Quote:
|
And you can only announce the "website launch" in a press release so many times
|
You should mention this in press releases exactly zero times. Nobody cares about your website launch -- except you. It's not press release worthy and has zero news value. Launching a web site doesn't communicate any reason why a visitor should visit the web site.
....If only there were some "thing" which happens every year which you could do a release on ....something with a business angle ...like Winter killing car batteries and the "7 Warning Signs It's Time To Replace Your Battery Website Quiz" which retailers could use and create cross linking opportunities.
And it's what a release is about -- recognizing the press has a "news hole" to fill and is looking for stories with seasonal relevance. Such a story would also give you the opportunity to discuss why your products are especially winter-resistant (cold, road salt corrosion, whatever).
Quote:
|
They've been in the battery business since the 1940's!
|
In this case, it's not that hard. You just have to get off the product-centric 1940s manufacturing mentality and look to the customers and what they're doing. 1) Exactly what is keeping the company in business for so long -- why do customers choose you over competitors? 2) How is the customer using battery accessories?
Being in business since the 1940s probably means the company realizes full well
they can't run the business like it's the 1940s. Given the whole
blogs are about establishing a close feedback loop with end users and customers thing gives up a clue...
There have got to be some compelling customer stories (Press Release lingo: Human interest stories). Get in contact. Gather. Write those up. For one thing it acknowledges some passing interest in the world outside the company walls ...potential customers tend to like that. ....quiets the nerves of retailers carrying the product line, too.
Imagine a press release where it's not all "me, myself, and I." Maybe, just maybe, you could do that thing where you come up with a story idea and use customer interviews to tell your story in a credible, third party way.
In other words, in a customer-free, use-free vacuum, no wonder you're having writer's block.
You should be having writer's block.
When you make a claim, it's you talking to yourself about yourself. When you're covering the customer and their reactions, it's news. (And it really shouldn't be, but that is the sad state of press release writing for you). The more the blog is a one-way monologue, the more you'll have this problem.