For those of you in the PR industry, have you noticed a change in the way news and releases and distributed? A recent article claims that social media is having more of a role in distributing news. But, simply logging into Facebook and publishing a link to a new release doesn’t give you the traffic you need, however. In most cases, all forms need to be utilized after a press release has been created and released. Aside from Facebook, this includes Twitter, LinkedIn, and MeetUp.com. Before this, a release needs to be added to an online PR channel for distribution.
A website like PRWeb.com is usually a reliable source for getting a press release out on the internet to several news channels and RSS feeds. In the past, this often meant mailing or faxing a paper press release or kit to various print media channels for a reporter to do a story. In the present, the latter practice is becoming less common as print media loses its influence and more are turning to the internet for their news. Being released on a news channel isn’t enough, however. The goal is essentially to get to Google news – and made into a news story.
While you can’t always control who picks up your press release and spins a story, wait a few days to see who links to the release. Often, in these cases, their news story links to your original press release. When the release and news story make it onto Google news, use either – preferably the news story – as a link on Facebook and other forms of social media.
At this point, your PR department should have been building up a base of followers and “friends” on either of these forums. Those who follow you will see the new release or story, hopefully click on it, and bring your client’s website traffic.
