Should I submit my press release on Issuewire?

Press release sites have always been so-so for me. I've used PR Newswire in the past and have had success with getting the release picked up. If it's a well-written press release with an interesting hook, you can definitely get traction. The question is what is the traction for and does it actually convert into sales. So I'd say it depends on your goal – if all you care about is eyeballs and your press release is good, go for it. But make sure you've thought about how best you can spend your time/money to make sure there's not a better outbound approach you could be taking.

Some suggestions on how to pitch to journalists: 1. Pitch with a very interesting sentence headline (the title and headline needs to capture the journalist's attention and interest) 2. Convey an interesting storyline or something that is impactful. Everyone likes a good story. 3. Be concise and use associations that journalists can relate to. E.g. maybe your startup is the Uber for X or Airbnb for Y. Some suggestions on how to search for jouralists: 1. Search for big publication's twitter account and find associated journalists' twitter handles. Send a tweet to the journalist. Concisely summarize your pitch in 140 characters. 2. Search for big publication's LinkedIn account and find associated journalists' Linkedin profiles. Send an Inmail. Refer to previous section on best practices in pitching.

Hello! First, you're going to have to spend some time researching your targets. You can go for the typical outlets that feature startups, but I think you'll find great traction if you start researching bloggers that are in the healthy food space. I would also spend some time researching who has covered your competitors, who might be healthy snack subscription services such as Urth Box, Healthy Box, Graze, etc. You can use a tool like Buzz Sumo (buzzsumo.com) to see what publications and AUTHORS (this is the most important part) have covered their launch or anything related to them. The authors are extremely important because often times they have their own personal blogs, or they write for multiple places. Once you find the authors you want to target, get to know them and engage with them. I have a lot of tips (and also a research spreadsheet as a resource) that you can find in these two places: Post: http://www.copyblogger.com/stronger-outreach/ Resource For Research/Tracking: http://t.co/89AER7pUBW As far as an example email, something like this might work for a food blogger, customized for each person and in your own voice. Never, ever send the same exact pitch to food bloggers, and make sure you research their temperament before reaching out. You'll want to get to the point, but make sure they know that you appreciate their blog, them, and what they've written about. Also, make sure you're following them on their various networks and that you've engaged in some way with them. This may take some preparation but it's worth having that warm touch before reaching out. Also make sure they're open to accepting pitches. Some explicitly state that they're not, and you should honor that. ---Hi [name] <-- always address by name. I'm [your name] and I'm the founder of [company name], which is a healthy snack food subscription service. We [name competitive differentiator here] and I'm hoping to help spread the news of its launch to the food community. I was looking through your blog/site/publication and I noticed that you've posted about [something related to your area - healthy snacks, healthy recipes, quick bites, etc - share link] and [share why it was important to you - maybe their post talks about one of the reasons you decided to launch the company, etc]. Do you feel as if [company name] would be a good fit to share with your audience? We'd love to share a promotional code with your readers so that they're able to get the first month free and test out the snacks. Thank you so much for your time! ---- As far as reaching out to bloggers that have covered competitors, that's another beast, because you have to be respectful in how you approach it. If you have the resources, you can always write a post that discusses something in the health space related to food, including (proven) scientific facts, with visual "fact cards" that can then be pitched to a bigger news outlet. That's just a very loose, general example as more research is required to figure out what will resonate with that crowd. It's also something that I could brainstorm and cover in depth on a call. I'm always available to chat via Clarity. I've executed outreach for a lot of product launches in the past and I'm happy to chat about this. Have a great day!

It very much depends on what your core objectives are as to whether using an online newswire is effective and also what niche your business operates within. The success of using the likes of PRWeb may differ on a case by case basis. Some tips to determine the success of a Press Release: - Review some of the latest Press Releases within the most related category of the particular online newswire site you are looking to use e.g. http://www.prweb.com/newsbycategory/business/ - Search online for related keywords within the headline to see if they appear in Google News results or within the main Google search results for the company brand name - Check where the release is visible online by searching for the headline in inverted commas in the search engines e.g. https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Vollrath+Company+Showcases+Latest+Smallwares+and+Equipment+Innovations+at+National+Restaurant+Association+Show%22&num=100&espv=2&rlz=1CAHPZT_enGB672GB672&filter=0&biw=1366&bih=631&gws_rd=cr&ei=udQ_V7WXFce90gTwwKDwDQ - Analyse how many times a press release is shared via social media by using the likes of www.buzzsumo.com or the Impatana Content Marketing Toolbar (available via https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/impactana-content-marketi/gidhppoakegddkkpmgoejeadomghnkie?utm_source=chrome-app-launcher). Many online press release websites offer "social media booster" packages for extra cost but are not likely to be as effective as if you promoted the release yourself via social media and your influencer network. From a pure PR perspective, I'd recommending reading The PR Masterclass (https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Alex_Singleton_The_PR_Masterclass?id=2UJOAgAAQBAJ) which quotes.... "Although I don't recommend pay-for newswire services, there are proper newswires, funded by media organisations, which are worth contacting. Indeed, newspapers and broadcasters rely heavily upon them to find and filter news. In the UK and Ireland, general news is covered by the Press Association. The equivalent in Australia and New Zealand is the Australian Associated Press (AAP). In the United States and Canada, the Associated Press and The Canadian Press, respectively, take the lead. Reuters and Bloomberg are the main wire services about finance. Each newswire service will provide you with details of how to submit your press release. They are, in my experience, extremely good at sorting through the material they receive by email." For Search Engine Optimisation benefits using online press releases as a tactic have significantly diminished over the last 3 years so don't use online press releases if improving organic search visibility is one of your main goals. My personal opinion is that online press release services are becoming a little outdated unless you have a particular niche targeting a local area that you may be able to gain PR traction in. Many online newswire services have pivoted to more social media listening and promotion tools over the last few years which shows how the impact of newswire releases has declined. My suggestion would be to avoid these automated newswire services and instead: - develop good direct PR relationships with relevant people in your relevant industry niche - builds up your social influencer network by using tools such as Buzzsumo, Followerwonk, Buzzstream and http://klear.com/free-tools?source=whiteHeader and then promote your message via a blog or another type of engaging online content format - Develop a targeted email list over time using software such as https://sumome.com/app/list-builder. CRM and email marketing are becoming more advanced every day and there are many success stories of how you can gain significant brand awareness through good email marketing.

Why are you adamant about press releases? They are by far the worst conversion rates {unless you're a household name like the post or fool} for businesses. For our evens we do sometimes send out PRs but locally only and to those writers we know. Which is key. Also making it easy for them to pick up. {copy and paste for them} For growth hacking leverage cohort analysis, Twitter and Facebook. Create a meetup. Offer affiliates... Press releases are slow moving marketing steps that take away control from your business and gives it to an editor. Never lose control of your marketing. Humberto Valle Unthink Strategy