Promote Your Ecommerce: Press Release

Updated July 17, 2008

Press releases do more than inform the public of company news – they help you establish a position on the web, help you nail down your unique identity, and they build industry profile.

A press release is the perfect opportunity to reinforce your company presence and represent your business savvy while updating company developments and promoting new products. And because a press release is directed to a chosen media source, it generates exposure not only to a new audience, but a highly distilled demographic. When crafted carefully - and issued tactically - a press release can be mark a major PR and promotional victory for your e-business.

Indeed, tactics are critical. The fact is, your press release will probably join an ocean of competing press releases. Together, they will flood into the office of a news service. The key is to survive the dreaded round file screening process. That means understanding how a news room functions - and how a newsletter should be crafted.

The first order of business is to identify legitimate company news.

Is there an impending product launch? Are you selling a new service, a hard-to-find product, or novel information? Have you recently pioneered a new industry innovation, received an award, or established a partnership?

Have you done something for your community, supported or organized a charity function? All of these items are newsworthy. But that does not necessarily guarantee you will go to press.

That's because a press release needs to grab attention - then hold interest. Just like a company newsletter, a press release should ease off on the pitch in favor of legitimate information. Blatant self-promotion is rarely mistaken for important or interesting news. Here, think about strategically intertwining company news and promotions with industry developments, with external trends and breaking local, national or international news - or tie your press release to a recently published survey, poll, or statistical report.

A human interest story, a current marketing or fashion trend, a heated debate or industry controversy - these are all vehicles on which you can piggy-back your company presence, business acuity, and product promotions. The point is, make sure that your press release is newsworthy and engaging. And by all means, never over inundate a news service with drivel, or you may jeopardize your serious, future news items.

Next, write your press release in journalist style and follow guidelines. That means putting the prime information (who, where, what, and when) into the lead paragraph. Adopting an objective, authoritative tone is important, as is avoiding industry jargon - especially anything esoteric sounding. Do research on standard formatting, learn how to write powerful headlines and intriguing lead paragraphs - and always remember to close the release with a short corporate summary.

Here, provide details about your company history, your achievements, and your product lines. Prominent in your first body paragraph, it's also wise to embed a URL to your company - and make sure you provide contact information and e-mail addresses.

Finally, keep it brief: one to two pages is the standard.

Once your press release is perfect you can think about targeting pertinent news services, publications and online sites.

Then find ways to get your news item to the correct department, into the right hands. If possible, try to establish contact with an editor. And as you issue press releases, don't forget to create your own online company newsroom where you can post new releases and provide an archive for old.

There is more to Press Releases

Press releases are among the greatest weapons in an online retailer's arsenal.

News organizations have a seemingly insatiable appetite for Internet-related tidbits, and with some perseverance, you should able to get your story out in a way that benefits your business - possibly in a big way.

But there are some pervasive myths when it comes to writing and distributing press releases - myths that often result in unnecessary frustration and wasted time.

Strangely, few instructional articles on the subject ever attempt to dispel these unfortunate misconceptions.

Here are a few PR fallacies that could bog you down on your path to getting printed:

Press releases should be written just like any other marketing document.

One sure-fire way to ensure your release winds up in the trash bin is to fill it with blatantly promotional statements. Reporters are inundated with press releases every day, and to hit them with an obvious sales pitch is a real turn-off. Look at releases from some big-name companies to familiarize yourself with the subtle art of self-promotion.

The newspaper will print my release the way I write it.

It used to be true. No longer. Nowadays, a press release is only used as an idea for a story. The content for the actual article is more apt to come from a variety of sources, including interviews and research conducted by visiting your Web site. Be sure to offer alternate ways for reporters to get information on your company and the news item you're writing about.

Send every press release to every news organization.

There are a number of submission services out there, eager to send out your release to hundreds - even thousands - of newspapers around the world. And if your story is truly earth-shattering, that approach just might work. Once. But if you want your press releases to be taken seriously on a consistent basis, be selective about the organizations you submit to. Over time, they'll come to realize that your correspondences are worth reading. And printing.

I don't need to follow-up press release submissions with a phone call.

Unless your company has already achieved some degree of name recognition, chances are reporters won't even read your release - without a phone call, that is. Give them a day, then politely place a call and offer to fill in any missing details. If you do nothing else, try to establish a rapport - or some degree of familiarity - with at least one reporter at each paper in your local area. As with most aspects of business, there is a decidedly human element to successful press release distribution.