(image: https://www.superdream.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/7-alt-pr.jpg alt: Alternatives to press release)
*When a client asks us to help them share some big news, it’s our job to advise them on the best way for them to deliver the right messages to the right people. Whilst we still write a lot of press releases in the PR department at Superdream, sometimes a standard media release just isn’t the best tool for the job.*
Here’s a quick run-down of some of the alternatives we suggest to clients wanting to launch a new product or service, make a big announcement or share their latest research:
**1. Make a video release**
It’s been another big year for online video. Twitter has launched video autoplay in their feeds and Facebook has given advertisers the option to buy video ads. Video releases don’t necessarily require big budgets either. Whilst they may require more time and effort to make and distribute to key digital and social media channels, they can be considerably more effective at telling your story and engaging audiences.
**2. Do an Internet broadcast**
If you’ve already built an engaged audience and you have some high-impact news to share, it may be worth considering sharing your news via a live stream. Both Periscope and Meerkat have become popular places for brands to directly connect with audiences this year. Whilst a live stream can be fairly straightforward to set up, to have the desired impact in terms of engagement and buzz creation, this approach will require a wrap-around strategy for creating momentum leading up to broadcast and capitalising on this afterwards.
**3. Create an infographic**
A well-designed infographic can quickly communicate your message in a way that effectively captures the attentions of time-poor audiences. Infographics can also be shared across a broader range of online platforms than a traditional news release, especially if broken down into bite-size chunks. They may also be held on sites for longer than a standard news-story, reaching a wider audience. An infographic doesn’t have to be a static image either – by adding links or interactive elements (such as polls or forms) you can also give it conversion qualities. When widely shared, infographics can also provide a big SEO boost.
**4. Give an exclusive**
If you’re in a place where you have strong relationships with key journalists and bloggers, you may want to consider forgoing a public announcement in lieu of giving a hand-picked outlet an exclusive. Of course you need to be very familiar with your chosen writer’s style and confident of their ability to frame your story in a way it really shines. Sometimes the clout of a single media outlet (traditional or otherwise), clearly focused on the breaking of your story, will have a far bigger impact than a news release distributed far and wide.
**5. Hold a virtual briefing**
A virtual briefing can be a great alternative to a release and considerably more economical (and potentially better attended) than a single-venue launch event. Personally invite key stakeholders, influencers and members of the press to join your spokesperson for a short, interactive online news briefing. Depending on the split and size of your audience, this could be one briefing or a series of briefings in quick succession. This works best when the news is significant and relatively simple (such as a major announcement, more details relating to which can be found on your website). Encourage attendees to ask questions and be sure to make them feel special by giving them the VIP treatment where possible (perhaps you could deliver their invite via a personalised Direct Mail (DM) piece?). This can be a great way to build relationships (as well as to ensure that your message reaches your target audience, via key influencers in a natural, highly impactful way).
**6. Write a blog post**
If you have a well-established blog, this shouldn’t be overlooked as a place to break news. Whilst it almost (but not quite!) goes without saying, that you should be sharing any news on social media anyway, why not consider following the example of many leading brands and going ‘social first’ and sharing news first on your own media platforms?
On your own blog, you’re free of the limitations of a press release: you don’t have to adhere to the standard press release format and you don’t have to use an official news voice. You can also guarantee the inclusion of your chosen images, links and videos. Best of all, you can align your news announcement with the voice of your company and brand and use personality to bring you’re the story to life. Of course, you will need to have a co-ordinated distribution strategy in place – the link will need to be shared via your company’s owned channels when it goes live. You may also want to draw the attention of key press contacts to the post and make sure your spokesperson is available to field questions in the period following publishing.
**7. Create a virtual scavenger hunt**
You’d be amazed how many times, throughout our careers, the members of the Superdream PR team have been asked to write press releases about website launches. Our target audiences enjoy reading them as much as we enjoy trying to convince editors to publish them (they won’t as a general rule). However, if a client’s objective is to get people to have a look through their new website, we’re always happy to suggest alternatives. Creating and promoting a virtual scavenger hunt (where website visitors are incentivised to explore the new site, visiting multiple pages to gather information or locate a range of clues) could be a much more effective way of meeting the brief!
*If you’re stuck in a news release rut, please do get in touch – the team would be happy to suggest a range of other ways you can effectively deliver your latest news to your target audience.*