A media release, also called a press release, is an official statement shared with the media and the public. Organisations or individuals use media releases to announce events or news, express their views on topical subjects and share insights. The goal is to have journalists use the information for news stories.

Media coverage is very important, for three reasons. First, it exposes your business or service to more people. Second, it positions you as an industry expert. Third, it helps your SEO (search engine optimisation) or Google ranking. The more media coverage you get, the more clients and referrals you’re likely to attract.

You should write about things that are of interest to the publication’s audience – that way, the newspaper / magazine / website is more likely to publish your media release. This could be news about your business (although only if it’s interesting), research findings, industry analysis or opinion pieces.

Journalists receive countless press releases each day, so make yours stand out by having a catchy headline and a short introduction that explains the main points. You should also include quotes from a company spokesperson to create authority. Keep the media release short, around one to two pages, and supply contact information for follow-up questions or interviews. Make sure the information in your release is accurate. Finish off with a short explanation on who you are and what you do.

Identify respected publications that cover news and topics of interest in your industry and have readership demographics that align with your target audience. Find out which journalists within these organisations specialise in your subject matter and obtain their contact details. You should also send your release to a general newsroom email to avoid potential oversights due to journalists’ days off or job changes.

You should avoid the mistake of writing salesy, self-promotional media releases, because journalists only publish news their readers consider topical and interesting. Another big mistake is burying the most important information, rather than putting it at the top of the media release. Other mistakes include providing inaccurate information and incorrect contact details.

There is never any guarantee that your media release will be published. But if it is newsworthy, topical and of interest to a publication’s readers, there is a higher chance. This likelihood can also depend on your relationship with the journalist and the timing of your release.

You can increase your chances by making sure your media release is well-written, contains valuable information and features an interesting angle. Another way to increase your chances is by sending regular media releases, because this will help you build a relationship with journalists and position you as a serious, credible person.

No. Journalists have no legal or ethical obligation to run an article by you before publication, even if it includes information about you. Remember, unless a journalist approaches you for a comment, you need them more than they need you. If you want control over what a media outlet publishes and how they publish it, you need to pay for advertorial space.

There’s no reason why you can’t write and distribute your own media releases. However, if you work with a professional content marketing agency, like Hunter & Scribe, which understands how the media works, has built relationships with journalists, knows how to write media-friendly media releases and has a strong track record of attaining media coverage for clients, you’ll significantly increase you chances of success.