Online Press Release is broadly defined as using new technology to effectively communicate with stakeholders over the Internet. When a business is attempting to increase online reach through PR, a number of tools can be used. One of these is the company’s own website. It is the ideal place to host value-added content that supports broader off-site PR campaigns where people are encouraged to click back to a company’s site, and where user engagement can be tracked and measured.
Online Press Release typically encompasses the following:
- Raising the profile of a company or brand using online channels
- Developing online word-of-mouth buzz
- Fostering online advocates and minimizing the impact of critics
- Identifying online trends and issues
The objective of Online Press Release is to raise awareness of a company or its brand among the broader online community and to generate interest that takes advantage of the viral potential of online social media. It is a way of exhibiting prominent, newsworthy stories about a product, brand, or company to as many viewers as possible. It is similar to standard press releases submitted to offline print media channels, but has the added flexibility of enabling content creators to include multi-media content, such as videos, as well as links and supporting digital files.
To maximize the penetration and exposure from PR, it is essential to submit releases to one or more Online PR or news distribution services such as PR Web, Business Wire, PR.com, or Click Press. Many other similar services can be easily found online. Some of these services offer free basic distribution with paid upgrades, while others require an upfront payment or contract on either a yearly subscription or per-item basis. These services also tend to distribute releases via news feeds to online and offline journalists, media websites, and news aggregation services, such as Google News and Yahoo News, which can result in a great deal of exposure for a newsworthy story.
