Today’s guest post is by public relations expert Claire McKinney. It serves as an update to her 2017 post, The Difference Between a Pitch and a Press Release.
If you’re wondering whether press releases are still relevant or important, I’m here to convince you that they are.
Why send out a press release?
Media relations departments from all types of companies—Fortune 500 to startups—use press releases to communicate with the media. Why do billion-dollar businesses bother to send them out? Because this is still how you send information to the media. A press release is a tool that is considered “approved” copy for any media organization, online or traditional, to use to discuss an outside entity.
Here is a simple example in the book world: It is very likely that someone will review or feature your book and lift copy straight from your release, which is exactly what you want. If a media outlet decides to run a story about your book with a price or on-sale date that’s inaccurate, you can cite information in the press release and ask to have it corrected. If there are factual errors in coverage tied to your release, you can easily point to the problem and ask for a change.
If you want to include a blurb or endorsement, or include a quote from an expert cited in your nonfiction book, a media outlet understands they can use it. If Michelle Obama endorses your book, wouldn’t you want to have her name and her words in your press release? This is an extreme situation, but it illustrates my point.
However, before you email one sentence to a journalist, there are direct benefits you get from writing your own release.
Why am I writing press materials?
You are writing this document because it will help you figure out what your core message is.
The core message is the newsworthy or unique aspect(s) you, your book, and your ideas can offer to a target audience—an audience that is most likely to spread word of mouth and/or purchase your book or services. The core message is ultimately part of your elevator pitch.
Creating a release also forces you to think about your competition and how you are offering something different than what every other mystery, romance, literary fiction, self-help guru, history buff, academic author, etc. is writing about. In an online world, this is incredibly important, because most likely, the first place you are going to make your mark is online and with search engines.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for press releases
Having the release available on your website, your publicist’s website, publisher’s website, etc., will help with you or your book appearing in response to search queries. If you Google your book title, you will probably notice Amazon and other big retailers first; your publisher and your own website can appear later. Having a press release can boost this rank in search queries.
Because the competition for ranking is much more competitive these days, you should do some extra work to enhance your release: include keywords or keyword phrases in the text. You can research which ones to use by using Google to search for terms related to your work such as “books about WWII,” “self-help divorce books,” “books about good habits”, “books about joining the circus,” etc. See what comes up in the search window and consider what phrases or keywords will help your press materials rank better in results.
I don’t think paid services like PR Newswire (that publish and distribute your press release) are worthwhile for most books. If you have an amazing news peg, that could be one reason to invest, but there are thousands of releases posted at such PR websites.
For help with SEO, here are some additional resources:
- Google Trends is a free tool that lets you see how high a term is ranked in a specific area. If there is no data available for a search term, it means there aren’t enough people looking for it and it isn’t worth using.
- Ubersuggest is run by Neil Patel, a marketing guru. Free membership gives you access to a limited number of keyword searches. I thought the free version was fine when I was experimenting.
Press release structure
This structure is based on how much interesting or provocative information you can share, without overhyping your message. When you introduce the book in the opening paragraphs, you will need to identify it using the entire title with the subtitl; in parentheses include the publication date, imprint, format, price, and ISBN, like this:
The Great Book: A Novel by Bobbie Bobs (imprint name, publication date, format, ISBN, price).
The first paragraph should tell the reader of the release why your story is compelling and what its relevance is to the audience. You will also want to explain why you wrote the book and how your personal story is connected to it.
The next one or two paragraphs should be a short synopsis of the plot if you are promoting a novel, and a list of the main facts or talking points if you are working on nonfiction. You can also include a more in-depth section on yourself and your story as it relates to the content if you believe it will enhance the core message.
Within the release, you will want to mention the book’s title at least two times. In the final paragraph, you need to develop an action statement “Call to Action” (CTA) that will tie up everything and encourage the reader to pick up the book and open it.
Add your short bio under “About the Author” and the specs of the book (the ISBN, etc) below that. Finish it off with the traditional # # # centered on the bottom, which indicates to the media person that all the words preceding the hashtags are approved for the press. To read some examples of releases, go to my website and look under campaigns.
Hire a helper or write your own release
Writing your own materials gives you the opportunity to figure out what differentiates you and your work from others. This is a cardinal rule in marketing. However, if you are planning to hire a publicist to work on a promotion campaign, then by all means let that person write your materials. I always have a meeting with clients upfront to discuss themes and target audiences, which helps my team craft an effective release. If you’re working on your own to write the release, you can meet with an expert to get some coaching.
Paying someone to write your press materials could cost anywhere from $1,000–2,000, similar to what a resume writer charges. Anyone charging less is not reading your book and working with you to emphasize what makes you unique.
Note from Jane: To learn how to put together a press release and press kit—and learn other book marketing skills—Claire offers online education at courses.clairemckinneypr.com.
Claire McKinney has been working in public relations for 20 years. She has appeared on Today and CSPAN as an expert on publishing. She travels regularly to speak to authors and audiences about PR and social media marketing. Her clients have included Della Reese, Madeleine Albright, James Patterson, Walter Mosley, Robert Dallek, Rick Moody, George Pelecanos, Kristin Gore, Quick and Dirty Tips, Hafetz and Associates, and Written Word Media.
Excellent explanation. I had a PR firm promoting nonfiction books for 20 years and this covers it very well.