News Releases: Part 4 – Where to Distribute Them

Now you’ve written your news release … what do you do with it?

Before distributing a news release, consider the following:

• You will want to distribute the release as widely as possible, but target your publicity just as you target your market. Your local newspaper or talk radio show might be interested in your support of a local charity or your guidebook to the region, but those news releases aren’t likely to garner the interest of a major metropolitan newspaper or national TV show.
• Follow the submission instructions of your targeted media. Although most newspapers and other media accept e-mail releases today, my mentor George McKenzie said sometimes your release gets more attention if it’s faxed. Most journalists get so much e-mail and so much spam (like all of us) that it’s easy for your news release to get overlooked. Send to right department or individual; you can usually find the information online.
• Customize your release for different media. When David Bowles was a finalist in the historical category of the IPPY Book Awards, he sent news releases to the newsletter of each historical and genealogical organization he belongs to. He customized each release to include something specific about his relationship to the organization, such as researching for the book in its genealogical library.

Options to consider for offline news release distribution:

• Print: the local newspaper, neighborhood newspapers, trade journals in your industry, alumni magazines of schools you have attended, newsletters of organizations you belong to, specialty magazines on the subject of your release
• Broadcast: radio talk shows, local and cable programs covering feature/human interest stories, local news shows

Options to consider for online news release distribution:

• PRWeb: the amount you pay depends on the services you choose; for less than $ 100, your release can be distributed to Yahoo News and Google News as well as being posted on the PRWeb site and distributed to journalists interested in the subject.
• Press release distribution services: the articles below list a number of online press release distribution services
• Web sites and e-zines: look for sites and newsletters related to the subject of your release, such as industry news or book release announcements

You’ll find specific distribution suggestions in these articles:

20+ Free Press Release Distribution Sites by Sean P. Aune at Mashable
How You Can Double Your Profits with Free Press Releases by Dorothy Thompson at Pump Up Your Online Book Promotion
If You Can Give a Journalist Exclusivity, the Payoffs Are Big by Eric Eggertson at Common Sense PR
News Releases 101 from PRWeb (guidance on writing news releases for PRWeb that is helpful for writing all news releases)
Writing Press Releases Part 3 – Submitting by Angela at Pearl Writing Services

I hope this series of articles has been helpful. If you’re still wondering about something not covered, leave a question in comments, and I’ll get an answer for you.

[tags]news release, press release[/tags]