Don’t you just love it when the media shares something you’re interested in?
Remember when your local newspaper announced the newest literary festival in town? You may even recall a thing or two about your favorite musician’s album signing event in your area through your go-to news channel.
Whenever an interesting story is aired or published, there’s a huge possibility that a press release made it happen. It’s only quite unfortunate that some authors are missing out on its benefits because there are still misconceptions about it!
To help clear the doubts surrounding this tried-and-tested marketing method, we’ve debunked five of the known myths about it.
Myth #1: No one issues press releases anymore.
Anyone who has access to social media platforms know that they don’t need a press release to find new reads. But this doesn’t make it obsolete. You’ll be surprised to know that when used with other marketing methods, one well-written press release article can actually go a long way.
For example, the combination of press releases and media pitches, it’s the usual strategy when you want to present yourself as a reliable source to news outlets and readers. Here, you can simply use press releases as a reference for further details during your pitch. Press releases can be valuable content for your website and social media platforms as well.
Myth #2: You don’t need a press release when you’re online.
When almost everything from traditional advertising turned digital, press releases followed suit as well. Now, you don’t just simply write a newsworthy article. You’ll also have to web-optimize it by filling it with keywords. With this, media audiences and consumers can search it online—just like any content in the Internet. You can also put it on newswires. These platforms distribute news to journalists, editorial offices, and other media outlets online.
Myth #3: You only need a press release to reach out to media outlets.
Before the advent of the Internet, press releases were mainly to catch the attention of the media. But now with just a few clicks, it can now be accessed by media, readers, and buyers alike. This means that when news outlets don’t pick up your story, it can still be for consumers to read and enjoy!
Myth #4: Your chances of reaching media outlets are very slim.
The media will only ignore your book if you simply don’t make an effort to make your article newsworthy. With that said, you need to have a good reason whenever you should send one. For example, you might want to send a press release if you’re joining an important event as an author.
With the Internet, you can now also put a few multimedia tidbits to grab the press’ attention. You can add branded images, videos, infographics, and even some clips. But always remember, these are just the frills. Your article’s story should be first—always!
Myth #5: You need a huge budget for a press release.
To create an effective press release article, you’ll certainly have to spend a little. Yes, you can write one yourself and send it to free online news distribution sites. But by doing this, you’ll have to do more work as you won’t be enjoying full features from these free or affordable newswires. You might have to profile the sites that you’ll be using to make sure it’s sending to your desired channels. You may even have to monitor your article’s progress by yourself!
Despite all that, creating press release articles doesn’t ultimately have to be expensive and demanding—especially if you’re going to work with the right people. With our team of marketing experts, you wouldn’t have to spend extra hours doing everything on your own or worry about not getting full support with your budget. We’ll definitely work with what you have. We can help you craft, distribute, web-optimize, and even monitor your article!
FACT: There’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t do a press release. Now that you’ve been enlightened on all those myths, we hope you’ve found a new addition to your book marketing arsenal. If you want to learn about how we make newsworthy articles for our authors, you can visit our Publicity Services page. When you’re ready for your press release, you can also contact your Marketing Consultant at 833.262.8899.
