Is the news release dead? 5 reasons to keep sending press releases.

The news release has been a staple of PR programs for decades. With the advent of social media, some PR pros are questioning the importance of news releases.

While there is a great deal more to a strategic and successful PR program than news releases, there still are good reasons to send them out. Here are five reasons we still think news releases are important:

1. News releases boost organic search results. When distributed via a news wire service, such as Marketwire, releases are indexed widely on the web. Sent out regularly–we suggest twice a month–news releases help to boost search results.

2. News releases provide content for social media programs. Companies often struggle to produce enough content for their content marketing programs. News releases provide content that can be used in blogs and as posts on social media channels. Also, links in social media posts drive traffic to your website.

3. News releases add richness to your website. Most people today use the web to research companies before making an initial contact. Having a news section on your website shows potential customers and partners that you have a thriving and innovative company.

4. News releases keep your name in front of reporters. Reporters interact with many sources and it’s easy to get pushed down on their contact list. News releases keep your company current with reporters. They may not cover the news in the release, but we get a lot of calls from reporters with opportunities after we send out releases.

5. You might get an article out of it! It’s true that news releases don’t get the coverage they did years ago. However, as reporters are forced to do more with fewer resources, they might just take your release and create a story out of it.

Do you use news release? Tell us why or why not.

This entry was posted in Brand Awareness, Content marketing, Media Relations, Online Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media. Bookmark the permalink.

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