How Press Releases Build Buzz and Grow Your Small Business

Oct 19, 2023 | Listen

How Press Releases Build Buzz and Grow Your Small Business

The term ‘press release’ is associated with big business, serious press conferences and major media networks. For some, it may seem like an old school marketing technique. But many small business owners miss that press releases can be a powerful to shine a light on your company, even if you’re not a big player.

How Press Releases Can Benefit Small Businesses

Press releases can catch the media’s eye, increasing your visibility. This will help you connect with more people, and boost your business. If your press releases are well done and effective, they can also help establish your credibility.

But how do you begin? What do you talk about? Will anyone pay attention?

Is there a surefire way to create press releases that interest your audience and journalists?

And how do you share your story with the world?

Insights from Public Relations Expert Mickie Kennedy 

In this episode, Mickie Kennedy and I discuss small business PR and how it can help reach a wider audience to ensure growth.  He’ll walk us through the process and share press release strategies to get your story out there.



Timestamps for this week’s episode

04:00 Crafting Effective Press Releases for Small Businesses

07:01 How to get your press releases out in the media

08:40 Creating Compelling Press Release Content

22:16 Steps to Producing and Distributing Press Releases

35:00 The next actionable step that small businesses can take within the next 2 weeks to create effective press releases


Effective Press Releases for Small Businesses

Press releases for smaller companies require creativity, especially since they may not have frequent product launches like bigger players. 

With the right strategy, smaller businesses can use press releases to seize media attention and establish authority. 

Here are some tips to effectively communicate with the media: 

  • Identify noteworthy angles
  • Crafting quarterly press releases around important developments or industry-related surveys 
  • Commission a study or survey within your industry and share the results through a press release.
    • Highlight surprising findings 
    • Offer insightful analysis
    • Establish your expertise through quotes. 

Though your smaller audience size might discourage you, smaller trade associations can help distribute your press release to their members, mutually benefiting both parties.  

You really want to have defined something that's different like what is the story behind your business? Anything that fleshes out your company or your products in a way that builds into the story.

How to get your press releases out in the media

To effectively distribute your press releases in the media, there are strategic methods to follow.

Direct pitching

  • Connecting straight with journalists and presenting compelling ideas via emails or calls. 
  • You may get instant results, but this method demands significant time and effort and doesn’t always yield results.

Using services like eReleases 

  • Integrates with popular newswire sites
  • Make your press release accessible to journalists actively seeking stories.
  • Journalists can filter by industry and keywords, streamlining their search for relevant content (hopefully yours). 
  • Your press release has a bigger chance of reaching journalists who cover topics aligned with your story or industry.

“Media loves data. So if you can take public data that’s out there and package it in the interesting way. That’s another great way to sort of stand out.” — Mickie Kennedy

Creating Compelling Press Release Content

Find your USP to stand out from the competition.

  • Origin/Journey story

Share the backstory behind your product, service, or business to engage readers.

  • Tailored content 

Address the specific needs of your target audience and tailor your press release accordingly.

  • Data Insights

Compile public data to deliver valuable insights, to target the media’s love for data-driven stories.

  • Contrarian POV

Stand out by challenging industry trends or share your unique perspective that challenges the prevailing narrative of your industry.

  • Outside-the-Box Content

Share industry blind spots, challenges, or emerging events that might go unnoticed by larger publications.

Journalists are in the business of being gatekeepers and determining what is worthy of communicating with their audience. You have to figure out how to bump it up to another level so they find it irresistible and want to share with their audience.

Steps to Producing and Distributing Press Releases

Here are the three essential steps for creating and distributing effective press releases:

Press Release Production

Ensure your press release is professionally packaged, usually in the third person. It should be written well, relevant, and resonate with the audience and media. Incorporate first-person quotes to enhance its appeal. 

Press Release Distribution

  • Directly send the press release to journalists you have established relationships with. 
  • Explore reputable wire services like eReleases that partner with established newswires such as PR Newswire, Business Wire, and GlobeNewswire, significantly expanding your press release’s potential reach.

Providing Media Support 

Once the press release is out, be prepared to interact with the media who might want clarifications or further insights. Being available to address their inquiries is vital. But also manage expectations; media coverage can vary. Some may receive limited or no attention, while others that are compelling will attract extensive media interest. 

Actionable Step

Consider enrolling in Mickie Kennedy’s free master class. 

This hour-long video session, available at ereleases.com/plan, is an invaluable brainstorming platform. 

It will help you generate 5 or 6 actionable press release ideas tailored to your business. 

If this class sparks your creativity, you’re likely well on your way to leveraging the power of public relations for your small business. 


Summary

  • Smaller businesses can creatively use press releases to capture media attention and establish authority by identifying unique angles, crafting industry-related releases, and collaborating with trade associations.
  • To distribute press releases effectively, you can directly pitch to journalists or using services like eReleases with integrated newswires for wider reach.
  • Be creative when crafting effective press release content. You can share your story, address your customer’s needs, provide data insights, discuss contrarian viewpoints, and highlight industry blind spots.
  • Share effective press releases by producing professional, high-quality content, sending them directly to journalists or using reputable wire services, and potentially interacting with media who might seek clarifications or insights. 
  • Enroll in Mickie Kennedy’s free master class at ereleases.com/plan to generate 5-6 actionable press release ideas tailored to your business, leveraging the power of PR to ensure small business growth.

Transcript

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About guest – Mickie Kennedy

PR Expert, Press Release Ninja, Media Relations Networker

eReleases

Mickie Kennedy is an expert at helping small businesses, authors, and startups increase their visibility and credibility. 24 years ago, Mickie founded eReleases after realizing that small businesses desperately need a press release service they can afford. 

While working in PR. Mickie came face to face with customers that wanted to use press releases due to their effectiveness at bringing in business but could not afford to pay the extremely high startup fees that most agencies charged. Mickie saw an opportunity to help — and eReleases was born. 

Mickie created eReleases to give small businesses access to the media and to a national newswire – all with a personal touch. eReleases has grown since then and even works with big names now, but the spirit of Mickie’s original intent has not changed. eReleases delivers personal service and exceptional value to every customer, with every press release, at every price point. 

Mickie lives in Baltimore County with his family and two feuding cats. He enjoys British science fiction and acknowledges an unhealthy addiction to diet soda. Mickie holds an MFA in Creative Writing with an emphasis in Poetry from George Mason University. He still writes poetry most Monday nights with a group of fellow misfits in Brunswick, Maryland.

Website: https://www.ereleases.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/publicity/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ereleases.press.release.distribution


About host – Kathy Svetina

Kathy Svetina is a Fractional CFO for growing small businesses with $10M+ in annual revenue.

Clients hire her when they’re unsure about what’s going on in their finances, are stressed out by making financial decisions, or need to structure their finances to keep up with their growth.

She solves their nagging money mysteries and builds a financial structure with a tailored financial strategy. That way they can grow in a financially healthy and sustainable way.

Kathy is based in Chicago, IL and works with clients all over the US.

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