How to Issue Your Press Release on Facebook
The first step to issuing your press release on Facebook is to have a Facebook profile. Ideally, you’ll have a business profile that represents and brands your business.
Create a Fan Page if you don’t already have one. Before you publish a release on Facebook it’s a good idea to have a presence on the social media site. Make sure you have a minimum of a basic fan page.
Build an audience. Sharing on Facebook is relatively ineffective if you don’t already have a following. Start sharing, engaging, and interacting. The larger your audience, the more potential interest in your press release and the more people there are to share and like your content.
Make sure you have goals for your press release and that those goals are actionable on social media. What do you want your press release to accomplish on Facebook? For example, you may want to drive traffic to your site or build your Facebook following. Make sure you include links and a call to action that support your goals.
Include photos, images, video, and graphics in your release. People are five times more likely to share a post on Facebook if it has images. Today’s press releases support a vast assortment of file types and purposes. Take advantage of it.
Include social share buttons, specifically “like” and “share” Facebook buttons. Make sure that people can take action on Facebook. Within your release, include buttons or links that support sharing and engaging on Facebook.
Create a “Media” tab on your fan page. Publish your press releases here. You can begin to cultivate a press release archive along with links to your other media page information including photos, your boilerplate and contact information.
Ask for shares and likes. Ask people to share the news. Don’t be shy on social media. When you share a post on Facebook, including a press release, it’s okay to ask for shares and likes. You’re more likely to get them if you ask. Don’t forget to say “thank you” to the people who follow through.
Engage, interact, and respond. Don’t just click “send” and sit back and wait. It’s important to be active on social media. Ask questions, comment and provide insight and advice where appropriate. Social media is designed to be conversational. You’ll have better press release results when you’re consistently active on Facebook and other social sites.
Hashtags help people find your information. Always include the hashtag #pressrelease so your prospects know what to expect. Also include a few relevant and popular keywords. This will help journalists find your information and it will tell potential readers what your release is about.
Finally, make sure to follow up and track your Facebook analytics and results. Facebook is a useful press release marketing channel.
Assessing your results will help you improve them next time you issue a release. Look for the type of links that people prefer, the time of day that provides the most activity and how many people clicked, shared, and liked your release.
