Writing press releases on a regular basis is a great content marketing tactic. It builds inbound links, SEO, and brand awareness. Writing press releases on a weekly or biweekly basis also makes your business look fresh and active. But, if you're a new business, is it a good idea to write a press release about it?
Sure, but it can't be just about any old thing. You need to add the news angle to the press release, figuring out why people should care about the new business opening. Are you the first business of your kind? First in your area? Do you have a grand opening event associated with the new business? Any, or all, of those would make your new business press release newsworthy.
What doesn't make a good press release is if you simply announce the new business, or if you treat your press release as another ad. Press releases are not ads! Treat them like news teasers! You want to interest someone enough to be willing to learn more about your business or to write more about it. If your press release just talks about why your business is so great and why your products are so awesome without showcasing the value of it to people, then people aren't going to care. A good press release highlights that value.
If you're opening a new business or a new location, that's great! It's a great idea to write a press release about that. It's not a good idea to write a press release about a new phone number, web address, or website design. Quite, frankly, no one cares about that either. Just set up a redirect or forward to the new number and everything will be okay.
Writing press releases are a good idea for more than just a new business. If you hit a milestone, hire a new employee, form a partnership, host an event, or win an award, it's a good idea to write a press release on all those things as well. The point is to keep it newsy, keep it about something new that is happening to your company that would also be of interest to others outside of your company, like customers, potential customers, and news sites.
Overall, press releases are a good idea whether you are a new business or an established business. They can be an asset to your online marketing or content marketing strategy. If you're unsure about your online marketing, or how well it is working, then take our free web assessment to see how you stand against your competitors:
