6 Tips from Lawn & Garden Marketing Pros for Writing a Press Release

Happy New Year and cheers to 2013!  Let's make the year a BIG and successful one.  And let's start with the press release.

We often hear, “Anyone can write a press release!”  And that may be true, writing a press release that is picked up by the lawn and garden media and shared by bloggers is another story. Here at Garden Media we try to make our news releases “news worthy” by following these 6 golden rules.

Press Release Tip #1: Package the Story.
For every story we write we ask ourselves these questions: What will the news do for my customers? How will it make their lives better, easier, happier? How does it benefit gardeners or garden centers? Why are we sharing this news? And most importantly, what is the “golden nugget”, the true essence of the story?

Press Release Tip #2: The Headline Is Key.
This is the most important part of the press release.  You need to grab the reader’s attention with a compelling headline. If you could sum up your story in 7 words or less what would you say. Put your company name in the headline for better SEO. If it is a new garden product or plant, special event or company promotion, name it in the subhead or kicker. Don’t use names, unless they are famous.

Press Release Tip #3: 1^st paragraph.  
After the headline, you have one paragraph to keep the reader engaged so grab them with a great lead. Make your point quickly and don’t bury the critical information at the bottom.  Editors cut from the bottom up so keep important information at the top. Focus on what the news is and how it will impact the garden industry.  Keep your sentences concise and jargon-free and write at a 4^th grade level. Seriously.

Press Release Tip #4: Add Multimedia.
If a picture tells a 1,000 words, a video tells 10,000! Include photos, video and other multimedia, which is ideal for new product announcements or how to videos. A story using video is five times more likely to get picked up by the media.

Press Release Tip #5:
Testimonials. Let someone else do the bragging for you. Include quotes from customers, vendors, or industry experts. It’s more believable and increases your credibility.  Plus it’s great customer relations to get your customer’s name in print.

Press Release Tip #6:
Hyperlinks. Want to increase your SEO. Always hyperlink to additional resources on your website, to photos and to videos. Hyperlink to long tail key words that better describe your business or product instead of to general key words where there is lots of completion.

Want more?  Download our tips on launching a new product!

Pinterest Boosts Press Release Results

Pinterest recently became the third-most-popular social network in the world with 11-plus million users.

You're already using SEO to drive your press releases, but how can you use Pinterest to expand your reach? Try these tips:

1. Add an infographic to your release, then pin it.
Infographics are hot. Our clients are starting to use them more and more to help explain useful or helpful information to their customers.  Including a relevant infographic with your press release is still an unusual way to give media and news outlets a visual to go with the story.
For inspiration, try searching using the keyword "infographic." Our favorite is this one about the benefits of gardening.

Run the infographic with your wire release, embed it in your email and BE SURE to upload it on Pinterest, with a hyperlink to the full release.

No inforgraphic? Use a captivating or beautiful photo to achieve similar results!

2. Create a Pinterest newsroom
If you are pinning one press release, why not create a corporate newsroom pinboard to showcase it, along with your other media/news assets? It can mirror your website's newsroom, or enhance it with fresh material. Here is a great example from MGM Resorts.

In addition to press releases and infographics, your newsroom pinboard should include news clips, company blog posts, short pitches or expert opinion comments and video.  Video goes a long way on the web.

Another powerful media tool is an executive staff pinboard, which links headshot photos to biographies, bylined articles, and other content that demonstrates their credibility as an expert resource.

When you quote them in a press release, try linking their name directly to their pinboard for added oomph.

3. Create a pinboard that fits your infographic or news topic.
This capitalizes on search traffic and creates a natural platform for your news and/or infographic.
For example, if your press release is about a fabulous new plant or an event being held at your local garden center, look online for inspiration.  A pinboard on "Fall Festivals" or "New Plants for Spring" or "Garden Trends", might target your audience nicely and complement the topic of your release/infographic.

If your press release launches a new software product, then pinning screen captures and packaging photography might be a great start to your board.

4. Optimize the pin using the same keywords optimized in your press release.
SEO is your best friend on Pinterest. Google likes Pinterest and ranks pages high, sometimes within a few days.  Including targeted keywords from your release can magically propel your pin visibility—and thus your press release—so it's well worth the minor time investment.

Amplify your news results when you optimize your pins for the same keywords used in your release. How? Just include the same primary keyword in the title of your pinboard, wrap them into the description of each pin, then add them as a hashtag.

5. Use Pinterest for free market research.
Not only is Pinterest valuable as a post-distribution strategy, but it can spark great ideas for trend releases and bylined article topics. First, use Pinterest to identify what is being repinned and liked. Create a pinboard around a popular topic, optimize it for search, then support it with a trends or expert opinion press release that links right back to your Pinterest board. Voila—newsworthy content on a very hot topic!

