Is the media release a thing of the past?
In just a few years, pretty much everything about the way we communicate has changed, especially for businesses. In the past, if a business wanted to get news about itself or its products and services out into the wider world, they either had to buy advertising space or issue a media release in the hope that a journalist would pick up the story and run with it.
Nowadays, however, with social media at the fingertips of just about everyone on the planet, the entire population has become the reporter, using 280-character announcements, video messages, instant stories and ‘status updates’ to break news faster than you can say “media release”.
So, can the traditional media release still play a role in the modern digital marketing strategy?
The media release in a world of short attention spans
In our new digital world, even the proverbial goldfish with its short attention span has competition, after a recent study by Microsoft revealed that people now generally lose concentration one second faster than that fickle fish. This just serves to highlight how the increasing digital lifestyles in today’s world are affecting the human brain. It would seem then that there simply couldn’t be a place for the carefully crafted media release in a world of such constant transience, or could there be?
Just think what a good media release was designed to do. A properly crafted media release was designed to:
- Grab attention
- Reach a wide audience
- State the facts
- Build brand recognition and respect
Yet those are exactly the same goals any modern-day business has with the various components of its digital marketing strategy!
There’s still room for the media release in the multi-faceted digital marketing strategy
And that’s precisely the point isn’t it? Engaging with your target audience in today’s digital marketplace does not comprise a single solution but is, instead, multi-faceted and incorporates the full spectrum of digital marketing tactics, including social media, your website, email marketing, video and even still the media release.
While the media release can’t compete as a news vehicle with the fast-moving pace of the social media world, when used correctly, it can still be a valuable digital marketing tool.
A carefully written media release can still grab attention in our increasingly noisy world. Success, however, will depend on the quality and content of your media release. Like any other content favoured by the search engines, media releases in the digital age need to be short and to the point and provide an information angle that really matters to the reader.
4 media release tips to enhance your digital marketing strategy
A well-written media release that serves as a thought-leadership piece is a great vehicle for building the reputation of your brand and will go a long way to enhancing your digital marketing strategy. Here are four practical tips to help you craft a media release that will do the job:
- Ensure headlines are short and snappy as well as attention-grabbing.
- Begin with a short summary that explains exactly why the reader should read it – this is where you make the reader want to care about your story.
- Where appropriate or relevant, include a variety of content, including visual, such as images, video and infographics.
- Conclude with a strong call-to-action, including a link back to your website.
Once you’ve crafted your media release make sure you share it with everyone in your business too. Not only will this ensure they keep up to date on company news, but they can also share it with others via their social networks, as well as with customers. If you distribute an email newsletter to customers on your mailing list, then you should also include your media release here too.
How to build a winning digital marketing strategy
If you have a compelling story to tell, then having a digital marketing strategy that makes use of every avenue to do so clearly and creatively will help you not only break through the noise in today’s crowded digital marketplace but will also successfully capture the attention of your target audience.
As a full-service digital marketing company, the team at Net Branding has been helping clients across New Zealand develop digital marketing strategies that get results. If you’d like help with developing an effective digital marketing strategy for your business, then get in touch with Net Branding today.
