225: How to use press releases to increase personal brand visibility & credibility - with Mickie Kennedy, eReleases

If you want to 'crack' the media on a decent scale, you need leverage.

Generating editorial exposure in traditional media outlets such as newspapers, magazines, radio and television can do wonders for your personal profile and reputation.

But it can be a tough gig. It needs to be approached strategically, and requires a fair bit of unrelenting 'grunt' work.

As a general rule, for entrepreneurs, experts and thought leaders - the best way to go is pitching your story idea to a specific (and relevant) journalist, editor or broadcast producer. Pitch, by pitch ... by pitch. Quality over quantity.

Having a publicist or media relations representative doing it on your behalf can help, but it costs money to do it properly, given the amount of man-hours required to do the job properly.

But there is another method you can employ.

Press releases.

To be more specific: press release distribution at scale.

Now, coming from the PR world, the press release has its fair share of critics.

Indeed, some even claim that the press release is dead!

Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with it (to be fair, as a tool, the release is okay and serves a purpose, the issue is more around the mindless blasting of irrelevant unprofessional-looking press releases to hundreds of journalists in one hit - we call it 'spray and pray' in the industry).

Maybe we shouldn't be so hasty in writing off the humble press release. There appears to be life in the old dog yet!

Enter Mickie Kennedy ...

In this episode, Mickie explains how press releases distributed en masse via an email or wire service can turbo-charge your visibility and credibility (and generate real business revenue as well).

Mickie is an expert at helping small businesses, authors, and startups increase their visibility and credibility. He founded eReleases 22 years ago after realising small businesses needed a press release service they could afford.

Today, eReleases provides entrepreneurs and thought leaders with real-time access to the media and to a national newswire – all with a personal touch.

In this chat, Mickie and I cover a range of topics associated with press release writing and distribution, including:

• the distinction between wire services and email distribution
• what makes for an effective press release
• the importance of including a compelling quote/s in your press release
• creating headlines (and why you shouldn't get too cute when doing so)
• the strategic use of press releases: what that looks like, and what sort of results you can generate if you do it properly
• How one eReleases client generated 150 articles using press release wire distribution, resulting in $10M in business revenue
• Why the art of newsjacking is difficult to sustain (and if you go down this path, then having a contrarian view can help you cut through the noise)

Says Mickie: "A journalist is a gatekeeper and they are deciding what is really relevant and compelling they can share with their audience."

Get access to Mickie's free masterclass: How to build a PR campaign designed to get massive media coverage.