You have news to share and it’s time to put a plan into motion to actually share it. When it comes to sharing big brand news or product launches, you have a lot of options. Debating on using a press or news release, pitching widely, or offering an exclusive story? Below, we’ll break down when to use each media relations strategy, as well as the benefits that come along with them. 

What is a press release?

Press releases are a streamlined way for companies to share information with journalists, bloggers, writers, and the public. They’re useful for announcements, reaching new audiences, increasing search engine optimization (SEO), expanding audience reach, generating press, and so much more. 

Press releases are written in a funnel format; the most important information should be listed first within the headline, date and location, and opening paragraph. Supporting information, relevant quotes, multimedia, and additional copy should be included in the next paragraphs to further explain announcement details, company mission, product development process, and background on the launch. Press releases should end with the brand boilerplate and relevant contact information. Overall, a press release should revolve around one main announcement—trying to include too many updates could overwhelm both media and potential customers. 

When would you use a press release?

If you’re launching a game-changing new product, new collaboration, new company, announcing company expansions, or rebranding, a press release is the way to go. Any large-scale announcements such as these are great to share in a press release format. Additionally, any company announcement that you’d want to live on for SEO purposes should be published in a press release, as they’re often picked up by syndicated news outlets across the country. 

What about an exclusive story break? 

A second option for larger brand announcements and launches is an exclusive story. This is when publicists or companies target specific writers and media outlets to offer them an exclusive story break, meaning that no other writer or media outlet can run the news until the exclusive has been published. This type of launch will include an embargo date and time in which the media understands that no announcement details can be published until the embargo has been lifted.

Exclusive stories are often used for company funding announcements, celebrity collaboration debuts, new product launches, or any announcements that are time-sensitive and should not be revealed until a specific time and date. This could also include internal hires or departures.

So, what is wide pitching? 

If your company has a smaller announcement, wide-spread pitching efforts to targeted media would be a better fit. Wide-spread pitching is useful when an embargo is not necessary and publicists (or brands!) are able to instead share the story with all relevant publications and journalists at once. With wide-spread pitching, any outlet may publish a story upon receiving the news, and this is typically the best way to ensure diverse media coverage.

All three of these media pitching strategies have their time and place, and all can be useful when executed properly. However you choose to share your news, Press Hook has available PR plans, options, and experts to guide you through every step of the process.