Santa’s PR Checklist: Are Your Press Releases Naughty or Nice?

The best PR pros don’t have to wait for Santa to reward their good deeds on Christmas Day. If they’ve been good content creators, then gifts such as audience acquisition, earned media, and increased sales are delivered all year long. Use the following checklist to find out whether your press releases make the naughty or nice list:

Does the message educate your audience or solve a customer problem?

As evidenced by DVR, audiences will tune out messages that are too self-promotional or sales oriented. All content, including press releases, needs to offer some form of utilty to readers if you hope to have your messages shared on social media.

Are you using visuals?

Videos and photos make content more inviting to read, simplify complex ideas, and are processed by humans faster than text alone. Additionally, research by PR Newswire proves that press releases with videos and photos receive over 500% more views than text-only press releases. Visual content is no longer an option if you hope to get results.

Is the text formatted for maximum engagement?

A properly formatted press release should include the following elements:

• A headline that includes a provocative statement, question, or interesting data point to grab reader attention


• Copy written in the style of a news article that omits corporate jargon and supplies the most important fact firsts


• A single call-to-action after the first paragraph driving readers to take a specific action such as downloading content or visiting a relevant webpage


• Bold subheadings or bullet points to break up lengthy paragraphs


• A company boilerplate that establishes the brand’s credentials and gives journalists details about your company that they might need for their story

Are you distributing content across all relevant channels?

There isn’t just one channel that journalists and consumers are relying upon as their sole source of news. Therefore, your stories should be distributed to all of the places that people are finding and sharing information, which include the wire, social media, and emails.

Are you targeting journalists with shared interests?

Journalists can become an additional source of amplification for your content efforts if they regularly report on similar topics within your industry niche. Insights from a new study or an infographic make interesting story angles for the media to cover along with a client’s expertise, but it’s important to thoroughly research the interests of a reporter before pitching them for a story.

Are you measuring results?

Benchmarking what works and doesn’t work will help you understand where to focus your content efforts and only help make the case for additional funding from decision makers in the future.

If you’ve answered no to any of these, then unfortunately you may be receiving a lump of coal in your stocking or worse – less budget for next year’s campaigns!

Santa’s PR Checklist: Are Your Press Releases Naughty or Nice?