The news release has lovers and haters. Some say it is an antiquated and ineffective way to communicate. Others see it as a valuable tool for helping companies build trust, credibility and value. Whatever side you are on - one thing is clear - the news release is not going away. In fact, it may be more important now than ever before.
The news release came on the scene 100 years ago as a way to respond to a tragedy and today still remains a vital tool for companies and brands to talk to key audiences. Recently with social media and a proliferation of other channels bombarding audiences everywhere - the news release has become even more misunderstood and misused.
So we thought it would be a good time to take a closer look at ways to make sure your news release is effective in today's extremely competitive environment. Here are four points to consider:
When used properly, the news release works. The news release still remains a valuable tool for companies to build product and brand awareness and for journalists to source story ideas. It just has to be used properly.
As an integrated PR and digital marketing agency for B2B technology companies, Wired Island has been issuing news releases for clients since the early 90's. Our 30-year track record of helping technology companies leverage PR to increase awareness and market share demonstrates that PR still works and the news release is far from dead. In fact, it is why we are so excited about at tool like Reportable. Reportable is a new way to create, share and host a multimedia news release on a dedicated URL that serves up exactly what busy journalists are looking for in a way that's relevant and meaningful in today's era of digital and social media
Side Bar - how to create Visuals for news releases
Often times the nature of a news release means there are not a lot of visual elements handy to issue with the release. This means we need to get creative. Here are some ideas for how to come up with visuals to support the news release. (See graphic "Don't have a visual" )
Machine Design's two-part feature on 3D Printing Trends in Manufacturing, highlights how companies are using 3D printing in novel ways to increase and improve production. Optomec is cited as an example of the innovation process necessary to stay on the leading edge.
The opportunity for additive manufacturing in repair applications is significant. Corrosion and wear cost the US economy $300 billion per year, and of that the global commercial aviation industry spends almost $100 billion annually on repair.
Wired Island worked with Optomec to announce its acquisition of Huffman, a trusted supplier of machining systems for metal part production and repair. With the Huffman acquisition, Optomec aims to expand the use of its LENS additive manufacturing solutions to the world's leading gas turbine manufacturers. Optomec wanted to communicate that this was a positive move for both Huffman and Optomec customers and to the industry in general as it will help drive greater adoption of cost-effective repairs for mainstream industrial applications. The results show that the messages resonated.
Here are some of the trade publications that capture the meaning and significance of this announcement: Additive Manufacturing and 3DPrint.com.
Does your team need communication consulting on an upcoming acquisition or announcement? Read more about how Wired Island can help on our media relations page.
WWD, a leading business and trade magazine for the fashion and beauty industry, covered the growing importance of pop-up stores as a tool for brands and retailers. Wired Island secured our client as a resource for the article, as well as an interview with Storefront customer Rue Saint Paul who utilized Storefront as a resource to find and launch their pop-up store. The article positioned Storefront as an industry leader siting its over 10,000 listing in 30 cities worldwide. The article offered multiple reasons brands are using Storefront and pop-up stores including increased awareness, flexibility, cost, and engaging customer experiences.
It has been an exciting six months for our client Prophesee. Last Fall we announced a new round of funding and the launch of Prophesee's first off-the shelf product, the Metavision sensor. Both announcements garnered significant press coverage which we helped amplify via Prophesee social media channels.
In February, continuing to build on this momentum, Prophesee announced a development partnership with Sony that combined Sony expertise in advanced 3D stacking CMOS manufacturing process technology and Prophsee's unique event-based vision technology resulting in the industry's smallest pixel size and highest HDR performance for this type of sensor.
The team was excited to announce this breakthrough, which was presented at a prestigious industry conference, ISSCC, The news that an industry giant such as Sony sought out Prophesee as a partner to expand Sony's presence in the sensor industry, where it already dominates, speaks to the growing status of Prophesee as a leader in vision sensing and processing (which targets industrial automation, robotics, autonomous vehicles and other machine vision-enabled applications). Wired Island worked closely with the client to best communicate this in a way that honored both business' ambitions, the terms of the partnership and Sony's stringent communications guidelines.
Wired Island briefed key trade, tech and mainstream targets and also worked with Sony to pitch a Japanese version of the release to key outlets in the company's home country such as Nikkei. The news was featured in prominent French publications such as Le Figaro and L'Usine Digitale, as well as some top English-speaking outlets such as EE Times, IMVE, IEEE Spectrum, Embedded.com, Electronics Weekly, and Ubergizmo.
