Quite often when we are discussing Search Engine Optimization and effective brand strategy we discuss media advisories and press releases. Before we get into the reason for that, let’s clarify what each of those is! Generally speaking, a media advisory is communicating an event or something of that nature to the media whereas a press release is providing information in a “news story” like format. A press release tells an exciting story about your business that you believe is worthy of people reading about.
Whether you are working on an upcoming charity event, or your company just had an incredible quarter, there are a lot of reasons why you should consider releasing the information in a distributed way to the media. Every moment in your company’s journey is a possibility to communicate your brand’s story to your community, network, or the general public.
We talk a lot about the importance of backlinks when it comes to SEO strategy. One of the most powerful back-links you can have is from a news outlet’s website, so naturally getting a release into the hands of your local newspapers. While we won’t share our client’s news releases here, we can show the results of one from our group of companies. When Andrew Westlund wanted to announce the new Your Workspace Building he wanted to do it in true Westlund Group style! So, he naturally hopped on his motorcycle and showed the building off. We then executed a news release to local media, where it ended up in the Langley Times (https://www.langleyadvancetimes.com/business/video-taking-a-motorcycle-tour-of-a-new-type-of-langley-office-building/). This created a local buzz, and drove a lot of traffic through to our businesses, and to our websites. It was a great signal back to Google letting them know how “important” our website was, which positively impacted our SEO.
There are many more benefits to properly executing a release than just SEO though. They can potentially reach thousands of people, especially if you are interested in other professionals or people working in your sector understanding or seeing the success of your company. They are a great way to engage with the community and reach new customers.
We typically recommend a digital 360 execution when it comes to media advisories and press releases. We work on writing the content effectively, ensuring that the brand story is getting across and + a strong enough call to action, and then make sure it’s distributed properly. You can effectively use “the wire” to send your news release to all of the media across Canada or the US, but we also find that a social media strategy with the right targeting can go a long way.
Imagine if you run a motorcycle repair shop, and your hosting a large event to raise money for cancer. A release can be distributed to all the media outlets, but also strategically placed in front of all of the motorcycle riders in your local area who may be interested in supporting charities. The impact on your business, your brand and your awareness can be significant.
Interested in chatting about your next event, or news release? Contact us – we’d love to chat about how we can get it in front of the right people, and at the right time, within the right budget.