Have you heard people talk about press releases? Do you know how you could use them for your equestrian business? I’m here to give you a few ways a press release can work for your business, to help you further your reach, your exposure and to help you keep the press and more fully informed with what you’re up to. And do you know something else? You can actually create your own press releases AND send them out really easily. Yep. You heard it here first.

So, what’s a press release?

A press release is, quite simply, a document that should concisely explain what is new or newsworthy in your business. The idea is to make it as easy as possible for journalists, bloggers, influencers and editors to read, understand and process. Your press release should help them quickly establish whether your equestrian business is of interest to them on this occasion. It might not be, and that’s fine too. But if you don’t tell them, you don’t really stand a very good chance of being featured. If you tell them, you’re stacking the odds in your favour.

How does this relate to equestrian business?

In exactly the same way as any other business. The equestrian industry is made up of all sorts of people who could help you to promote your brand, service or product. This might be editors at magazines, freelance journalists, roving reporters for websites, bloggers or influencers. the list goes on. As with any business, if you don’t tell these list of people what you are doing, they won’t know that they’re interested in it… you’re not giving them the chance, and this means that you are making it much harder for people to find out about your eqiestrian business.

What should you include in a press release?

There’s a bit of an art to writing a press release, but it’s an art that can be learnt and improved upon as you go. You should always make sure that the reason you’re writing the press release is a good enough reason. The fact that you have a load of product to sell is not a good enough reason to clog up an editor’s inbox with a press release. NEW or NEWSWORTHY are the two words I always consider when I work with clients on creating their press releases. Is it new – so a new product or service? If yes, it gets a tick and we move to stage two. If not, is it newsworthy? This might be something like a charitable donation. Or maybe a collaboration? Or maybe a sponsorship or an award. These are great subjects for press releases. If you have something that is new or newsworthy, that you think the equestrian public at large (or even just a specific area of the equestrian market) would like to know about… then a press release is a great way to get that message out there.

Do you need to do it yourself?

Nope. You can work with equestrian PR and marketing consultants or copywriters to help you craft a press release you’re proud of. But don’t be fooled. They’re not that hard to write. The most challenging bit is building up your list of contacts, but effort in this area can pay massive dividends in the short and long term, so it’s not something that I would shy away from at all. By just thinking about the problem and spending an hour on the internet, you can start a really good press list that you can build on. And this will then allow you to inform the press of what you’re doing. And if you provide them with the right content, in the right format, at a relevant time, then they might just decide to tell their fans, followers and readers all about your equestrian business.

So, do I need to produce press releases for my equestrian business?

Yes. In one format or another, I would strong advise you do. Press releases can be a hugely effective way of getting your message out into the world, whether you write about your equestrian business yourself or you work with an equestrian PR. To bridge the gap you could always work with someone to help you create a press release, so you start to build up your own contact list and learn the skills you need to promote your business well.

As for the shameless plug…

Through my equestrian business coaching service, I teach people how to write press releases, build press lists and get their products featured. And I do a lot more too, depending on the coachling’s needs and wants. You can find out more about equestrian business coaching here if you need a hand or a bit of help developing a more strategic approach.