Riding the wave of buzz from our client, Back Market, being named one of Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies for 2019, Wired Island jumped into action to continue the conversation with the publication's editors. Fast Company, known for always being on top of the latest tech and lifestyle trends, is a top target for the client as it reaches a savvy and informed reader base. Securing coverage in Fast Company would significantly raise the profile and stature of Back Market in the US - a new market for the company. With the name recognition from the award, we had the opportunity we needed to go back and pitch the editor on taking a closer look at Back Market and its mission. The resulting article not only covered the benefits of buying from their marketplace, but it elevated the company and its founders and true innovators and trend-setters. The article was featured in the September 2019 print issue and appears on-line.
It seems like we are all seeking stories with positivity and a silver lining these days and with April being earth month, we figured this is the perfect tie to highlight a recent campaign from Back Market who literally found a silver lining in e-waste. Earlier this year, the refurbished electronics marketplace, partnered with NoWa, to launch G.OLD, a sustainable jewelry collection crafted with metals mined from discarded phones. The G.OLD line was created by Dutch designer Eva Schreuder for NoWa, a jewelry company that uses gold and silver extracted from old cell phones to create unique pieces that promote a "conscious connection."
The goal of the campaign was to prompt conversations among influencers and customers about e-waste. Launched just in time for Valentine's Day, Back Market asked consumers to show the planet a little love too.
Wired Island worked with Back Market to highlight this story via a multimedia news release using the reportable platform. Reportable enabled us to present this news in a more visual way by making the video and image assets easily shareable with journalists and other influencers.
This resulted in high-quality stories in Forbes, Android Authority, and Grist. The reportable news release helped increase the efficiency of the campaign, by giving journalists all the information they needed (in a visually compelling way) to write a story. The campaign also allowed us to make new important connections with journalists who had not previously worked with the Back Market team. As we hoped, the interviews lead to deeper discussions around Back Market's mission to foster a more circular economy, in addition to getting attention for the G.OLD jewelry line. The success of the launch encouraged the companies to partner again - so look out for more to come.
In a campaign that allowed Wired Island to get more acquainted with the Charleston area regional journalists, representatives from the Sophia Institute were secured for an interview with WCBD News 2 Midday. This placement was a result of a pro-bono campaign to promote the event Women Rising! hosted by The Sophia Institute. Wired Island helped get the word out about the event and the important work the Institute is doing through earned, owned and paid communications campaigns.
Just before the pandemic hit, our client Back Market got a big boost from investors to the tune of $120 million. This milestone announcement was one we were excited to release but because of the shut down around COVID-19, we decided to hold off for a few weeks. The waiting paid off. Wired Island worked with Back Market's international PR teams to coordinate the latest funding round announcement, this one led by global icons Goldman Sachs, Aglaé Venture and Eurazeo Growth. We saw this as a major endorsement of Back Market's hard work and dedication to supporting the circular economy model and a big opportunity to communicate Back Market's vision. We helped develop a strategic communication plan for the announcement, which included emphasizing the fact that Back Market was seeing exponential growth in part due to COVID-19 related demand. This double whammy of triple-digit funding and triple-digit growth during Covid-19 provided a great hook to reach top tier outlets and secure quality coverage.
While the large funding number and investor names helped to catch the eye of many journalists, we found that Back Market's growth trends we're equally, if not more, interesting to the press. As many people shifted to working and learning from home, the marketplace saw a spike in demand for laptops and other electronics. This led to some interesting discussion points around how COVID-19 has disrupted the tech device industry, and how we can do better post-pandemic. Like many PR pros, we have been thoughtfully and strategically navigating our outreach during this COVID-19 dominated news cycle. Fortunately, in addition to this significant news we could also offer our client as an important solution and thoughtful leader.
Wired Island managed press outreach and interviews in the US and beyond, while coordinating overlap in contacts and key outlets with the international team. We secured coverage in key tech and start-up outlets such as VentureBeat, Sifted, and TechCrunch, and top business publications including Business Insider and Fortune. Additionally, a few trade publications took interest such as Retail Tech Innovation Hub and BusinessGreen. The announcement also presented an opportunity for Back Market to discuss their larger issues around fair tech with outlets like Cheddar and Medium's OneZero. Finally, we were psyched to see Back Market's reach further syndicated in highly engaged newsletters The Hustle, Inside Venture Capital, and Business Insider's 10 things in tech you need to know today.
Delair, well known for its expertise in fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones, recently launched a new software platform that provides customer even more information and analysis of the data the drones collect. Delair focused on commercial use of drones, so companies in industries like oil and gas, utilities, agriculture and construction rely on their solution to efficiently survey, map and gather business critical information about the assets. The new platform was featured in an article in Venture Beat magazine which talked about the fundamental shift happening in the commercial UAV industry toward more emphasis on software.
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