How and when to use press releases is a topic large enough to fill a book, if not several. It’s a broad and complex topic. But we wanted to touch on a few things you should consider if press releases factor into your marketing efforts.

It used to be that sending out press releases was the foundation of any public relations strategy, but those days are long gone. While press releases remain one aspect of getting the word out about your business, the advent of social media has changed the playing field considerably.

The best use of a press release is to convey truly important information that is likely to be published, either online or otherwise, but actual media outlets or sites that have considerable audiences.

This often means finding an angle or an actually newsworthy aspect that would prompt the recipient to print or post your information. Before sending out a press release, consider just how newsworthy your information is.

Also, consider that the press release is much more likely to engage with its recipient if it includes more than just text about your company or news related to your company. Including embedded images or links to videos in your release can increase engagement by more than 50 percent. If there’s something visual that’s relevant to your news, certainly include it.

Additionally, don’t just use press releases as an SEO tool. They don’t remain posted to most websites for an extensive period of time, so they won’t necessarily increase your SEO for long. They’re better used surgically to announce important information at particular times. If you send out too many press releases, many recipients will view them as spam and ignore more important ones you might send in the future.