Even before the internet was an idea, press releases had been the tool for promotion and social communication. Even now in the crowd of social networking and instant news feeds, press releases hold their importance. The new age press release has gone through a makeover of course. Now, its keyword rich and SEO optimized. In fact, it is a valuable blog promotion tool if you are keen to get some eyeballs in.
It’s a known fact that reporters pick up story ideas for publication from press releases. But what about us bloggers? Can’t we be the hounds on the same trail? As a tech blogger I think I can.
The Advantages of a Press Release
A press release is a PR announcement for publicity. A well written press release is marketed as a news story. You as a writer can pick up on that and create an article around it. If it’s all hype and fluff, you can look beyond it and write a story based around your research. Here are 3 reasons more:
1. Picking up an early press release also makes you get an early start to get the story out there. You don’t have to regurgitate content from another blog or website. Just like a good reporter, you are first on the scene.
2. Keeping tabs on local companies and their press releases can give you lots of ideas for writing localized content.
3. The modern press release is also a cost-effective way for publicity. Bloggers can use it to drive traffic to their own sites. But I won’t go there as this article is all about the searching (and writing) side of things.
Searching for Press Releases
Online Press Release Services
The good news is that you don’t have to make too much of an effort to search for press releases. The new-age press release is carefully crafted to be picked up by search engines. Heck, company blogs, Facebook, Twitter etc. are just another channel but a very important one to spread the word around.
There are also specialized online press release distribution services like Business Wire and PRNewswire among many that optimize and broadcast press releases. You can subscribe to their RSS feeds (in some cases, industry specific) and stay updated on new developments. Some online press release distribution sites also have an advanced search function that helps to drill down to the type of “breaking” news you want.
Here’s a small list of online press release services which you can avail for reading. Other services might have a cost attached.
Search Engines
You can also simply switch on something like Google News and catch press releases as they are caught by the Google spider.
Or you can also try out these search engines which are specialized for searching press releases:
PR Filter [No Longer Available]
You can use this press release search engine every day as it sources the latest press releases from the main paid newswires and selected company news feeds. You can sign-in and build a personalized profile. Search can be customized by date and location too.
News Info Guide
The news and press release search engine has a few filters you can use to refine your results. You can filter by date, time, category, source, and also select press releases that have images or are without one.
TechPRSpider [No Longer Available]
This is a press release search engine that focuses on the tech industry and the thousands of tech related press releases each day.
Press releases are just another search tool to find out and source what’s happening around you. As a writer, it’s not necessary you will hit pay dirt every time. From boring stakeholder conferences to product launches, press releases cover a lot of ground. You can too. Tell me if you find the idea of using press releases sound advice. Also tell me if you don’t.