Strategies for Writing Press Releases in the Digital PR Style

In our previous article, we discussed whether social media constitutes a form of digital PR. In this article, we’ll discuss press releases as part of a digital PR strategy.

PR professionals surely already understand that one of the functions of PR is to build relationships with media representatives or journalists. These activities can include inviting the media to events, sending out press releases, and engaging in media relations.

Now, with the development of internet technology and digital media, the ways in which PR professionals distribute press releases to journalists have also changed. Whereas in the past they relied on faxes, now they can use email, messaging apps like WhatsApp, and even social media.

Some people believe that these methods can also be considered digital PR activities. Is that true?

Press Releases in Digital PR

What Is a Press Release and Its Purpose

A simple definition of a press release is information compiled and written by PR practitioners with the aim of communicating to the public, through journalists or the mass media, important activities at the organization or company where the PR practitioner works. PR agencies, such as Media Buffet, distribute press releases related to their client companies or organizations.

For journalists, press releases are a source of ideas and data for the news stories they want to write. However, in reality, not all press releases can be used as data sources by the media due to various factors. The most common factor, though, is that the information presented isn’t compelling enough for journalists because it isn’t backed by data, for example.

So, writing a press release also requires a strategy, right? Absolutely!

SEO-Friendly Press Releases

In digital PR activities, one way to develop this strategy is by using online tools related to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) so that news published in the media appears on the first page of Google. These tools include Google Trends, Keyword Planner, and other analytics tools. Confused? Take a look at the following case study:

Dina, a digital PR professional, was tasked with creating a press release to introduce an air freshener product. By using Google Trends, she was able to determine how often internet users search for information related to “air fresheners” on Google. Dina then discovered that the trend in air freshener usage had significantly increased over the past year.

Then, by using the Keyword Planner, Dina discovered that the keywords or phrases people most frequently typed into Google when searching for information about air fresheners were “automatic air fresheners” and “long-lasting air fresheners.”

Using just these two tools, Dina was able to draft a press release containing data on the increase in air freshener usage and the types of air fresheners people search for most often.

That’s the digital PR strategy for creating a press release. With a well-measured strategy, the expected results will be more precise.

In other words, if you think that sending a press release via email or a WhatsApp group already counts as a digital PR activity, that’s not quite accurate. That’s still considered conventional PR—it’s just that the medium used is different.