Writing press releases requires constant adaptation to the world around us: changes in news, industry trends and also common, the changing of the seasons. All of these factors affect what media outlets or consumers are looking for in your news—so how do you make sure your release stands out at this time of year? Janet Thaeler, internet marketer and author of “I Need a Killer Press Release, Now What??” told us in a PRWeb webinar how you can spice up your press releases with some holiday cheer:

Step 1: Toss the cinnamon and choose a sweet news angle! Trending topics around this time of year include holiday cooking, entertaining, staying fit during the holidays, holiday travel packages/deals, gift ideas, DIY Christmas and money saving tips. Don’t have any of the above? Try tying a holiday trend into your industry news.

Still need an idea for a press release? Look through HARO queries to see what journalists are writing about. You can also search PRWeb.com for inspirational releases and search Google for “holiday,” “Christmas” and “marketing campaign.”

After you come up with a fantastic idea, it’s time to find keywords to incorporate into your release. For example, search for “gift” in Google and look for questions that people are asking about pertaining to gifts and then use that phrase within your headline to rank your release higher. Google Insights for Search is a great tool for this purpose. So where else can you put the popular keywords that you find? Easy—in the headline, in the first paragraph, link the phrase to a related page on your website, and mention the phrase or variations of it again in the body (but don’t overdo it). Put the best news angle in the headline, and keep it under 60 words (some even suggest under 30 words).

In the body of your release, write as if you were the journalist writing the story. Use examples, testimonials and stories. Link to related blog posts, video or pages, include at least one quote and be sure it illustrates one of the main points of the story. Keep your release between 300-600 words and use images and videos to illustrate the story. Lastly, link to your presence on social media platforms so people can find out more about your brand.

Don’t forget to make it into a campaign! Just one press release won’t get you the results you desire. Come up with a clever name for the campaign and put up a web page or blog about it. Plan an event around the theme, create a video, post photos, tweet tips, share info with other bloggers who same the same interest with you, and craft multiple press releases in stages during the campaign.

Here are some other resources that you may find helpful when trying to generate holiday buzz with press releases:

A Wiki of Social Media Marketing Examples
Google Alerts – Track trends, pickups
Pulse of the Tweeters – Find the most influential people on Twitter by hashtag
TwitterGrader – Top people on twitter by location

The methods of starting early, offering gift incentives, catering to last-minute customers and appealing to the spirit of the season coupled with the release construction tips above are excellent ways to add some extra spice to your holiday campaign efforts.

Filed under: Media Relations, Multimedia, Small Business, Social Media, Strategy, Tips and Tricks, Visibility by Stacey Acevero