As much as many would like to see the press release die, it remains one of the most powerful and important tools in any PR department’s arsenal. A Multimedia Press Release presents brands a unique opportunity to incorporate creative branding points within their messaging.
However, the days traditional press releases may well be coming to an end. As the Web opens up new opportunities for PR agents to spread the word about their clients and companies, press releases are becoming much more than just words on paper.
It is currently possible, and even simple, to add video, audio and images with a press release, telling a much more complete story and enabling the release to effectively reach out to a much larger audience, one that includes bloggers, end users and industry leaders.
Currently though, according to one survey, done by RealWire for storemed, only 13% of all press releases are actually full multimedia releases, making such releases a fast, cost-effective way to stand out.
With that in mind, here are four services to help you create and distribute multimedia releases, the kind that will help you get the attention you want for your clients.
Pitchengine
Pitchengine lets you build and share pitches in much the same way that you currently build a Facebook page. Simply fill in the blanks, attach any images or video that you want and attach links to your relevant social media profiles, other resources and tags.
Pitchengine then creates a dedicated page for your pitch, complete with short URL, and offers visitors an easy and direct way to get in touch with the company. Since the pitches are live pages and not static releases, they can be updated and maintained as needed. Social media linking is also highly encouraged on these live pages.
A basic plan at Pitchengine costs $39 per month and allows for the creation of pitches for a single brand. A pro account, at $79 per month adds an embeddable newsroom. Higher plans allow for more brands though all have unlimited pitches.
Online PR Media
Online PR Media, as part of their $49 “Multimedia Press Release Package” offers the ability to create and send out press releases with embedded video, images and rotating quotes. The press releases also have a social bar, which encourages sharing on Twitter and Facebook among others and makes the release downloadable as a PDF.
Online PR Media’s releases are heavily template-driven, making them very easy to fill out but also very similar to one another. Still, it can be a powerful tool, especially for those who only send out the occasional release.
PressLift
Created by Drop.io, the well-known file transfer company, Presslift makes it simple to create press releases with images, audio and video as well as complete social media integration.
PressLift also has the unique ability to enforce embargoes and ensure that only authorized users have access to the release. There is also a robust statistics package to track how often releases are viewed.
Currently PressLift is not accepting new clients and pricing information is not on the site. However, previously, each PressLift was priced at $299.
MultiVu
Finally, at the highest end of the spectrum from a cost standpoint is MultiVu, a company owned by PR Newswire.
Mutlivu is a “hands off” approach to creating multimedia press releases, developing the entire release in house, including a short video in some cases, and submitting it through PR Newswire’s network.
MultiVu’s News Releases, or MNRs as they like to call them, can contain video, images, links and social media integration.
Regular MNRs cost $3,750 per package but a basic plan, one without video, is available for $1,750.
The beauty of multimedia press releases is not only that they provide more information than a standard one and stand out more from the pack, but that they are able to reach out to a larger audience.
Simply put, press releases are no longer just for journalists and if they are going to hold the attention of more regular Internet users, they need to behave more like a regular site.
That is exactly what these press releases do and why, more likely than not, multimedia releases are the future of PR, making these services all products to watch moving forward.