A press release is one of the most effective ways to get coverage for your brand. With a press release you can target your audience and give your brand the exposure and visibility it needs across both the digital and print media landscape.

This is why you must write a brilliant press release and then submit it for distribution. There are many ways to do this, although for the most effective results you can even hire a press release distribution service to do it for you.

Here is how to effectively submit a press release.

1. Create A List

Who do you want to send the press release to? This is the most important question to answer before you send out a press release. There are many options to choose from such as:

• Newspapers
• Radio outlets
• Social media influencers
• Blogs
• Magazines
• Any other digital media or print media outlet

Whichever media you choose, they should be able to effectively target your audience otherwise the press release will be a wasted effort. For each potential outlet, research their target audience and demographics before you submit your press release to them.

2. Follow Relevant Submission Guidelines

These outlets will all have specific guidelines that you need to follow for submission. If there are no guidelines available on their website, then find their contact information to email them or give them a call and ask how best you can submit your release.

Once they have provided you with their guidelines and requirements, read them thoroughly and make sure that you fulfil them. Many media outlets will have very specific requirements, for example detailing file formats and word length, and so you may need to adapt your press release for different outlets.

Before submission, you should review your press release to ensure it complies with all the relevant guidelines.

3. Send Your Press Release with a Proper Submission Email

If you are not hiring a press release distribution service then you need to send a proper email with your press release. This email should include:

• Your name
• The business you work for
• The fact that you are submitting a press release
• That you would like a journalist to consider your press release

However, to properly format the email you should first greet the person you are addressing by name and then introduce yourself and the organization that you are representing.

After that, you should explain to them that you are sending them a press release that you would want them to consider. With this, you should also provide a tentative release date.

In the end, you need to give them a convincing reason to release your press release. Always appeal to the outlets by emphasizing how their target audience will benefit from your press release.

Lastly, just give your contact information so that they know where to reach you if they decide to publish your press release. After that just attach the press release and send it!

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4. Follow-Up with the Outlets

Once you have submitted your press release, don’t just sit around and wait. Instead, personally call or email the outlets, tell them you have sent them a press release, and make sure they know you are available to answer any queries they may have about your press release.

Don’t just call right after. Wait for at least three days and if they don’t respond to your email then give them a follow-up call. This should be more of a polite courtesy call to let them know you have sent them a press release.

5. Work on Promotion

Once the submission is done and it is released in different places, it is now time to market your press release. Don’t just rely on SEO and the Google algorithm to help you rank higher, do your own marketing so people are compelled to search for you themselves.

First, you should share a sneak peek of your press release on your website and provide a link to the full press release. This way users will be intrigued and so interested that they click the link to see what it is about.

Make sure that the website post is shareable on other social media platforms as well. This way anyone who reads your press release will be able to share it with other users.

You can also share it yourself on other social media accounts such as your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. This will provide you with a boost of visibility and help you attract a wider audience.

6. Always Track Your Performance

There is always room for improvement. If you are not using a press release distribution service, then make sure you have the right metrics to track the performance of your press release.

Doing so will give you valuable insights such as:

• If it is meeting the objectives of your business
• If the media outlets are giving you the visibility you need
• Is it reaching your intended target audience
• Ways to improve to do better next time

This is key to having even more successful press releases in the future. However, if you are using a distribution service then they will offer you a dashboard that makes tracking performance much easier and provides you with additional valuable insights. Through their dashboards, you can also track things such as:

• Where your releases were published
• The size of the target audience in that publication
• The industry each outlet is targeting
• Location of the readers of the press release
• Demographics and interests of the readers
• Engagement metrics such as clicks and impressions

Businesses in the 21st century depend on data and having this is crucial to know what you got wrong or right. This way you can implement better strategies in the future.

Do remember that the best press release distribution services offer more media outlets and an enhanced service compared to doing the distribution yourself. Why not consider hiring one and see how much better your press releases perform?

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Final Words

Hiring a press release distribution service makes the process of distribution easier and more professional, which allows you to focus on the other important aspects of running your business. However, submitting a press release is very simple, can be easily done, and can bring a real boost to your brands profile!

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