sun Tennis Skills Translate into Business Skills 4/18
LoveTennisBlog |Eighth-grader Writes and Publishes First Book on Mental Toughness | 4/17/19
Digital Journal |Mother-Son duo determined to equip children with essential life skills come up with brand new book series
called Mental Toughness for Kids | 4/21/19
News 9 | Edmond Eighth-Grader Writes Motivational Book For Children | 4/24/19
News 4 | Edmond Teen Pens Book with Mom | 4/26/19