The relationship of corporate communications and media is a reciprocal one: both need the other. In order for this cooperation to work, the needs of the recipients truly need to be taken into consideration in PR. At its best, the result is a long relationship that benefits both parties.

Basically, the right content needs to be offered at the right time, to the right people, in the right places. As a service in return, producers of quality content get visibility and over time are profiled as experts in their field.

Right content at the right time

Successful PR comes down to topicality, novelty value and informative value. However, even the most topical press release doesn’t work if the content is bad.

The decision to read or not to read a press release is often made based on the headline. If it’s too long or vague, the message goes unopened. Choosing a headline, it pays off to try and find a news tip that interests journalists and other readers.

The next step is the caption. The caption should be short, factual and correspond with the content. If it’s not clear what the press release is about after reading the headline and the caption, few will read further.

A good press release contains simple and unpretentious pragmatic text. Sales pitches, buzzwords, professional slang and adjective strings should be left out. Instead, links to high quality images, research reports, and other additional material save the journalist’s time and increase the chances of the press release going through. Remember your contact info for giving out additional information – and make sure that the contact persons are ready to answer inquiries at the moment of sending.

Those who use language as a tool have high demands for the linguistic form and spelling. Make sure that the press release doesn’t have typos or complicated phrase structures. The content has to be succinct and fit on one A4 page.

To the right people in the right places

The aim of PR isn’t just to reach as many media representatives as possible. The key factor is to convince the right people. The ultimate goal is to reach expert status in your field of business.

Targeting enhances the chances of success. Composing a few alternative versions of the press releases for different fields of business or different areas is often worthwhile. It pays off for a company from a small town to reach out to the local press with a different news tip than to the national media. The press of your own industry needs more technical content than other media.

Content must be provided continuously and consistently. The goal is that upon seeing the name of the sender, the important media representatives know the message will contain useful information for them.

If the press release isn’t written about when it’s sent, it might be utilized later on. Many journalists gather data based on the press releases and find tips for future stories, possible interviewees and experts.

At its best, long-term PR work turns the direction of interaction. An expert in a particular field often gets to comment on current topics among the first ones from the journalist’s initiative. This is successful PR.

Did you get interested in effective PR? With LianaPress’ multi-channel press release service you can distribute your press releases easily and target them to the media and other stakeholders. Our service provides an access to an extensive and constantly updated database of media contacts and, if needed, you can limit the recipients to be the journalists of your own field of business.

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