The Ultimate Guide to Press Release Distribution

What is Press Release Distribution?

Before we dive any deeper, let’s iron-out exactly what press release distribution is.

Here’s a fancy definition: "Press release distribution is the process of circulating or seeding out your press release to journalists and members of the press."

The purpose of distributing a press release distribution service canada is to land coverage in media publications such as newspapers, radio, TV news bulletins, podcasts, or blogs. That way, you’re positioning your brand in front of a wider audience.

Why Bother Distributing a Press Release?

People aren’t going to see your press release if you don’t distribute it.

And if it’s not seen, people won’t know about your business -- which defeats the entire purpose behind creating your press release.

Gaining press coverage helps to get your business or brand name into the public forum. That’s helpful for building awareness of your brand -- especially when 44% of journalists consider press releases to be the most trustworthy source of brand-related information.

Distributing a press release also has these benefits:

1. Press releases can boost your SEO.

Over three billion Google searches are made every day.

By implementing SEO tactics into your overall marketing strategy, you’re more likely to reach the top spots of users' search queries, which will help potential customers and clients find you when they're searching online for information related to your company, industry, product, or service.

Gaining links to your site from others is a huge ranking factor for SEO, as explained in a study by Backlinko:

Distributing press releases can help you land coverage on huge publications. Additionally, there's a chance those websites will link to yours, which can help to boost your own search engine visibility.

But what happens if you land awesome coverage without a backlink?

Don't panic. Both Google and Bing have suggested that positive brand mentions may play a role in how they rank your site, meaning positive PR coverage can aid your SEO efforts even without a link.

2. A press release can drive local foot traffic to your store.

If your business is a brick-and-mortar shop, press release distributions can help to get people through the door.

Whether you're running an event or simply launching an eye-catching sale, measuring foot traffic into your store after distributing a press release is a simple way to gauge how successful your release has been.

3. A press release can generate more sales.

If you're launching a new product or an exclusive line, a targeted press release can have a significant impact on your bottom line. Why? Because it help drum up interest and make revenue from your stock, especially if the offer sets you apart from competitors.

Busy shopping days can be a great way to get your products in front of potential customers.

For instance, if you're offering discounts on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, why not reach out to retail journalists to highlight your offers?

PR Agency One landed 52 pieces of coverage for their client with Black Friday press releases -- all of which helped put them in front of consumers who were ready to buy.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Distributing a Press Release

You know how important PR is, and you’ve crafted a succinct, yet powerful, story. All that’s left to do is share it with the world.

But journalists have to write up to seven stories per day -- so how do you ensure your press release is one of those stories? And just as importantly, how can you make your distribution email stand out in a crowded inbox?

Follow this five-step guide to learn how.

1. Find journalists who might be interested in your press release.

When you want to share some news, I’ll bet you're tempted to tell as many people as possible. You want everyone to hear about it, right?

However, that’s not always the right thing to do -- because not everyone is interested in your story.

(Brutal, but honest.)

Along with crafting a press release that journalists are interested in, you’ll need to be super-specific with the people to whom you send your pitches.

You can do that by searching for journalists who've already written about your topic or industry.

For instance, let’s say you run a car parts business. You’ve conducted some research around potholes, gathered some interesting data, and turned it into a killer press release. But mailing every journalist under the sun is probably going to be a waste of time.