Good Public Relations: The All-Important Follow-Up

By Mike Epifanio

 

In April’s blog on good PR, I wrote about how building a solid media list is “square one” for any good publicity campaign. Last month, I gave some real-life examples of how I have built relationships with the journalists on our clients’ media lists. For June, I’ll be emphasizing the importance of following up after you’ve distributed your press release.

Once you have distributed a press release to the journalists on your media list, you can’t just sit back and wait for it to appear on the pages of a newspaper or digital platform. Most of the time, follow-up is required. You might even need to be a bit of a pest.

Like an annoying sibling in your childhood, sometimes relationships can be irritating. Following up after your initial press release distribution is vital to effective public relations. As they say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Calling a newsroom to verify that a press release has been received and to ask if any more information is needed in order to get it published can be uncomfortable, especially if it’s the third time you’re reaching out to follow up.

I can’t tell you how many times we have gotten our clients’ press releases published after they had been overlooked when first distributed, but got picked up upon being resent to an editor after a follow-up.

When a press release you’ve submitted gets published, your work isn’t over. An editor made a decision to publish that release and gave you a win to bring back to your client. You should thank them for it. I don’t send thank-you notes every time a client’s press release gets some ink, but I try to let editors know that I appreciate their support (or that our client appreciates their support) as often as I can.

In my opinion, the most important part of a publicist’s job is to get to know the editors on your media lists (see May’s blog on Good PR: Building Relationships with the Journalists on Your Media Lists). The more you know them – and the more they know you – the better you will be at getting your company’s press releases published.

 

More great PR Tips from Performance Marketing

1. A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

Be sure to include a photo or video with each press release if you can. A good visual increases the likelihood that your release will be published. Further, when it does get published, a press release with an accompanying photo or video will receive greater notice, generating more impressions and engagement from the outlet’s audience.

2. Know Your Audience’s Audience

“Know your audience” is a marketer’s mantra. In PR, your audience as a publicist are the journalists in your media list. Their readers, listeners, or viewers are THEIR audience. Their job is to share relevant information with their audience and your job is the same. So if a newspaper’s audience is made up entirely of residents of a single town, don’t waste that editor’s time by sending a press release about something happening in another city. Be targeted with your PR efforts and only send press releases that are a fit for their audience. Sending inappropriate releases is a great way to get ignored by journalists.

3. Keep it Simple, Short, and Sweet

Press releases should be between 400-600 words for optimal pickup. There are exceptions to every rule, but you should keep your company’s messaging succinct as editorial space is often at a premium.

4. Integrate Your PR into Your Overall Marketing Campaign

PR can be the primary driver of your client/company messaging efforts. As such, it should be integrated at the earliest stages of each marketing campaign. A press release is an excellent source for smaller, bite-sized social media content that can be spread out over several weeks. Conversely, social media can supplement your distribution by posting a link to your press release on LinkedIn or Facebook, for example.

 

If your company needs professional public relations services, including writing and getting press releases published in the media outlets your potential customers read, call Performance Marketing today at 609-646-0414 or e-mail mepifanio@callpm.com.