How to Use Press Release Reporting to Create Newsworthy Content

It is the goal of every press release writer to see their release succeed.We dream of getting picked up by major mainstream media, landing interviews in renowned industry publications, and having influencers click and share our news on social media.While some press releases are going to garner instant media attention and social buzz, learning what makes a press release stand out takes elbow grease.From identifying a newsworthy story and determining the time of day that secures the most views to crafting a tweetable headline and choosing attention-grabbing multimedia, a lot goes into writing and distributing successful press releases.In Redefining Newsworthiness, New Opportunities to Earn Media & Attention for Your Brand, we explore how the social and influencer media revolution has led to different – but valuable – types of opportunities for third-party coverage.One way to identify these opportunities is by tapping into the successes and failures of previous press releases. Your press release metrics can inform your future content strategy by providing insight into what your audience considers newsworthy.The key is in understanding how to interpret your data. Here are 5 common press release metrics, along with tips for turning them into actionable insights.1. Release ViewsThe first mental “hooray” you feel as a press release writer is usually tied to this number. We love seeing that lots of people have looked at our release!When you begin digging into this metric, compare your releases with higher views to those with fewer hits, and see if you can isolate the differences between them.Consider every aspect — down to the time of day your high- and low-performing releases were distributed. For instance, sending a press release right at market open could cause your release to be buried in financial news, or you might see trends in days of week and times of day that impact your press release visibility for better or worse.2. EngagementWhile release views are the most immediate metric to inform success, it’s not enough to get eyes on your release. If your content is truly newsworthy, your readers will want to share it.Engagement can be a tricky stat to measure, as it can encompass a large number of actions. Social sharing, as an example, can indicate that audiences thought your story was newsworthy and were compelled to help spread the news.Clickthroughs from the links in your release are another great way to gauge interest in your brand or story. Being able to track clicks and trace traffic on your owned channels back to your press release will be invaluable in measuring impact.

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