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Public Relations (PR) is “the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) and the public.” Unlike advertising and other types of marketing, PR activities do not require direct payment. That is, PR is the idea of creating coverage for organisations for free.
The aim of public relations is to inform the public, prospective customers, investors, partners, employees, and other stakeholders and ultimately persuade them to maintain a certain view about the organization, its leadership, products, or political decisions. Larger organisations will tend to employ a specialist PR agency and/or employ have an in-house PR team.
Smaller organisations have high expectations when it comes to marketing investment. They need value for money when spending on any kind of promotional activity. They know that nowadays the web is increasingly becoming a major source of new customers. Most small businesses will not need a full-time PR specialist or a detailed PR strategy. However, there is one PR activity, issuing regular press releases which all businesses should include in their marketing activities.
Press releases are relatively cheap to produce but can bring in huge benefits. Issuing press releases regularly and making sure they are available on line will help drive traffic to your web site. Of course, there is no guarantee that the press will publish your press releases especially if they are not ‘newsy’ and well-constructed.
With the rapid increase in online media there has been a resurgence in demand for press releases. Online distribution has brought down the cost of delivery meaning the simple press release can be a significant way of boosting web site visitors. A well written press release could develop excellent results. Such that smaller organisations can use press releases to develop the kind of publicity costing thousands to achieve with other types of marketing activities.
This is a quick step-by-step guide to creating a good press release: