{"id":9451,"date":"2011-09-22T15:38:11","date_gmt":"2011-09-22T15:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicityhound.com\/blog\/?p=9451"},"modified":"2011-09-22T15:38:11","modified_gmt":"2011-09-22T15:38:11","slug":"13-press-release-topics-when-theres-nothing-newsworthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/publicity\/13-press-release-topics-when-theres-nothing-newsworthy\/","title":{"rendered":"13 press release topics when there’s nothing newsworthy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"empty<\/a>One of the biggest myths of press releases is that they must contain news.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That was true two decades ago\u00a0when we wrote press releases primarily for journalists and we had to worry about insulting them with trivia about our business.<\/p>\n

But now that we post them online, mostly to pull traffic to our websites<\/strong>, we’re free to write about whatever we wish.<\/p>\n

Here, then, are 13 press release topics when your pockets are empty and there’s\u00a0absolutely nothing newsworthy to write about. They’re excerpted from my free email course on 89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases.<\/a>\u00a0(PR people, take the course to sharpen your press release skills. And then use the tips below\u00a0when you’re scrounging for ideas to publicize your clients.)<\/p>\n

Publicity Hounds who have a subscription to\u00a0Expertclick, The Yearbook of Experts<\/a> (affiliate link), which lets you post up to 52 press releases a year, will find these tips particularly helpful.<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0Take a Stand on a Controversial Topic<\/strong><\/p>\n

Controversial topics can include everything from the old standbys such as\u00a0abortion and gun control to local issues like\u00a0proposed zoning laws.<\/p>\n

When you’re done with the press release, generate extra publicity by writing a letter to the editor of your local or national newspaper. My Special Report #4:\u00a0How to Write Crisp, Compelling Letters to the Editor that Promote Your Product, Service or Favorite Cause <\/a>shows you how.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 Write About Your\u00a0Blog\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you’ve started blogging for business, write a press release about it so people who want information on your topic can find it. Or devote the release to some of the things you mentioned\u00a0in a specific post.<\/p>\n

This blog, for example, helps people solve problems writing press releases, and I encourage people to submit questions to me. It also teaches people how to use social media sites to self-promote. I could write two press releases, or more, just telling readers about ways they can use this blog. You can, too.<\/p>\n

Visit\u00a0other bloggers who blog on the same topic, or a similar topic, and post comments at their blogs. By linking back to your blog from your comments, you will improve the page ranking of your own blog.<\/p>\n

3. Lead Readers to Free Articles at Your Website<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you have free articles that solve people’s problems, or entertain them, say so.<\/p>\n

Are your articles arranged by category? Are they updated monthly? Do you let the media, ezine publishers, newsletter editors and bloggers reprint them? Do you feature articles from other industry experts?<\/p>\n

4. Tell People Where to Find You on\u00a0Social Media Sites<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smart\u00a0Publicity Hounds use\u00a0Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Quora profiles to position themselves as the go-to sources in their industries.<\/p>\n

Do you post your photos and videos to Flickr? Do you have a YouTube channel chock full of helpful how-to videos?\u00a0(Here’s mine<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0 Create Your Own Holiday<\/strong><\/p>\n

Create your own day, week or month of the year, or your own holiday, at Chases Calendar of Events<\/a>. The listing is free. You can then use that holiday as a springboard to even more publicity.<\/p>\n

The topic doesn’t have to be serious. In fact, the more fun, the better. I love Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day<\/a>.<\/p>\n

6. Make a Prediction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Predict something that ties into your area of expertise—or not.<\/p>\n

Predict\u00a0when gasoline prices, the stock market or interest rates will rise and fall. For fun, predict who will win the Super Bowl or when the first snowfall will occur in your area.\u00a0Predict the winner of local or national elections.<\/p>\n

7. Issue a Proclamation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Congratulate the local high school football team for winning a state title, or a local business for celebrating its 10th anniversary.<\/p>\n

8. Write Tips That Tie into an Upcoming Holiday<\/strong><\/p>\n

Professional orgnizers can write about how to stay organized during the Christmas holidays. A child safety expert can offer tips on how to keep kids safe during fireworks season on the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n

9.\u00a0 Identify A Trend You’re Seeing in Your Business or Industry<\/strong><\/p>\n

You don’t even have to think very hard to identify a trend you’re seeing. How has your customers’ behavior changed the way you do business? What’s happening with your orders? Is your nonprofit serving more people in a particular age group or income level?<\/p>\n

If you want to cheat, Google “Top trends in the (fill in the blank) industry” and write about\u00a0one of those.<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0 Comment on Breaking News<\/strong><\/p>\n

This one’s easy. The news can tie into your business or industry—or not. If you’re an expert who\u00a0welcomes interview requests for radio talk shows, say so in the release. See 6 ways to tie your pitch to breaking news for PR and publicity.<\/a><\/p>\n

11. What Event Are You Attending?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most people don’t think it’s a big deal if they attend a trade show or industry conference.\u00a0But why not turn this into a publicity opportunity?<\/p>\n

Write a press release telling people that\u00a0you’d welcome meeting them.\u00a0Encourage them to ask you questions about problems they’re facing.<\/p>\n

12. Take a Poll or Survey<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sites like Survey Monkey make simple polling a breeze.\u00a0 You can also take a poll on Facebook.\u00a0Don’t forget to write a follow-up press release that reports on the\u00a0results of the poll.<\/p>\n

13.\u00a0Explain How to Solve\u00a0a\u00a0Problem<\/strong><\/p>\n

Press releases offering tips and advice are often the very best for pulling traffic to your website. That’s becauase you can dazzle readers\u00a0with your expertise, help them solve their problem, and then link to a website where they can find more information about a product or service you sell that can help them even more.<\/p>\n

What\u00a0topics do you write about when the idea well is dry?<\/p>\n

Tools to Help You:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound<\/a><\/p>\n

Keywords: The Magic Magnets That Pull Journalists & Consumes to Your Press Releases<\/a><\/p>\n

The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Big Press Release Samples Ebook: Press Releases for Every Occasion and Industry<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the biggest myths of press releases is that they must contain news. That was true two decades ago\u00a0when we wrote press releases primarily for journalists and we had to worry about insulting them with trivia about our business. But now that we post them online, mostly to pull traffic to our websites, we’re\u2026 Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","iawp_total_views":3,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[691],"tags":[641,611,13],"class_list":{"0":"post-9451","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-publicity","7":"tag-flickr","8":"tag-press-release-topics","9":"tag-press-releases","10":"entry"},"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Joan Stewart","author_link":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/author\/jstewart\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9451\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purelysupp.com\/publicity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}