The press release is a very specific kind of document designed to alert its target audience to some sort of substantive change within a company. Press releases have been around in some form or another since the first newspapers were printed. Today they have become a means of not only informing but also improving a company’s online search performance. To that end, they have great SEO value.
You can take all the press releases that have ever been written and break them down into four different categories that any press release writing service should understand. Below are those four categories along with a brief explanation of each.
1. Structural Changes
The first category of press releases has to do with informing the target audience of structural changes within a company. For example, the ABC Corporation may bring on a new CEO following the retirement of their long-standing leader. The press release is a perfect means of both informing the public of the change and promoting the reputation of the new CEO. A well-written press release concentrating on the strengths of the new CEO goes a long way toward instilling confidence in shareholders.
2. Capital Improvements
My second category involves capital improvements. This category is actually more broad than it sounds because it also includes adding new locations or moving from one place to another. In essence, any sort of investment in a company that it is made to improve long-term performance through new equipment, supplies, property acquisitions, etc. is considered a capital improvement.
3. New Products or Services
Press releases in the modern era are more likely to address the launch of new products and services than in the past. This is for good reason. With the much larger reach the digital age affords, companies have found that the press release is an effective way of reaching a target audience with information that may be exceptionally timely. The launch of new products and services certainly qualifies.
What companies and press release writers need to be careful of is using this sort of press release as nothing more than a sales promotion. Remember, press releases are supposed to be mostly ‘hard news’, as it were. Search engine algorithms are very good at picking out certain language that identifies a press release as a sales pitch rather than a genuine attempt to inform a target audience of substantive changes.
4. Closings, Acquisitions and Mergers
Lastly, companies use press releases to inform their customers of closings, acquisitions and mergers. Again, consider the ABC Corporation. If that company agreed to be acquired by a competitor, both companies would likely issue either separate or joint press releases to announce the merger. A smaller company closing due to the retirement of its owners would use a press release to announce the closing and to thank loyal customers.
Now you know the four different categories of press releases. If you use a press release writing service, you can trust them to create an effective press release that meets whatever objectives you have.