The 1,2,3s of Online PR: Part Two

Mailing Your News

If you've been doing your homework, you already have a list of e-mail addresses of the journalists and others whom you'd like to receive your press release. (In fact, this is another great thing to have on your PR page -- a form that allows reporters to enter their e-mail addresses to receive future releases.) If you've received an e-mail address from someone in this way or if you've just taken it from a business card but feel he or she is likely to want the release, that's great. Just make sure you give people an out.

Always send your message with a meaningful subject line, like "PR -- Acme Corp. Announces New Knife," so that your recipients know immediately what they've received. If you have an embargo date or if your release is really an alert, say so in the subject line: "Press Alert: 1/15 Conference Re: Acme's New Knife."

Don't send your press release or any supporting documents as an e-mail attachment, and make sure you aren't accidentally sending it as an HTML document to recipients who haven't specified receiving HTML. Instead, send the release as a plain-text document, but include links to the Microsoft Word, HTML, or PDF version of the release if you've created one or more of those. Remember, reporters and editors are often travelers, and they're going to be upset if you've wasted their bandwidth with a big picture of you high-fiving yourself. That won't endear them to your cause.

Finally, make sure it's clear to the recipients exactly how they can get themselves off your PR list. They may have a new job, a new career path, or they might just have all the news out of you that they want. In any case, make sure there are clear instructions at the end of each e-mailed release telling the recipients who to contact for more information and who to write if they don't want to receive any more PR e-mails.

Once you've covered your website and filled the inboxes you know about, your next step is going to be finding a service to help you get your release out there for the other 98 percent of the world to see. There are two types of services we'll discuss -- e-mail and Web-based distribution. Each has its place.

NewsTarget focuses directly on technology editors -- webmasters, small office/home office magazine editors, multimedia specialists, and so on. In many cases, this service would be best for technology-related products and announcements, although anything reasonably related might also be a good fit. NewsTarget offers a complete list of editors in other fields. Check on the web site for information about the price of sending out your press release via email. NewsTarget also offers an e-mail newsletter that promises advice and articles as well as, one must presume, deals and specials on its services.

Internet Wire offers a no-nonsense ordering page that allows you to distribute your press release for a fee to top technology editors as well as national newspapers, television stations, Internet distribution sites, and so on. It has a decent reputation and includes its full distribution lists online for you to peruse.

Posting Releases on Wire Services

Some of the distribution services already help you get on the big names in PR wire services: Business Wire and PR Newswire. But if you'd like to go directly to the source, then you'll get great distribution for your release -- the Web wires are not only distributed directly to a number of news outlets, but tend to be used rather extensively online as well. You'll find these stories popping up in Excite, Yahoo, and Infoseek news, for instance, as well as in print and audio/video news media. To get on the Business Wire, you'll need to pay a 12-month, $100 membership fee, which then entitles you to the honor of paying more money to distribute your release. How much more? Depending on the service chosen and the region to which you want the release sent, a single press release can cost between $135 and $525 to be sent to media outlets nationwide.

Additional charges abound for things such as massive fax-release services, international distribution, and so on. If you just want to be active on Business Wire's Internet-based release system, things are a little cheaper, but tend to be billed by the month.

PR Newswire is another familiar service, offering distribution over the Internet, via its extensive Web presence, or by fax. Like Business Wire, this service can be tailored to your needs, distributing to local news outlets or national or international editors, or focusing on the Internet services. Although it is not quite as popular as the other two, check out the Internet News Bureau. The service places news on its website and distributes a 500-word press release to a list of thousands of journalists for $250. For a lower price, the release can also be targeted to journalists (usually 50 to 100 individuals) who cover particular industries or types of stories. This "module" mailing includes business, finance, fashion, arts and entertainment, and similar topic headings.

Tracking The Story

With your press release making its way down the airwaves, hopefully some media outlets will pick it up and run with it. Of course, if the press release is well-written, you may not even hear from them first. (It's not a great way to write a story, but even reporters cut corners sometimes.)

You may decide you want to know where the story is being picked up and by whom. One way to do it is to keep track of your company name through the major search services, such as Infoseek, HotBot, Excite, and Yahoo. Just plug in your company's name as a keyword (it often helps to put proper names between quotation marks) and see what comes up.

If you'd like a more thorough job performed, you can use a tracking or clipping service. These services do the dirty work for you by searching in every conceivable nook and cranny of the Internet (or more traditional media), then reporting back in a professional and straightforward manner. Some even offer analysis that can help you do a better job of placing your releases.

CyberScan Services offers to hunt through the Internet finding stories related to a particular company, topic, or industry. Searches are a little pricey--approximately $200 for a one-time report -- but the more you use the service, the better the deals get.

CyberAlert is geared more toward monitoring all sorts of coverage, discussion, and stories on the Internet that relate to your company -- including such things as misinformation or bad PR being spread through Usenet newsgroups. Basic news monitoring starts at $395 per month after an initial $125 start-up fee. EWatch offers a similar service at rates starting at $3,600 per year, and rising (at times dramatically) depending on the additional services and the number of users who need access to Ewatch reports.

Burelle's is a more traditional clipping service that also happens to cover the Internet. It will find stories, TV mentions, and Web clippings from thousands of different sources according to your keywords.

Getting The Word Out

You might get some personal calls and mail in response to your press releases, which you should be prepared to answer in a quick and decisive manner. Make sure your product managers and vice presidents know to expect calls from you, and have some idea to whom you should pass a reporter for a particular question.

Another nice touch, especially if you're hearing a large number from reporters, is to put their frequently asked questions on your site, or rearrange your site if you keep hearing the same questions and your Web visitors aren't finding the answers online. That will not only make things more manageable for the people trying to give you some press, but it'll cut down on your wasted time, too. Remember -- you are the contact for the reporter. If you're helpful, creative, and efficient, the reporter will more likely assume your company is the same.

One last thing: Be prepared with a few anecdotes, statistics, or jokes to both dazzle and fascinate those reporter callers. You want to quickly convey the layman's interest in your topic. Reporters love to lead stories with a hook that's interesting or exciting, then get into the meat of your story. They'll appreciate your help, too, with whatever information or materials you can provide for them as quickly as possible.

If you're running a small business, you probably already have your hands full with production, management, marketing, advertising, and distribution. It can be a chaotic existence, especially if you're wearing a number of hats. The last thing you're probably focused on is public relations.

But PR is an important function for any business; you need to get your name out there, favorably and inexpensively, in media other than just advertisements. Sure, it's important to put your marketing message in front of as many eyes as possible. But exposure -- in local business journals, regional trade magazines, nationally on the Web, in magazines, and in newspapers -- is an integral part of developing a successful business. Whether you need to trumpet your successes or perform some damage control, you'll be in better shape if you already have a PR mechanism set up for getting the word out.