Marketing Statistics

Press Release Marketing Statistics 2019

The Truth About Press Releases in 2018-2019

How important are press releases in a 2018 content marketing and link building strategy? With 78 percent of marketers using press releases as a part of their content marketing strategy according to Content Marketing Institute and PR Newswire, the old school method remains a popular way to announce something newsworthy. Press releases also offer an earned, as in free, mention of your company where you control the content.

Press releases allow you to tout your success without sounding like an advertisement. Consumers don’t trust advertisements anymore. New products and expansions tell consumers that making the all-important first purchase from you is a wise decision because so many other consumers have already done so with success. Consumers need to justify their purchasing decision and news of your company’s achievements from an authoritative news website provides a rationale for the person’s decision. You’ll want to ensure the press release does not sound like an advertisement as well, or journalists will not pick it up. If your marketing department is writing your press releases, this is especially important.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the best days to send out press releases and the best time is at 9:00 am. Sending out a marketing e-mail or a press release on Monday isn’t recommended because it may get lost in journalist’s inboxes as they read through the emails they received over the weekend. Naturally, you should always consider the time zone the journalist is in so you can reach them as they begin their workday. You also want to give journalists lead time. They are not sitting around waiting for news about an event your company is sponsoring tomorrow.

Despite the number of content marketers utilizing press releases. 63 percent of businesses share their news via social media. While social media might be the ideal platform for an ice cream company announcing a new flavor, a new CEO warrants a press release and possibly a tweet linking to a press release. Assignment editors still need business news to report, such as acquisitions and new C-level hirings. These events need press release announcements to include necessary background information that adds value to the story and quotes that provide insight.

When crafting a press release, your headline is the most important phase that you will write. Once your piece is published online, five times as many people will read your headline as will read the press release. You have to mention your brand and get your message across as succinctly as possible. If your company is opening a new office, mention your company’s name, the new office’s function and where it is located. If people don’t read the rest of the press release, at least they will remember your company’s name and know where your new office is located if they ever need your services. Additionally, adding more words to your headline makes it more SEO-friendly.

Finding inherently newsworthy events to write about is not as easy as it seems. One way to find information to write about is to commission a report about industry trends or anything else that would interest people. This offers journalists the opportunity to publish data valuable to the industry, which they are pleased to report. Reports also establish your company as an authority, which may encourage reporters to call your company executives when they need a quote. Statistics are also highly shareable content for social media.

When you think about all of the advantages of releasing press releases, such as links from authority sources, credibility for your company and increased brand awareness, it is surprising that for the past several years SEO professionals have claimed that press releases were no longer a useful content marketing tool. As long you report newsworthy events and include multimedia resources for journalists, you can continue to reap the benefits of press releases, while your competitors chase the latest fad.