What is the role of a good press release? Purely auxiliary, according to the experts - awareness, viral information distribution, loyalty, and embedding trust in the project or business. Learn how to make sure every single one hits the media spot.
Contrary to the opinion of a few bygone media experts, the almighty press release is anything but dead. In fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In today’s digital climate, the press release is a must-have - a fast-track to garnering major media attention, keeping the public informed and boosting your SEO credibility.
In our experience, we don’t see enough businesses utilise the cryptocurrency press release to its fullest capabilities, nor understand its potential.
Not only is it a vital instrument for company-wide announcements, it’s also a crucial part of the marketing mix in the blockchain industry - but it’s a craft - and that’s important to note. With that in mind, here are our top five tips on how to write a blockchain press release that’s readable, shareable and mighty, mighty loveable; helping you smash your business objectives.
1. A brilliant headline
Headlines are everything.
On average, a crypto investor will sift through multiple press releases a day (if not more). So, will they spend hours languishing over every piece? Nope, you’ll have their attention for three seconds at most, so maximise that eyeball time with a catchy headline.
You want to keep it under thirty words, make it interesting and cover all of the juiciest parts of your announcement. Let’s consider a couple of variations of the same headline:
Project X has announced a launch of its project in November.
Project X has sealed the deal on a major partnership with the European Development Bank.
Bam. One you care about, one puts you to sleep.
In short, your announcement should be connected to something. We recommend including co-operation with governmental institutions, big non-profit organisations, famous companies, and celebrity endorsements - like Meltem Demirors, Changpeng Zhao, and Joseph Lubin.
2. Funds and facts
No-one can argue with airtight numbers.
If you have compelling data to share - share it! Crypto investors are drawn to enticing numbers. Use investment numbers, adoption rates, user growth, coin value, and staff numbers to help tell your unique story in a way that paints a detailed picture of your fiscal achievement.
For example, if you were announcing a raise, you’d say: Project X has raised X€.
If you were declaring a major series investment round, you’d say: Project Y has closed an X€ Series C round.
If you were revealing user growth, you’d say: Project Z has grown user base by X%, the highest crypto-growth rate in history.
Dive into your analytics tool to reveal the best and biggest numbers - although don’t make them up - this will only bite you down the track, and make you look a little silly - and also be careful not to share numbers that aren’t notable, and this will actually work against you. Use the most interesting numbers only, and ensure they support your main claim.
3. Be succinct
This one harks back to our first point, but it’s important.
Remember, your reader is merely scanning the content; they aren’t reading it in any great detail. They don’t have the time or mental energy to absorb every single word, so keep your copy short, punchy and succinct.
Use as few words as possible, and opt to use more impactful words in lieu of using many.
Short sentences are often considered best-practice in press release writing. At most, your paragraphs should consist of two sentences, or three if you’re using a direct quote from an authoritative spokesperson within the company. Otherwise, you want to have a natural flow that eyes can dart through to glean what they need quickly.
4.Eye-catchy visuals
Rule of thumb: avoid chunks of text on your visual images.
The images should be just that, an image. You want it to grab attention whilst demonstrating what your press release is all about - and ideally, you want to use the images that you yourself have taken, or have had taken of you by a photographer.
If your release talks about people within your company (a new board member or C-Suite executive), use one of their headshots. If it’s about your trading rise, upcoming ICO or wallet exchange, use graphs showcasing the increase.
If it’s about your company as a whole, images of your office and your team working and engaged bode very well with the public - as they have a human element that resonates on a human-to-human level. Ensure it’s high-resolution, clear and able to be saved and downloaded for use by the media outlet if they choose to run your story.
5. Use other tools
Finally, make sure you use an omnichannel approach in your marketing.
A press release is great - but it isn’t a standalone asset. Unless you have something huge to announce, know that a Bitcoin PR alone may not be able to generate the kind of buzz and traffic you need - to make it even more powerful with support from other kinds of marketing, like banner ads, native teasers, and pop-ups.
An omnichannel, combination approach will maximise eyeballs, spend and reach.
For example, if you’re trying to increase the number of people who buy your coins, a press release announcing your best rates ever before an ICO, couple with native banner ads on the leading crypto-websites, is a sure-fire way to hit that goal.
After all, you can’t expect that from one press release distribution, people will be running to buy your tokens - but with enough consistency in your marketing, they will be.
Happy press releasing!