Ten Tips to Announcing a New Hire or Promotion with a Press Release

CyberAlert reports:

"Press releases announcing personnel appointments are a mainstay of public relations. They may not always be earth-shattering news, but they fulfill important PR purposes. They keep your organization on the top of the minds of journalists covering your industry. They can be repurposed on other platforms and shared on social media. If done well, they can lead to larger stories...Although the new hire’s background is available on his resume, a short interview may reveal information that is more valuable. Ask about trends in his area of expertise and connect them to the niche industry or local area...Describing the impact of the personnel change to the local community or industry can help the release evolve into a larger story. To do that, consider what the change means to a new product, department or overall organization, and then connect that to readers. Although summarizing the person’s background is a prerequisite, showing readers why they should care about the news is especially valuable...Obtain a few quotes from the hire on their new responsibilities. You can also get a few quotes about the community where they will be living...If the new hire is an executive, consider adding a quote from the C-level executive who will supervise the person. The C-suite executive can praise the new hire and say how their background will benefit the organization and its customers...Placing the person in front of a plain, light background will avoid distractions such as windows or antennae. While you can email the headshot as an attachment, a better method may be to send a link to a downloadable file from your website’s media area. Many journalists will not open attachments because they may carry a virus...Although headshots were typically formal in the past, headshots now try to reveal personality. A photo of the new hire in action, especially with high-level personnel or customers, can help show the organization’s culture and distinguish the release from others. However, consider your organization’s desired image and the media outlet’s style in selecting the type of photo you distribute...Including the organization’s name and being succinct are essential for headlines. You can also play around with the words to create a catchy headline...Creating your list of media outlets before you send the release will improve distribution of the release. Observing where media outlets run personnel announcements can help identify proper contacts. A spreadsheet of media outlets, their contact information, and their requirements for image file formats and other submission preferences can improve your success in placements...Repurposing the release can get more mileage out of the content. The release can be modified and expanded for a company blog post. A video interview, focusing on trends in their areas of expertise, can be posted on social media...Monitoring media outlets with the help of a media monitoring service will show what outlets published the news and gauge the impact of the release...Although personnel releases are routine, following best practices and completing extra work can ensure the press releases gain attention and sometimes even help them evolve into larger stories. Explaining how the new hire will work to resolve challenges facing readers can expand the release into a story that will gain the media’s attention."