What’s the difference between a press release and an advertisement
Have you always wondered, "What's the difference between a press release and an advertisement"? As a business, understanding the difference between “Buy my product” and “This company has a great product that you should try”. Most businesses are aware that they need to promote their product or service to tell their story and attract customers. While some believe that the best method is advertising, others put more effort into PR and press releases. Many companies believe that the two terms are basically the same thing and can be used interchangeably. However, advertising and press releases affect your customers in distinct ways and at different points on their decision-making journey. Understanding the benefits and differences will help you to better influence your target audience and in-turn, increase both awareness and sale. How advertising and press releases should be used An advertisement is written for your target audiences. This could be moms, dads, kids, businesses or other key stakeholders. You need to craft your message and carefully select your platform to speak to the right audience. The only audience for a press release is the news media. A press release is not an advertisement; it’s a way to promote your news. Therefore, your target audience is journalists and you need to design your messages to speak to them specifically. With an advertisement, you’re selling your product or service directly to the audience in which you are targeting. When you create a press release, you’re promoting an idea for a story. Consumers don’t want to read your press releases. To them, it will seem like a long advertisement filled with extra information they don’t really need. Journalists don’t care about your advertisements. They aren’t interested in hearing your slogans, taking [...]