Make the Most of Your News

News Releases are an important resource for prospective and active investors in your company. It is an opportunity to speak with the investment community to help them stay updated and better understand what your company is all about.

News Releases can be tough to execute correctly and gain traction as you are competing with a surplus of news being released from other public companies. So how do you get noticed?

We put together four tips to help you make the most of your news.

Tip #1: Content and Structure are Everything

The headline is what most readers see when they are scrolling on their phone or computer. To intrigue readers and get them to click on your news, use clear attention-grabbing headlines that appropriately represents the information being announced.

What follows the headline, is arguably to most important part of a News Releases, the first paragraph.

Some readers don’t read past the first paragraph, so the goal is to summarize the key facts in a strategic way which could leave readers with something valuable if they decide to stop reading or something interesting to draw them into reading the full release.

A News Release should be unbiased however, the CEO quote is an opportunity to colourfully express how management feels about what is being announced and what it means for the future of the business. The CEO quote should follow the first paragraph as investors like to be spoken to and hear genuine commentary from management about the news being released.

What follows are the specific details to further expand the story while still keeping it brief, relevant, and lean. It’s important to also keep in mind that each release varies based on its topic and/or purpose.

Tip #2: How to Optimize Reach

We often hear CEOs of public companies asking us the same question – “How do I get more eyeballs on my company’s news?”

Of course, this depends on a couple of variables, however, some ways to optimize reach are to:

• Get the Timing Right: Tuesdays to Thursdays are all good days to release news, with Thursdays being the best day based on open rates. News is less likely to get traction when it’s released on Mondays and Fridays as they are the least busy business days of the week.
• Choose the Best Distribution Provider: A good quality distribution channel is important but it can get expensive, especially when you get trapped into a contract. Additionally, it’s common for providers to claim that they have a very wide reach (that they usually can’t prove and comes with extra fees). After working with many providers, we have found it’s best to shop around, and look for value and reputation when assessing which provider to use.
• Understand Targeting: All news releases are targeted when they are set up for release by the distribution provider. It is crucial to ensure your release is properly targeted and on par with your competitors’ targeting.
• Utilize Social Media Correctly: Additional traction can be made during the post-distribution stage by using various social media platforms. We recommend setting up official company accounts on all major platforms and building up a presence. These platforms are easy ways to further spread your news to a wider audience.

Tip #3: Speak to Your Investors

Investors largely base their investment decisions on the information they receive from a company. This is why it is important to speak to your investors, especially in your news releases.

But how to you know if you’re doing this correctly?

• Understand your target audience
• Be concise, avoid fluff and keep information fresh
• Provide relevant details to help investors internalize the story
• Maintain and grow your company’s narrative over time
• Discuss your news in terms of market needs
• Have a consistent news flow to avoid keeping investors in the dark
• Incorporate answers to reoccurring questions you receive from your investors

Speaking to your investors effectively can help build investor confidence and ensure the long-term viability of your company. Developing a news release strategy can give you a competitive edge against your competitors.

Tip #4: NR vs. PR

When releasing news, management has the option to release a News Release (NR) or a Press Release (PR). But what’s the difference?

A News Release is information that is of material significance. Companies are required to release material information to the public based on trading rules and regulations and a NR is the tool commonly used to do so.

A Press Release is information that is typically not of material significance. PRs are a marketing tool used to provide investors with more information, such as upcoming events, painting the company’s picture, or other information to help investors internalize the story.

Utilizing both NR and PR can be strategic tool to build investor confidence. Some ways to do this are to:

• Having a NR tab and PR tab on the investor page (and always keeping it updated!)
• Planning PRs in advance to have a consistent News Flow
• Using similar language and style between NRs and PRs
• Doing a bigger push on PRs to the media and on social media (post dissemination)
• If relevant, combining a NR and PR into one release

At Apollo, we specialize in all things news related. Reach out to our team at hello@apollorelations.com for a free consultation.