4 questions to ask before spending marketing funds on PR

Biomedical, Biopharma and Life Science organizations must stay relevant in order to maintain community trust, donor or investor support and customer loyalty. One of the first marketing tactics they often turn to is the Press Release.

A Press Release is an incredibly valuable marketing tool, but only if and when your Bioresearch brand truly has news of value to share with a particular audience.

So, how do you know when your company has something newsworthy to say? These 4 questions will help you determine the Value of Your Bioresearch Brand’s News:

1. Is It Really News?

The biggest mistake Bioresearch brands can make is trying to “create” news just to boost brand recognition. A Press Release must appeal to journalists who will look for the 5 W’s of your story: Who, What, Where, When and Why. If you can answer all of these questions in the first paragraph of your Press Release, you may have a true news story.

Additionally, press releases are supposed to help journalists report on news, so they should be about:

• Something that happened recently
• A new or novel idea the reader has not heard of before
• Happenings in the same geographic area or industry as your readers
• Ideas or occurrences that affect a lot of people
• Unusual or new achievements

While it is important to issue Press Releases on a regular basis, if your brand regularly submits news that is not newsworthy, legitimate publications may lose interest in what you distribute. Try to limit Press Releases to only the most valuable news within your organization: a new product, a new scientific breakthrough, or the hiring of a new CEO. Save less valuable or more promotional “news” for sharing on social media, sharing internally, or including in a customer or donor newsletter.

Once you’re sure that your news is relevant, include supporting outbound links. Note that if you link to your own website, those links should take the reader to content that relates to what you are discussing. Linking to your website’s homepage can be a dead-end if it doesn’t keep the reader’s attention or further illuminate your point. Include at least 2 links that go beyond your homepage.

2. Are You Targeting Key Personas and Media?

Defining the intended audience before you craft a Press Release will help ensure you are writing a story that gets read by those you want to reach most. Is your news valuable to investors? Other bioresearchers? Consumers? Local news sources? Knowing this can help you choose the right language—and the right distribution—to make the most of your news story.

Remember, your Press Release is one of hundreds of news stories on a given day. What makes it valuable to your specific audience? Could it help investors make smarter decisions? Will it lead other Bioresearchers to tools or information that they will find useful? Always include at least one key takeaway for your reader.

Once you’re sure you have created value for your reader, it’s time to think about how shareable your content is to boost distribution and online engagement. Make sure the headline is tweetable for journalists by keeping it under 100 characters and making it compelling. Also, try to use quotes and other key points that are short and shareable, and always use a hashtag when promoting an event.

3. Are You Telling or Selling?

Another common mistake is assuming those outside of your Bioresearch organization is as interested in internal news or your companies’ capabilities as those on the inside.

You must appeal to journalists first in order to get your Press Release picked up, so try to be as objective as possible. That means avoiding self-promotion whenever possible. Press releases are not advertisements, so shy away from using marketing language.

As a general rule, your release should convey that your company is playing a role in a larger story. If its purely self-serving, it may not be wise to issue a release.

4. Can You Include Facts, Stats and A Meaningful Takeaway?

According to PR Newswire, including multimedia drives an increase in views up to 552%¹ so consider adding images and/or videos to set your Press Release apart and encourage pick up.

Including visual elements such as dynamic, shareable infographics, engaging photos or informational videos will help ensure your press release is read and shared. Including a photo and a video in a Press Release increases views by over 45%¹

You can also increase the odds that your Bioresearch brand’s Press Release will be picked up and read if you include statistics, facts and figures from legitimate sources. (And remember to add links back to those sources.)

Source: 1. PRNewswire Quick & Easy Guide to Sharing Your Press Release with the World  (February, 2016) http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pr-newswire-presents-quick–easy-guide-to-sharing-your-press-release-with-the-world-300224647.html (Accessed on Sept. 6, 2016)