Forum Moderators: not2easy
Just now I started looking for press releases on widget manufacturer sites, doing a sort of URL database, listing manufacturers and their press releases URL. I've easily found lots of PRs, but most if not all of them don't have any pictures; not really what I was expecting.
It became quite obvious that I'd have to actually get into the professional media sites of these manufacturers, where you need to get registered and so on. I went on to see what they required in the registration forms, and here's where the problems begin:
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1) One of the clearly important requirements is the type/name of the media you work for. Fair enough, so I'll actually start to think about hosting, URL registering and all that before creating the content. I guess I can do that. Wait...can I?
I guess I'll just have to use current news releases, create a decent web site and once it has some sort of content then I would apply to those widget manufacturer media sites, right? But would/will they accept to allow a cheap looking (few/no pictures!) site in? Maybe not.
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2) One site so far (I have about 95% of widget manufacturers left to search, so I'm guessing this might happen again) has in its registration form, the option (Not required, but optional) to enter your journalist id/card number or something. Now; I'm not a journalist, nor will I be one in the future. I'm studying engineering at the moment, so that part of the registration will be blank.
I'm thinking this will radically reduce my options of actually geting a login/password to this particular widget manufacturer site. I'm thinking that if I don't get access to the biggest widget manufacturers' press releases, and the corresponding pictures, I might as well just leave this idea and try to think of something else. Does anyone has personal experiences, or tips/ideas on how to improve my chances of getting in? Maybe I'm just too paranoid? :D
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From what I've read searching the forums, I got the feeling that companies usually give away press releases to pretty much anyone walking down the street, and apparently that's true as far as releases without any visual aid, but when it comes to photos I'm guessing they are a *bit* more picky :)
Thanks and sorry for the long post, I got carried away.
Should any company deny you access, just explain to them what it is you do and why you should be allowed in to their press areas. If you are offering companies the possibility of free publicity for their products/services, you'll find very few, if any, will refuse you.
You should also email the press/media/corporate communications departments of relevant companies and ask to be placed onto their press mailing lists.
Where images are concerned, if there are none accompanying the press release, just email the contact on it and ask for whatever images relevant to the story.
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please address WHERE press releases need to be submitted.
Using a term such as 'distribute press releases' via your favourite search engine will bring you a panoply of results. Of them all, PRWeb is probably the most cited in this forum.
If you don't want to undertake the job of writing and distributing press releases yourself then you could investigate the viability of engaging a public relations agency.
Syzygy
[edited by: Syzygy at 1:01 pm (utc) on Jan. 2, 2007]
Then, once you have that real content, apply for press credentials at a trade show for your industry. Get nice business cards and letterhead. Put a masthead page on your site. Once you are in at the trade show, you are set to go. Pass out your business card and let the PR people buy you lunch and invite you to their parties.
Create a pressrelease@example.com email address and give it a monster mailbox and set it up to accept at least 30MB attachments. Oh yeah, don't even think about trying this over dialup.
But if all you do is reprint press releases, you will never get in.
I only casually come into contact with the PR section of manufacturer's websites, but I do occasionally browse them, and what I've usually found are recent press releases and a "press kit" with backgrounders, photos, high-resolution and/or vector-based logos, etc. Never came across such a section requiring registration.
Is this really that common?
They probably just want your contact information so that they can bug the heck out of you. A much more likely reason than wanting to exclude "non-qualified" press. The more the merrier.
For example, one of my review sites has several manufacturers that supply us with over $10,000 worth of gear to review every year, and probably 50 manufacturers that provide between $1k and $10k. I also get more invites to trade show parties than I have time for.
Press releases are free for the taking, but you have to prove yourself for the good stuff.
I've finished my "investigation" on the subject and here are the results:
Practically all sites have press releases available for anyone. But more often than not (and this is the problem), without any pictures, text only. So these stats only consider accessibility to high res pictures and such, not the text in press releases.
(I visited a total of 99 sites, so the numbers below might just as well be percentages.)
-63 (!) widget manufacturer pages I visited had a press/media specific site with a login/password.
-16 had media/press sites without login passwords.
-20 didn't have a media or press site at all. (maybe just text press releases with very few or no pictures anywhere)
-In the first group (the 63 with password), many *required* a press number in the registration form. Oh well.
I think I'll just use the "public" press releases (which is pretty much all of them), mail them when necessary asking for larger or any pictures at all, and later when/if my site grows I may ask politely to be assigned a password to the media areas, how does that sound? It's the only option I can think of, specially in the sites that require press numbers.
...sites that require press numbers.
Whilst on many occasions I've been asked to prove my identity relative to job role, not once have I been asked for any type of official press accreditation - id number, card or otherwise. Perhaps this requirement for official press id is country or sector specific?
They probably just want your contact information so that they can bug the heck out of you.
They want your details so that they may - in PR speak - keep you up-to-date with developments within their organisation, ie, they want to send you press releases - and the ubiquitous trade fair party invites Big Dave mentions.
Syzygy
Anyway I'll apply to those sites after I have my site up and running. I'll probably bump this thread then to let you all know how it turned out :)
Thanks for the help everyone.
Are your press-releases worthy for customers? No. They never use "press" section for reference.
Can press-releases attract attention of partners and generate some trade leads? No, if sent directly.
There are industry-specific news resources, feed them by fax and email. You already know them for your specific market.
Press-release is a powerful thing, but it is a dead thing if you will place it to your press section only.
