5 Rules to Follow if You Want a Successful Press Release Distribution

For a lot of startups, press coverage can sometimes make or break the success of the brand's popularity. Press releases are credibility and branding tools, not SEO tools. They are perfect for spreading the word about a company's new 'it' service or 'it' product.

And if a release is compelling and engaging enough, it also generates plenty of social signals, chatter, and sharing. Ergo, you've got direct targets and organic traffic filtering back into your website.

And the cherry on top? The wide news and major mass media coverage.

We'd be daft business owners if we didn't invest in good old mass media coverage. But if you want massive success in your press release distribution, then you need to play by the rules.

5 Rules to Abide By for Good Press Release Distribution

At this point, start thinking of press releases as a tier-one newspaper for a major story. Think about it. They give you the ability to spread the word about your product, service, or company. The only catch is that your story has to be news-worthy. The tenet of the 5 Ws (the who, what, where, when, and why) applies to this.

To get your successful press release distribution under way, live by these 7 rules.

Rule 1: Knowing your readers

Anything that has to do with marketing and branding requires an understanding of who you're writing for. If you don't know what your audience needs, wants, or likes, you can't write content powerful enough that will get you the results you want.

You need to get inside your audience's minds, learn what they think about, and leave no doubt in your mind that you've crafted a news story that works.

The best press releases are defined by how they aligned with their target audience.

Rule 2: Write a punchy story

Press releases are one form of branding, and they are important to any healthy marketing plan. But they do require a slightly different approach.

The trick is to create punchy press releases that are educational or informational, and entertaining right from the get-go. You can do that successfully if you follow rule #1. In addition, you need to know what the other competitors are doing, and find out what makes your company better than theirs.

Rule 3: Keep your press release short

A meaty blog article worth 2,500 words? Yes please.

But can that same principle be applied to press releases? No.

Lengthy articles won't get you results. Think of your readers and the fact that they came here for the news. They're not here to read ebooks. They're expecting facts, and you need to give it to them straight.

Again, focus on the 5Ws; the who, what, where, when, and why. Go for the most important details, filtering down to the less important. Answer the questions, and then introduce the professional opinion.

Rule 4: Do some cross promotion

After writing your press release, you need to promote it heavily. Cross-promotion is essential, and lots of experts in the industry actually refer to it as "free form of advertising."

Cross promotion can happen across various mediums, with public relations at the helm. You need to find the right partner for your press release distribution. Take the steps to do this and you'll find that you can attract far more traffic and qualified leads than you expect.

Rule 5: Only distribute if you have massive news

Don't presume to distribute your press release just because you think you have to. You need to have a media contact list for press releases, and you must send to media outlets that are worthy of the story you're publishing.

Creating brand awareness for the right audience is far more important than pumping press releases to outlets where they don't belong, and simply for the sake of doing so. Journalists will be interested in stories that are news-worthy, and stories that align with their journalism beat.