Do It Yourself vs Hiring Experts – Which Do I Want?
When a small company decides that it needs to attract media attention to its product, service, innovation or event, it has to choose whether to distribute press releases itself or hire an expert. While many factors go into the choice, the entrepreneurs should consider how the editors would look at the press release when they receive it. Because of the volume of press releases they receive every day, they can’t read them all, so you want to make sure yours is chosen. Here are some guidelines on when it is best to do it yourself vs hiring experts.
All small business owners and entrepreneurs have a choice when it comes to sending press releases. They could write the press release and distribute them without help or they could spend a small amount to have experts do the task. What you choose could affect how the release is received on the other end. This article will give you guidelines when it is better to hire experts.
1 – Low Budget
Most start-ups don’t have a lot of money. Therefore, if they are so new that they don’t have much revenues, they might want to send the press release themselves. They should do their research before sending. They have to know how to write a press release that journalists would want to see. They have to choose the right journalists. They have to do the follow-ups themselves. If they perform all these tasks and have a low budget, they should send themselves and be reasonably assured they did all they could to get pickup. Even following the rules won’t guarantee that you capture the editors’ attention.
2 – No Time
You are an expert on your product or service. You are not an expert on the media. To do it yourself, you might have to spend all day trying to write and distribute a press release. If you don’t have this much time to spend, you should hire an expert. Public relations professionals and press release distribution services are in business to send press releases. They know what to do. They are experts. If it took you all day, a good service, such as Faselis Growth, could write and send a press release within a few hours or fewer. You should take advantage of that extra time you have to do some other form of marketing.
3 – Journalist to Journalist
When you hire an expert, most likely you are getting a journalist who understands the media. They know what media expect to see and what they want. They know how to talk to them and understand deadlines. They are more likely going to read and consider a press release written and sent by another journalist than someone outside their field. Therefore, it is better to use a press release distribution service that hires journalists to help you write and send your release. Avoid the online services that use a template form or computer algorithms to craft your release. Journalists usually reject these completely.
4 – Relationships With Media
Entrepreneurs already might have relationships with journalists in their local region. If that is the case, you doing it yourself is perfectly acceptable. It could lead to a local story on television, on radio or in the paper. If you don’t have a relationship with local media, you might want to turn to public relations professionals who also have relationships with media because they send so often to the same people. They talk with them at events and call them for updates. When you don’t have a relationship with media, it makes sense to hire experts who do have relationships with them.
It usually is more effective and more budget-cautious to hire experts to send your press releases than doing it yourself. They know the industry. They have the contacts. They know the format and jargon necessary to get maximum attention. And, this is all they do. When you hire experts for your press release distribution, you can devote time to other tasks within your company.
If you want to get media attention, you will have more success when you hire experts. Faselis Growth can help you write the press release and send it to editors and reporters.
by Louise Harris
