Yesterday, I shared a press release revision project that I said “fell short of expectations” and I was asked by a colleague why I would choose an example that didn’t get a ton of coverage.
My short answer is because every publicist on the planet does that.
It’s hard to stand out when you’re doing what everyone else is doing, isn’t it? Plus I knew I was going to write a follow up article to explain why falling short of expectations doesn’t mean that the effort was a wasted one.
Hits and Misses are Normal
You see while the press release fell short of expectations in terms of traditional media coverage, that’s part of the publicity game and not something that reflects on the quality of the release or the organization being pitched. This is especially important to keep in mind if you are handling your own publicity. Thousands of professional releases and pitches are rejected every single day.
In fact, this release did trigger a couple of legitimate local media inquiries (yay!), but it did not result in any traditional media coverage (boo!)
Benefits Beyond Media Coverage
- Relationship development – the organization now has direct contact information for the outlets that did have further questions and they can submit future newsworthy and relevant tips to someone who’s now familiar with who they are and what they do.
- Link development – the organization now has many back links directly to it’s website which help with search engine optimization and authority building.
- Awareness Built – Even the media that did not respond to the press release now have an awareness of the project that did not exist prior.
Obviously, none of these has the impact of getting actual coverage, but they are things that can be built upon for the next time the organization has news to share.
It has been my experience that while one release is a hit or miss affair – if an organization continues to send timely, relevant and newsworthy releases they almost always get the coverage they desire by the third release.
What next?
Hire Patrysha to write your next press release or learn how to create a do it yourself publicity promotions plan for your small business.