Press release distribution software [A guide for media companies]

Having smart and functional PR software is extremely important in today’s fast-paced environment. PR software helps companies create press releases, distribute their news through email, post on a newsroom, keep track of media lists and manage statistics such as views and open rates. 

Although many industries need and use press release software, not all providers can support the unique needs that those working with TV, VOD and books face, such as sharing rich media alongside their news or ensuring secure distribution. 

This press release software distribution guide helps you make sure you aren’t selling yourself short and understand what questions to ask when adopting a new system. 

Press Release Creation

Most PR software systems come with a press release creation feature. But that doesn’t mean that they are all made the same. 

PR software users often get excited initially when a program has a ton of functions and design opportunities, when in fact this should probably be a red flag.

The purpose of this type of software is to make your life easier and make your workflows as seamless as possible. A plethora of functions may do the opposite of this. And remember: press releases are working material for journalists. Too fancy of a design may have a detrimental effect on usability.

You want a clear consistent structure for easy build and management - a user-friendly editor with your company fonts already programmed in will do the job.

When extra features start getting thrown into the mix, think carefully about how often you would use them and if they will make your life easier or add unnecessary stress. 

Press Release Distribution

Streamlining your workflow is everything. Being able to distribute your press releases via email, publish it to your press site and post it to social media channels in one go will save you a considerable amount of time.

When it comes to press distribution you want to make sure you can share to all of the channels that are important to you in one swift go.

Additional Thoughts: 

Those promoting TV, VOD and books often have a lot more to distribute than releases, such as screeners, images and other marketing assets and related media.

If you are working in the entertainment industry, ensure that you are able to distribute these assets through your press site and email as well. 

Press Site

When signing up for PR software, make sure you get a portal rather than a standard press pushing system. You need a landing page for all of your important information, not just a place where you can push news.

As stated above, media and entertainment companies have more to distribute than just press information. They need deeper information about the content that they are writing about in their press releases (e.g. program catalogues, metadata, schedules, etc.).

Being able to connect your news to the shows or books that they are referring to in one place makes it easier for journalists to get all of the materials that they need to promote your content.

Contact Management

With the competition picking up between digital media content, you need to ensure you are pushing the right news to the right people and that they are receiving it.

Working between systems can make this process complicated and can lead to mistakes and missed deliveries. However, having one place to store, organise and serve all your important contacts and media connections simplifies the process and makes it easier for you to share more information and not the bare minimum. 

When looking into a PR system, you also want to make sure that you are able to group your contacts or send materials individually. Sharing is the most important thing, so make sure the tools are there to make this as seamless as possible.

Access Control

Access control is one of the most important elements to consider when investing in a press release distribution system. If you want to share something, such as pre-premier content to only a select few media contacts you need to make sure that you can do that in a secure way so that it doesn’t get spread around. 

Most press systems are tailored to distribute to as many users as possible without accreditation. This isn’t the best case for media companies since they need to be more careful about distribution on an asset level. 

You also need flexibility in terms of access rights. Broadcast companies for example often have a handful of people that they want to show assets to but not give download rights.

Settings that allow you to share the same information to a handful of people while applying different access rights for each of them is a game-changer when it comes to streamlining your distribution workflow. 

Reporting

This brings us to our final feature - reporting. Sharing information is good and all but doesn’t mean much if your contacts aren’t looking at it. 

A user-friendly dashboard that helps you keep track of email statistics, media downloads, and views is a must so that you can see that you are getting the job done.  

Conclusion

The purpose of having a PR system is to be able to share news and drive more awareness to your content. Therefore ensuring that you have the right tools to do this as efficiently as possible should be a no brainer.

Unlike other large PR software providers, Clipsource is designed to make the PR process as seamless as possible for those working in the media and entertainment industry. 

Since we are integrated with internal databases and systems, we make it easier for people to create and distribute rich news and press releases focused at promoting films, episodes and books. You don’t have to send people to separate places for videos and images, instead, it is all connected through a user-friendly interface.

If you are a media company you can use this guide to determine if you are using the right PR software or if you should be thinking about adopting a new system for 2022.

If you want to learn more about choosing the correct PR software, then check out CRM for PR: The best way to manage your press contacts in 2022.

Clipsource has been hired by some of the industry’s finest entertainment brands to enrich and streamline their PR workflow and help them distribute more materials to more stakeholders at a lower cost. Contact us today to learn more about how you can unleash the power of your programs.