There are other sources for press releases that may interest you. Finding relevant press releases can be tedious so I will show you some aggregators you can use. Government agencies also issue press releases which again can be used to help with domain development.
Press release aggregators
I tend to use two aggregators in particular, PRweb.com and PRNewswire.com. With Prweb.com, I go to the “industry categories” from the homepage. There you can click on the category link of interest or sign up for the RSS feed. You can even obtain the releases in e-Book format though I have never found a use for this.You can also use the search box to find related press releases and this is sometimes helpful to find related topics you may not have thought of.
For PRNewswire.com, I click on the “advanced search” on the right hand side of the home page. Scroll down and you can find various search options as well as categories. The categories have an RSS option if you need that.
The quality of news releases varies a lot so you will probably have to hand pick the better ones to use. You can search by company or organization which can help you with the quality issue.
Government press releases
I blogged before about using government data as content for your website. Don’t forget that they also issue press releases and you know the information is of high quality.
U.S. census press releases
I already discussed how to use US census data to create some novel articles and graphics. The Census Bureau press releases are listed by data and by subject. There is also an RSS feed at the bottom of the page. Many of these press releases need work and you can use the same techniques I described before to help turn them into attractive articles people will want to link to.
Other sources for press releases include
United Nations: For example if you have a domain with an environmental or climate theme, you can search the archives here for some good material.
European Space Agency (ESA): Here you can find hi-res photos as well as press releases. The photos in the press releases have a hi res download link.
National Institutes of Health (NIH): Another source of general press releases covering many topics related to health and safety.
National Science Foundation (NSF): Again nice press releases with photos available for your use
Press release Etiquette
Accreditation
You should always provide a credit line especially for photos back to the company or agency. It does not have to be hyperlinked though it is usual to do this if it is useful to your visitors. Proper credit lines are usually provided if you look through the press release information.
Embargoed Releases
It is not uncommon to find embargoed press releases. These are press releases that the agency or company want to release at a specific time to coincide with other activities or to coordinate a campaign. For example a company may be having a launch party for a new product and the CEO of the company will be making a speech to the press announcing the product. A press release about the product and even containing the text of the speech may be made available beforehand. This is then embargoed until after the speech.
So why provide the press release beforehand? This is allow the press to develop their stories ahead of time so they can go to press on the day of the product launch. Embargoed press releases usually require a username and password which is provided if you register. Companies and agencies vary in their requirements for press credentials but it never hurts to ask. A press contact email is usually provided.
Needless to say if you violate the embargo, expect to be blacklisted.
Press Credentials
Having press credentials can help get access to better information and earlier than others have access to the same material. A good quality niche website can be sufficient to encourage a press officer to give you better access and even press credentials. Nurture those relationships and you can access to premium information.
Many other organizations require that you are part of a news organization and require letterhead from an editor. Starting small and building your way up can work especially if you cater to a niche.
Press releases used properly can greatly enhance your domain development efforts. Search your niche carefully and there should be plenty of useful press releases.
