Before the rise of social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter, marketers were faced with the challenge of how to write a press release that would reach millions of people through their search engine optimization (SEO) talents alone. The goal overall goal is to enhance visibility in the search engines in order to drive new traffic to their site.
Now, reaching both new and returning customers with your press release through social media pages is much more effective becoming an SEO genius. However, there is much more to learn on how to write a press release than writing good copy and publishing it on your social media platforms.
In order for your press release to have any kind of impact through social media, you must first understand how these networks function, and what the audiences of these web sites are looking for when it comes to public relations (PR).
Social Media and Its Influence on the Individual
Before you sit down to learn how to write a press release that’s suitable to post on your social media page, you must understand that these networks function differently than other sites. When you post something on your blog, you depend on SEO keywords and your existing audience to give it a high ranking and to share the link on their own pages. However, it’s a bit different when you’re writing a press release for social media.
When you create a social media page for your business or company, you are creating content that is made to be shareable. Sites like Twitter, Facebook, and even Tumblr and Instagram have clickable buttons that allow users to share your post on their own feeds in seconds. People who use these sites are already geared toward brand recognition, so creating pages for your brand or company will enable you to reach them much more easily than you would with a blog post.
Even on Twitter, where you are limited to 140 characters per post, you can share the link to your main social page, along with a short message that announces it. This kind of media not only allows you to reach a wider audience with your press release, but it may also spread much more quickly as well, thanks to the sharing options that these pages provide.
Creating a Press Release for Social Media
Understanding how to write a press release for social media is the first step toward success. Unlike a blog post, a press release should be brief, to the point, and packed with information. You should not include any personal opinions or include off-topic content; this includes past information about your company or any kind of background information that isn’t directly related to the news.
For example, trying to set up new customers with a long, introductory paragraph about your business will turn off existing customers and cause them to click away. While prospective customers do need to be informed about your company, including a link back to your page or including a small resource at the end of the press release will allow them to visit at their leisure. Well-written content of this kind should include information, facts, statistics, and optimized SEO keywords. The length of the content for your release should be no longer than one page.
Errors to Avoid with Social Media
Once you have learned how to write a press release and understand what should be included in its content, there are still a few other errors to avoid if you want your content to reach the greatest number of people. One major mistake that people make is to release their statements at the wrong time.
On the Internet, timing is everything, and if you miss your window, your post will become buried in people’s feeds. While you can’t predict breaking news, posting your press release when there are major world events happening will cause it to be hopelessly buried in a fury of shared links and news feeds.
If you plan to make your post first thing in the morning and you see that some major news event has occurred, as frustrating as it may be, you should hold off posting it until the next day. Better to delay your announcement than have it get lost among posts that have more media power.
Another mistake that people who are inexperienced with press release writing make is that they try and discuss too many topics at once in one post. While you might be eager to discuss your new product, its possible uses, how it will affect your business, and possible future profits, as well as a number of other topics, making your post too long or trying to add too much information will either confuse your readers or simply cause them to click away.
Many readers and Internet users who read posts like this on their social media want information that they can process right away, so be as focused as possible when creating your content.
Not All Social Media Sites Are the Same
While your press release will have the most effect when you have a number of social sites for your company or brand, not all social media sites operate in the same manner, so your content will be shared differently on each site. On Facebook, instead of releasing a press announcement on your personal blog as the company’s CEO, create a page for your brand instead.
By creating a fan page, you can give your readers a comprehensive landing page that gives them a little bit of background on your company and other information, as well as a place from which to launch your press releases. When you do this, the readers who follow your page will become accustomed to this, which will make your Fan Page their go-to source for all of your company’s news, and they will be more likely to share information from this page as well.
Learning how to write a press release for social media demands accuracy, concise and informational copy, and good timing. When you partner all of this with your imagination and your company’s innovative products, you are sure to succeed.
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