I'm currently making an app target at sports fans. I considering making a press release and send out to sports journalists, but I'm very uncertain on how this stuff works. Anyone here who has experience in press release, any success stories or failures that care to share their experinece?
Is press releases woth our time?
How do you write a press release that people actually read? I guess most journalist get tons of press releases every day. And even more important how do you make a press release that the journalist actually would like to write about?
And how do I harvest the contacts I want to target? Is it easier to get into local news papers than the bigger national or regional papers?
I'm currently making an app target at sports fans. I considering making a press release and send out to sports journalists, but I'm very uncertain on how this stuff works. Anyone here who has experience in press release, any success stories or failures that care to share their experinece?
Is press releases woth our time?
How do you write a press release that people actually read? I guess most journalist get tons of press releases every day. And even more important how do you make a press release that the journalist actually would like to write about?
And how do I harvest the contacts I want to target? Is it easier to get into local news papers than the bigger national or regional papers?
Hello,
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We believe that the key to success is to offer promocode for testing and writing the announcement in informal style (i.e. the way you describe the app to your friends who you will give promocode anyway - i.e. describing only differences from other apps). Everybody is too tired of press releases!
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Just remember that US AppStore is not the only AppStore in the world.
1. My app is relatively new but my best results are when a PR effort is published. A "PR Effort" includes a press release but more. Best result so far was when a couple of Italian blogs picked up my story that was published in a couple of U.S. sites/blogs, which basically published my press release (with some edits) and screen shot(s).
2. After discussing strategy with my PR friends early on, here's what I did/do:
-- identify your target bloggers, journalists, sites. Who reaches sports fans? FIND THEM & STUDY THEM.
-- send a message directly to them (email is best if you can find it; hunt for it on sites, FB, LinkedIn, all over; use their form if not). Try to find an individual and make it personal and make sure they know that you know who they are, what they write about, etc. Do your research.
-- include the press release at the bottom of the message. Insert it, do not attach it.
-- attach 2-3 app screenshots (if email)
-- include live link(s) to App Store page in both message and release. Make them global not country specific.
-- I offer Promo Codes but I don't automatically give them out ("ask me for a promo code")
-- Don't just focus on newspapers; expand your horizons. Just start Googling for [name of sport] + [name of app] and see what comes up. Take the first 3 pages of Google results and just go down the the list checking them out, one by one. ALSO: be sure to add a Google Alert for the subject your app is about. Reading those every day will uncover more targets for your PR efforts.
-- Keep doing it. Don't get discouraged. Eventually, something will hit.
P.S. Forgot to say that you want to get to the most likely people to write about your app. I don't know what your app is, but it's most likely someone doing "News" or "Tech" or "Lifestyle". Whoever could be interested in a new, cool app about XXXX.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Haraldo
For what it's worth...
1. My app is relatively new but my best results are when a PR effort is published. A "PR Effort" includes a press release but more. Best result so far was when a couple of Italian blogs picked up my story that was published in a couple of U.S. sites/blogs, which basically published my press release (with some edits) and screen shot(s).
2. After discussing strategy with my PR friends early on, here's what I did/do:
-- identify your target bloggers, journalists, sites. Who reaches sports fans? FIND THEM & STUDY THEM.
-- send a message directly to them (email is best if you can find it; hunt for it on sites, FB, LinkedIn, all over; use their form if not). Try to find an individual and make it personal and make sure they know that you know who they are, what they write about, etc. Do your research.
-- include the press release at the bottom of the message. Insert it, do not attach it.
-- attach 2-3 app screenshots (if email)
-- include live link(s) to App Store page in both message and release. Make them global not country specific.
-- I offer Promo Codes but I don't automatically give them out ("ask me for a promo code")
-- Don't just focus on newspapers; expand your horizons. Just start Googling for [name of sport] + [name of app] and see what comes up. Take the first 3 pages of Google results and just go down the the list checking them out, one by one. ALSO: be sure to add a Google Alert for the subject your app is about. Reading those every day will uncover more targets for your PR efforts.
-- Keep doing it. Don't get discouraged. Eventually, something will hit.
Thanks Haraldo, this was very helpfull. Did you write the press release yourself? Find it a little hard to write a good press release that is not to much a sales pitch. Have you ever tried contacting your target people at twitter?
Thanks Haraldo, this was very helpfull. Did you write the press release yourself? Find it a little hard to write a good press release that is not to much a sales pitch. Have you ever tried contacting your target people at twitter?
No prob. Yeah, I write my own press releases but sometimes have a PR colleague look them over. A press release is a certain thing; nothing more or less. Look up "How to write a press release" on Google.
RE: Twitter: sure. but how many followers to you have? What PR can do is reach people you don't already know (although retweets can do that too).
And how do I harvest the contacts I want to target?
If you have not done this by now, try prmac.com - they distribute your press release to many sites for something like $20. It is not that huge of an effect in terms of app sales, but certainly worth the price - I recommend it.
I like the prMac result (release sent live Friday AM). I have modest numbers, but there was a spike in downloads, almost enough to pay for the Extended cost, but I also got direct requests for reviews, at least one other important communication (catching a content mistake), and added visits from the press pickups to my main site. Got 25 press mentions (repeat release posts) within an hour of the release going live, and I'm sure there will continue to be downstream benefits.
I'm currently making an app target at sports fans. I considering making a press release and send out to sports journalists, but I'm very uncertain on how this stuff works. Anyone here who has experience in press release, any success stories or failures that care to share their experinece?
Is press releases woth our time?
How do you write a press release that people actually read? I guess most journalist get tons of press releases every day. And even more important how do you make a press release that the journalist actually would like to write about?
And how do I harvest the contacts I want to target? Is it easier to get into local news papers than the bigger national or regional papers?
Hi Robiwan,
Press Release is highly recommended for a app .......... It's a great way to access trade pubs, blogs, and consumer magazines. I usually go for prmac.com and prweb.com
I'm currently making an app target at sports fans. I considering making a press release and send out to sports journalists, but I'm very uncertain on how this stuff works. Anyone here who has experience in press release, any success stories or failures that care to share their experinece?
Is press releases woth our time?
How do you write a press release that people actually read? I guess most journalist get tons of press releases every day. And even more important how do you make a press release that the journalist actually would like to write about?
And how do I harvest the contacts I want to target? Is it easier to get into local news papers than the bigger national or regional papers?
Good luck for this one. I wish you all the best to have a successful press release about sports and that is a good idea.
Press release
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