When trying to create new content for customers, many company bloggers turn towards company news. It’s a good choice. Company news is unique to the company. It’s content that no one else has available elsewhere. Interested customers may also want to see what the company is doing to see if the company is a good fit for their needs. There is nothing wrong with having company news in your business blog, unless you copy and paste press releases.
What’s wrong with press releases in a business news blog?
Press releases are for reporters, not your customers.
The whole point of press releases is to release newsworthy achievements or events. Therefore, press releases are written as if they are addressing reporters. Unfortunately, reporters are looking for different details than your average customer. For example, the location of the business is always included on a press release. This is important for reporters, who may be looking to cover local news or businesses. However, if you are selling a digital product, it’s possible that your customers will not care about your location or when you announced the achievement or event.
Press releases are written in a dry professional tone instead of aligning with a marketing strategy.
Although some business like to maintain a dry professional tone on a blog, it’s not required. Some successful business blogs have gained followers by being more genuine and authentic. The voice used in the blogging is in line with the marketing approach. Maybe the company wants to be seen as innovative but approachable. That marketing strategy should be reflected in the business blog. Unfortunately, most press releases aren’t written with the marketing strategy in mind. Remember, press releases are for reporters and the business blog is supposed to be for potential customers.
Press releases might not cover the events that matter to your customers.
What is newsworthy to a reporter might not be interesting news to a customer. However, the reverse can also be true. A reporter would likely not be interested in how your company hired a new low-level employee. However, a customer might like to see a blog post welcoming that member to the team and giving him a chance to introduce himself. It shows that the company cares about its employees and wants to connect with customers. Even if the company news does not merit a press release, the blog can still announce the news to interested customers.
Although press releases are a good place to start looking for blog content, they are only the beginning. In many cases, the way that the news is presented should be re-written before inclusion on the company blog. It should reflect the customer as the intended audience instead of a reporter. Rewriting the company news for a blog also gives marketers a chance to incorporate their strategies into the content.
If you have questions about how to alter your press releases to suit a business blog, contact us!
