It’s a common occurrence for any communicator – our client wants us to create a news release to announce a particular development. Visions of splashy front-page headlines dance in their heads, and they want us to make it happen. Now.
I’ll save arguments (and there are many) about whether a news release is in fact the right channel for another day. Depending on the topic, it may be or may not be. Here’s what I do want to emphasize: great communication goes far beyond news releases.
The goal of a news release is to get published in a media outlet… so that your clients, prospective clients, investors, employees and other valuable stakeholders read some good news about you. But in most cases, you already have the ability to share that good news directly with them. Do you have an email marketing list? An internal distribution list for your employees? I thought so.
This means you can share your news directly with the audiences that matter most to your success. And when they hear it directly from you rather than reading about it somewhere else, you actually strengthen your relationship with them. Even better – you have 100% control over the information you share, rather than being at the whim of a journalist and his or her perceptions of your company and understanding of your news.
Yes, great media coverage can increase awareness for your organization with new people. It can improve credibility because you’re receiving attention from an unbiased third party. It can do a lot of things, but I find that many companies are so focused on reaching out to the media that they neglect to communicate with the key stakeholders who matter most, and with whom they already have a direct connection.
Every businessperson should take a moment to think about all of the stakeholders that matter to their success, and remember to communicate with them when the need arises. Join me in making "No stakeholder left behind" your professional mantra, and you’ll deepen your relationships and improve your business as a result.