Brand journalism - here is why PR is good for your real estate brand
You have established an online presence through your social media channels and updated your website to a responsive solution but what more can you do to enhance your brand? The answer might lie in a more traditional solution!
It is vital to have an online presence and promoting your business through blog posts, social shares, and email campaigns will help you with that. But that might not be enough to get your brand in front of the right audience and this is where brand journalism (or good old fashioned public relations) comes in.
If you are trying to gain some traction in the marketplace, a well-timed and expertly crafted press release can do wonders for your exposure.
Generally generating buzz for your real estate brand with a solid PR strategy might take a little longer than online efforts, but if you write informative press releases and build a relationship with the media, your efforts will pay off.
The basics of a PR marketing strategy
Before you tackle any PR effort, take a look at your website. An outdated website won’t do you any good once you have started generating buzz for your brand. No one will want to do business with you if your expert advice doesn’t match your website. It will seem disingenuous.
Once you are satisfied with your website, you can start with your PR marketing strategy in full. You will have a choice of either writing all your releases yourself or have a professional PR company handle your releases.
The benefits of having a PR company handling your efforts is that they come with a Rolodex of media connections. However, if it is out of your budget don’t fret. There are still ways to get your name out there.
Where to now?
Writing a press release is not as difficult as you might think, here are a few rules to "write" by:
Rule 1: Eye catching headlines
We have written about headlines for your content before - and with a press release, the same rule applies.
Use action verbs, clear, understandable language, and keep your headline simple and short - search engines reward the brief, so keep your title to one line to clearly focus people's attention on your message.
Rule 2: First paragraphs matter
For reporters, analysts, influencers, or followers to be inclined to share your announcement, you have to tell them upfront why they should care.
The first paragraph of your release should cover the who, what, why, where, and how of your new launch, update, or development. Reporters don't have a ton of time to sift through details and fluffy background information
There shouldn't be any new, crucial information covered after this section that the reader could potentially miss.
Rule 3: Make yourself quotable
Once reporters know that you are writing about the latest housing boom in Pofadder, for example, you can delve into the details.
Ideally, quotes can include key figures with the right set of skills and knowledge about the topic at hand. Here you can include statistics, expert advice or comments from community leaders.
Rule 4: Make the "Who" and "What" Obvious
Describe what your company does in clear, plain English, include a link to your company's homepage early on If you cite data, include a reference link to the data source, and make sure every name in the release has an associated title and company as well.
To keep yourself honest on this front, ask a friend or colleague to read the release without context and ask if they can easily and readily explain why the announcement matters, what your company does, and why the executives included are quoted. If the answer to any of those questions is no, get back to the drawing board.
Once your release is ready you can send it to local newspapers, community blogs and to MyProperty News.
Once you start gaining traction, journalists might seek you out for quotes on future property stories and clients will recognize your agency’s name, creating a bigger sense of trust in your services and knowledge.
It is vital to have an online presence and promoting your business through blog posts, social shares, and email campaigns will help you with that. But that might not be enough to get your brand in front of the right audience and this is where brand journalism (or good old fashioned public relations) comes in.
If you are trying to gain some traction in the marketplace, a well-timed and expertly crafted press release can do wonders for your exposure.
Generally generating buzz for your real estate brand with a solid PR strategy might take a little longer than online efforts, but if you write informative press releases and build a relationship with the media, your efforts will pay off.
The basics of a PR marketing strategy
Before you tackle any PR effort, take a look at your website. An outdated website won’t do you any good once you have started generating buzz for your brand. No one will want to do business with you if your expert advice doesn’t match your website. It will seem disingenuous.
Once you are satisfied with your website, you can start with your PR marketing strategy in full. You will have a choice of either writing all your releases yourself or have a professional PR company handle your releases.
The benefits of having a PR company handling your efforts is that they come with a Rolodex of media connections. However, if it is out of your budget don’t fret. There are still ways to get your name out there.
Where to now?
Writing a press release is not as difficult as you might think, here are a few rules to "write" by:
Rule 1: Eye catching headlines
We have written about headlines for your content before - and with a press release, the same rule applies.
Use action verbs, clear, understandable language, and keep your headline simple and short - search engines reward the brief, so keep your title to one line to clearly focus people's attention on your message.
Rule 2: First paragraphs matter
For reporters, analysts, influencers, or followers to be inclined to share your announcement, you have to tell them upfront why they should care.
The first paragraph of your release should cover the who, what, why, where, and how of your new launch, update, or development. Reporters don't have a ton of time to sift through details and fluffy background information
There shouldn't be any new, crucial information covered after this section that the reader could potentially miss.
Rule 3: Make yourself quotable
Once reporters know that you are writing about the latest housing boom in Pofadder, for example, you can delve into the details.
Ideally, quotes can include key figures with the right set of skills and knowledge about the topic at hand. Here you can include statistics, expert advice or comments from community leaders.
Rule 4: Make the "Who" and "What" Obvious
Describe what your company does in clear, plain English, include a link to your company's homepage early on If you cite data, include a reference link to the data source, and make sure every name in the release has an associated title and company as well.
To keep yourself honest on this front, ask a friend or colleague to read the release without context and ask if they can easily and readily explain why the announcement matters, what your company does, and why the executives included are quoted. If the answer to any of those questions is no, get back to the drawing board.
Once your release is ready you can send it to local newspapers, community blogs and to MyProperty News.
Once you start gaining traction, journalists might seek you out for quotes on future property stories and clients will recognize your agency’s name, creating a bigger sense of trust in your services and knowledge.
