Press Release Strategies for Software Developers in a Weak Economy

Press Release Strategies for Software Developers in a Weak Economy

by Al Harberg of DP Directory, Inc.

Sergio Zyman knows a lot about selling products in a troubled economy. Zyman left The Coca-Cola Company after the famous introduction of New Coke. He returned six years later as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, and increased the sales of Coke by fifty percent in five years, from ten billion cases per year to fifteen billion cases.

In the soft drink industry, the sales picture turns bleak every year. Soda sales soar in the summer, and soften as temperatures chill. In Zyman's book "The End of Marketing as We Know It", he tells us the best way to deal with these downturns in the economy: Unless you have a one hundred percent market share, you should always increase market share in traditionally low periods. "Make seasonality the other guy's problem," Zyman advises. He believes that businesses need to be proactive. Don't just hope for the best, but reach for sales.

The wisdom of building soft drink market share may not apply directly to increasing software sales. But the underlying principle is sound: Make today's downturn in the economy the other guy's problem. Carefully choose ways to market and advertise your applications. Use the most cost-effective strategies.

I've been writing press releases for software developers and sending them to the editors for more than 24 years, full-time. I've learned that the best technique for bypassing the expenses of advertising is to use press releases. While a press release campaign requires more finesse than placing an ad, now is a good time to use expertise rather than big bucks to increase software sales.

Millions of software customers make their buying decisions based upon what they read in newspapers and magazines. These people rely upon editors to sift through the thousands of new software titles that are released each year, and recommend the best ones.

Press releases are the vehicle for telling editors about your software, so they can tell their readers about it. Here are a dozen tips and tricks that will get your emailed press release noticed by the editors, and increase your chances of getting published in newspapers and magazines:

(1) Tell the Editors that your Email is Important.

Editors have their spam filters' whitelists set up to recognize phrases such as "press release" and "for immediate release". Use these phrases in your email's subject field, and at the top of the body of the press release. Don't use exclamation marks or excessive capitalization in the subject field. Don't make your press release look like spam. Be sure that the editors recognize immediately that you're sending them a valuable New Product Announcement, and not spam.

(2) Include your Contact Information.

At the top of the press release, let the editors know who you are. Don't look like you're hiding. Give them your name, email address, and phone number. Few editors will phone you, but make it easy for them if they choose to give you a call.

(3) Write a Title.

Create a clear, understandable title for your press release. Cute is bad. Descriptive is good. Use specifics to say "We're new, we're different, we're better". Editors receive a lot of press releases each week. Craft a title that will get their attention.

(4) Get Right to the Point.

Tell the editors immediately what your news item is. Put your application in context. Tell them why your program is different from - and better than - similar software. Don't tell a story. You're not writing a feature article. Tell them immediately what's new.

(5) Write a Compact Description of Your Software.

Use the rest of the press release to present your software's key features and benefits. Start with the most important benefits, and write three or four paragraphs. Use common words and short sentences to describe your software simply. Feature articles often contain stylish writing; press releases don't.

(6) Impress the Editors.

Let the editors know that they have a lot of readers who would be interested in your application. Mention all of the audiences which can benefit from using your software. If they believe that many of their readers will be interested in your app, they'll be more inclined to print your press release.

(7) Avoid Sales Hype.

Don't use hyperbole. Don't write sales copy. In a New Product Announcement, the editors expect to read a clear, straightforward description of your software's features and benefits. You increase your chances of getting ink if you meet their expectations. You decrease your chances of getting printed if you talk about being "best of breed" or "establishing a new paradigm" or use other sales pitches.

(8) State Price and Platform.

Provide full price and platform information. Say $29(US), not just $29, because there are many countries with dollar-denominated currencies. Say some version of "95/98/Me/NT4/2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008" because editors need to see more than the word "Windows".

(9) Write an "About the Company" paragraph.

Impress the editors with the number of years you've been in business. Tell them about the other software and services that you offer. Write about your professional credentials and experience.

(10) Email your Press Releases to the Editors.

Choose a company that will send your press release as plain text to well-targeted editors. Don't send your press releases to the online portal sites that print all press releases; these sites don't attract buyers, and they don't attract editors. Choose a service that will send your press releases to "real" editors at "real" newspapers and magazines. Be patient. It takes three to four months for the monthly magazines to process a press release. Even the weekly magazines, and the editors who write columns for daily newspapers, take three to four weeks.

(11) Include the Vertical Market Editors.

Don't limit yourself to the computer editors. If you're marketing multimedia software, include the music editors, movie editors, and entertainment editors. If you're marketing educational software, include the education editors, women's interests editors, and parenting editors. If you're marketing software for business people, then include business and financial editors, as well as banking, insurance, government and other industry-specific editors.

(12) Promote Your Software Often.

Send press releases once or twice each year, whenever you release a new version of your application. A well-written, properly distributed press release campaign will almost always pay for itself many times over. If you place your company name in front of the editors on a regular basis, they'll be more comfortable recommending your software, and including you in their "roundup" and feature articles.

The bottom line:

"Marketing is about spending money on activities that enhance the value of your product, brand, or service and give consumers more reason to buy more of it, more often," Sergio Zyman tells us. "It is an investment. It is not an expense that you have the option of cutting. If you want to grow, you have to market."

Don't let the weak economy get you down. Rely on advertising and marketing ideas that are cost-effective, and which require minimal outlay of funds. Press releases continue to be an affordable way to reach the millions of software buyers who depend upon editors' expert advice to guide their purchases. Start a press release campaign now, and get your message delivered to buyers who look forward to reading about the newest and best software.