If you're looking for more tips on how to maximize your garden business using Pinterest, download our free e-book:

 

-Katie

GMG Monday Espresso: Social Media Engagement Tactics Shared at PR News' Digital PR Summit

Steve Goldstein, of PR News, recently attended the PR News' Digital PR Summit in San Francisco on Feb. 16.

Afterwards, he reports that “there's no silver bullet for proving the value of social media—it all comes down to the business goals.”

He says the recurring theme of the PR Summit was digital PR tactics and tools that best measure success.

“There is one commonality—a silver bullet, if you will—that all communicators should invest in,” he says. “Engagement on both massive and intimate scales, and engagement comes down to sharing passions, interests and content.”

He says that the 250 attendees at the Digital PR Summit were reminded time and again that the total number of followers or likes can be an empty, meaningless metric, and misses the point of social media.

"Don’t focus on increasing likes, focus on building relationships," said Chris Lagan, chief of social media, U.S. Coast Guard. "10,000 brand ambassadors is better than a million likes."

Another tip shared by several presenters: Stay attuned to key trends and connect with those subjects and topics that already resonate with people. In other words, request an invitation to join Pinterest today.

For the full story and more insights click here. Follow Steve Goldstein: @SGoldsteinAI

Suzi
GardenMediaGroup.com

7 Tips to Write Twitter Headlines to Give Online Press Releases a Boost

I'm always looking for new tricks to add to our PR bag, and I found these tips from PRWeb on how to write Twitter headlines to boost search results for online press releases.

They were looking over the results of the PR Grant awards last week and had an epiphany: Many Tweeters "scrape" headlines automatically to create tweets.

WOW! From this revelation, they learned how to craft a news release headline for Twitter in 120 characters or less to leave room for the shortened URL link to the article.

Check out these examples of headlines on Twitter that caused PRWeb to take a second look:

1. Play duck…duck…@DACRONBrand this Tues. 10/18 in Union Square NYC.
Okay, we’re in. Dacron piqued our interest into their contest with this clever play on a saying everybody remembers from childhood.

TAKEAWAY – Tap into phrases, words and memes that inhabit our collective memory for instant connection.

2. Is it the end of the hotel? The unhotel @onefinestay announces 150 homes across London

Good question. The answer intrigues us. Unhotel? We’ll take a look at this release just to find out how London homes trump traditional hotels. And for the benefit of our friends who travel frequently to that lovely city, we’ll retweet the press release.

TAKEAWAY – Ask a provocative question and you’ll press a nerve. Headlines with questions are often irresistible – just make sure your answer is just as compelling.

3. Transparency. Health care. Learn how a rural hospital mixes oil & water
This juxtaposition of elements is perfectly framed with a visual metaphor. We can’t resist wanting to know more.

TAKEAWAY – Use compelling conceits to help us understand the gist of your story.

4. Sandi Krakowski Ignites Moral & Ethical Business Debate
Where there’s smoke there must be fire. We love debates.

TAKEAWAY – One of the keys to a successful headline is the ability to compel. Use gripping, emotional language to draw us in.

5. Survey: Moms’ #1 Back-To-School Worry is Drinking & Drugs
We’ve been brought up on “Survey Says!” Just the mention motivates us to read on.

TAKEAWAY – Surveys and polls are effective ways to communicate the news-worthiness of your topic.

6. New online service SaveOnBrew.com serves up “Beer On The Cheap” via 50,000+ retailers across the US.
Ah, now you’re talking. Who wouldn’t want to find out where to save money?

TAKEAWAY – Appeal to everyone’s innate desire to have more for less. Hint – it doesn’t always have to be about money. Does your product or service solve problems better than your competitors’? Give readers the feeling of being on the inside track.

7. The #GrainsofChange tour is asking Americans which oatmeal they prefer, @Better_Oats or the incumbent
Everyone loves to share their opinion. We want to be part of the crowd so we’ll keep reading for details.

TAKEAWAY – Ask your audience for their opinions, advice and suggestions and you’ll automatically create a higher level of engagement.
The limitation of 140 characters doesn’t have to be daunting. It can be a stepping stone to reboot your creativity.

One thing to remember, while Tweets can be 140 characters, online press release headlines should typically run less than 70. So create a killer headline that’s short and sweet and then add a little frosting on it – 70 characters’ worth – when you release it on Twitter.

Remember hash tags & even the tiniest URLs take up characters.

Suzi
Garden Media Group