A reader asks:
I have a big, burning 3-part question.
1. How is your press release about your speaking engagement news?
2. Who is it news to?
3. And why would a news agency want to print that out?
It just looks like a promo tool for you. This is the part I don’t
understand. I’m reading it thinking, “So what?” Do you understand what I’m
asking you? It’s the same thing that stops me from writing press releases. I
don’t think they are news and no one would want to read them.
I hope by me asking these questions, this helps you to not only help me, but
all your clients who are thinking the same thing.
Dan Answers:
Great question!
The answer is simple:
My main audience is anyone looking for me on a search engine – not a newspaper. People who go to Google are looking for an answer to a problem. I want to write press releases that solve problems or that show that I am the answer to their problem, whether they need a publicity expert to speak at a conference, or if they need an experienced writer and editor to write a great press release, or if they need to find publicity tools that can help them, or if they need a publicity coach or a publicity consultant to brainstorm with or to bounce ideas off.
Just look at the results I got when I issued a press release about one speaking event that occurred several years ago:
I achieved the #1, #2 and #3 positions for the term “publicity thought leader” because I:
– wrote a press release
– wrote an article that was printed on a high-ranking web site
– have a lot of great content on my own web site. (The third one surprised me!)
That’s why I write press releases!
If reporters pick up the story, that’s gravy.
Is this news?
Yes, it is news to the people who are attending the conference or who are thinking of attending the conference. Before you decide to spend your money on a conference ticket, travel and time out of the office, you look at the agenda and see what topics will be covered and who will be presenting those topics.
It is news to The New York Times? Probably not. But it could be news to a trade publication or to blogs that cover that topic.
Your job is to promote your business.
The editor’s job, and the blogger’s job is to decide what’s news.
In the meantime, it’s the job of search engines to find information they think searchers will want to find.
Speakers’ press releases about upcoming presentations constitutes news that serves the community, and here’s why.
As a member of a community, I don’t want to miss events. I go to a site that’s all about my local community.
From an event planner’s perspective, if a prestigious speakers comes to town, if confers prestige to the community.
If you believe that you can change lives by delivering your talk, a press release about an upcoming speaking engagements is a service to potential audience members. If you don’t think that your speech is worth talking about, maybe it’s time to give up speaking.