To improve your own PR efforts, start by helping journalists by providing them with instantly available content online. Journalists are inundated with press releases and pitches each day and they have to make snap decisions about which stories they will cover. If they can see that there is good quality and accurate content to accompany a press release and that it is easily accessible, then they are more likely to cover a story.
Here are a few tips on creating content to make it easier for journalists.
- Create a range of hi-res images
Journalists want instant access to a range of product images. Offer them plenty of choices such as different angles, close-ups and different colour options. Journalists like to use a combination of cut-out images (images of products on a plain white background) as well as lifestyle images which present the images with a sense of relevant styling. Cut-out images prove the most popular image type for journalists, however, with almost two-thirds of all proven coverage secured from Press Loft downloads coming from cut-out imagery. With this in mind, it is advised that you upload 60% cut-out images and 40% lifestyle images.
- Put prices on images
For each product image, create another version that includes the product price on it so that if the journalist is looking to include prices in their article, it is readily available. Journalists will not want to spend time researching the price of a product and if it means they have to make a call to enquire, they are likely to move on to someone else’s product.
- Supply clear information about the products/brands
Provide journalists with as much detail as possible about the products and the brand so that they don’t need to carry out additional research.
- Tell a story about your brand
Journalists love using case studies to make their pieces more interesting and engaging for the reader, so spend time creating well-researched case studies about how your products are being used. If relevant, remember to get permission from the customers and end-users who are providing the information for a case study.
- Add your press office to your website
Add your press office contact details to your website and ensure they are easily located so that journalists don’t have to search the site to find them.
- Reach out to them for feedback
Once journalists have had a chance to review the release, reach out to them to ask for feedback on what you provided them and see if there is anything missing that would help complete their article.
Helping journalists can help your short-term goal of getting coverage for your products but it can also help you in the long term. By establishing good relations with journalists, you are more likely to get future coverage.
What is Press Loft?
Press Loft www.pressloft.com is a PR platform specialising in the home, gift, and lifestyle sectors that helps thousands of brands to get their products into the press.
Our PR tools allow companies to easily secure press coverage and quality backlinks for SEO by connecting with our network of 26,000+ journalists, bloggers, and influencers.
Did you know that we offer a FREE trial* of our PR tools for gifts and interior brands? Click here to start your free trial and join over 1,200 brands already using Press Loft for their business.
*Trial offer available for new members only
