Content writing for regular press releases is a valuable strategy.
Although most legitimate news outlets nofollow most of their backlinks, with company news, you still receive:
- more brand visibility
- more attention
- earn a stronger reputation in your industry
- earn brand mentions
- build links from news publishers and other high-quality sites
- improved domain authority and SEO rankings
There’s only one downside: press releases aren’t easy.
Just paying to push your press release to various publishers can be expensive, and perhaps more importantly, getting your press release published is tough.
Most publishers have incredibly strict standards and only let the most newsworthy posts onto their sites. That means you can’t just write about anything and submit it to the press—you have to have deep, meaningful, or otherwise newsworthy material to submit.
If you’re trying to submit a press release on a regular schedule, perhaps weekly, this poses a critical problem.
How do you go about finding topics for press releases on a weekly and consistent basis without compromising the quality of your final product?
Table of Contents
Responding to a Crisis
This should be your first line for a press release, as it is the most urgent.
However, this type of topic rarely, if ever, needs to be searched for.
Crises appear randomly and without warning, but sending a press release off preemptively or in response to a crisis can be very helpful.
For example, if one of your products is found to be defective, sending a press release is a perfect opportunity to explain the situation, clear your name, and get in front of the inevitable wave of negative attention that will come as a result.
Legal Shifts and Public Information
Also consider what legal shifts have occurred in the past week, or if any new information that’s publicly interesting has been revealed.
For example, has your company experienced a transfer in ownership? Have you filed a lawsuit?
Are you about to initially offer your stock to the public, or are you announcing any dividends?
Any financial or legal information that you’re willing to publicly disclose could serve as a newsworthy press release, as long as you frame it in a way that emphasizes why it is valuable for the public to know about it.
Upcoming Events
If there are no crises or legal shifts in your company, consider what upcoming events your company will be participating in or hosting.
For example:
- Does your company have any seminars coming up?
- Are you going to be appearing at a tradeshow?
- Will you be sponsoring an upcoming event?
Keep in mind that these events don’t have to be large in scale, and they don’t even have to be in person.
You could even write a press release about an upcoming webinar or online class series.
Charity or Community Involvements
These types of press releases are great because they’re about a local newsworthy event and they also portray your company in a very positive light.
Take the opportunity to write a press release if your company makes a substantial charitable donation, or if your team is getting involved with some kind of charitable event.
You could also write a press release if you sponsor a local event or team, or if you have any inspirational stories related to your brand that you could mention.
Products, Promotions, or Contests
Failing any charitable or community topics, you could move on to newsworthy events related to your products or offerings.
Generally, these types of press releases are low on the totem pole; if you have something better to write about, write about it, and don’t just write about one of your existing products or your release is bound to be rejected.
Instead, focus on brand new products coming out, major promotions you’re announcing, or a contest that needs a little help getting initial attention.
Company Milestones
Major milestones for your company are another potential press release topic, so long as the milestone is actually newsworthy.
For example:
- Have you reached an anniversary for your company?
- Have you recently revised your brand or updated your website significantly?
- Have you hit a specific revenue figure or made significant personnel changes?
- Have you won any awards or public recognition for your efforts?
Any milestone like these could be turned into a valuable press release.
New Market Trends or Other Thought Leadership Material
If you’re still hard-pressed for a press release topic after considering all of the options above, you can write a release on new trends in your industry, or any new information you’ve uncovered in the course of doing business.
New market research, studies, or polls work great here, as well as any events or situations that illustrate your personnel as authoritative in the industry.
Press releases may seem intimidating at first, and there’s no question that they’re difficult to take on.
But with a little experience and a lot of patience, you can start collecting more, better ideas for your press releases and get backlinks from high profile news sites.
Don’t be intimidated if many of your early press releases fail to make it to publication; it’s just the nature of the business.
All you can do is write the best, most consistent material you can, submit it to the most relevant publication sources, and hope for the best.
Even a handful of press links will make all your efforts worth it.
Want more information on our content promotion or link building services?
Head over to our comprehensive guide on content marketing here: The All-in-One Guide to Planning and Launching a Content Marketing Strategy.
Over the years he's written for publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur, Marketing Land, Search Engine Journal, ReadWrite and other highly respected online publications. Connect with Tim on Linkedin & Twitter.
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