It’s true that those who shout the loudest usually get noticed and a well-crafted dental press release allows you to do exactly that. Yet surprisingly, press releases are a much-underused marketing tool which has fallen out of favour. However, if you have a great story to tell and want to spread the word fast, then there’s nothing better.
That’s all well and good but as a dentist, why use this as a marketing tool?
Well, put simply, it can kill two birds with one stone. Not only can it be used to build the reputation of your dental practice but it can also help to grow your patient base as well.
In fact… a dental press release is one of the best ways possible to externally market your practice and when well-written, it’s actually far more effective than advertising!
Why?
When people read an article or hear something from a news media source that they trust, they’re more likely to believe it. As a result, it becomes much more compelling than an advertisement. Remember though, a good press release should be used to enhance your reputation by telling a story.
In fact, one great newsworthy dental press release is arguably more powerful than just about any other form of advertising and can put your practice and the services you offer on the map.
So are there any other benefits of using dental press releases for marketing? Yes indeed.
How about improving your SEO?
If you don’t already know… search engine optimisation is a method in which information from your website and other online sources are ‘tagged’ so you are more easily found when people do an internet search. Of course, the higher your content ranks then the greater the likelihood it will be viewed. But how does a press release help improve this?
Well, with an online press release, you can throw in an anchor text (which is a visible and clickable link) and also a URL (your website address). This is great because it means when high-page ranking sites (such as news pages) and search engines pick up your optimised press release, you’ll appear among the first results. This in turn should lead to increased traffic to your website and increased awareness of your practice.
In addition, don’t forget that many people now read the news online so it also presents the opportunity for your press release to be viewed, tweeted, and shared time and time again using social media.
And, there’s more.
To top it off…there’s always a chance that a local TV or radio station will find your press release worthy of an interview or appearance on their show, which will reach an even larger audience and do wonders in setting you apart from your competitors.
So now you know the benefits, what are the main points to keep in mind when putting together a dental press release?
Writing a killer dental press release is no easy task. It’s important to keep in mind what to say, who to say it to, and also when you say it. The biggest mistake people often make is being too focused on a particular service. Rather than be pushy, a press release should be used to educate and build trust in your practice, warming them up to potentially become your new patients.
The first and foremost point to keep in mind is this…
You must have something to report that’s newsworthy. You can’t just write about any old thing! You need to use your press release to present readers with something of real interest and value. Here are some examples of compelling and newsworthy events:
- Offering a free open day for oral health checks to members of the public
- Providing dental education for children through local school visits
- Team members volunteering in a poor community to provide safe dental care
- A fundraising charity event for a worthy or close-to-home cause
- Opening up a new dental practice within the local area
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The arrival of a new dentist which means you are able to offer a new treatment that benefits the local community
Dental press release headline
Ideally, your headline should be a question of some sort, a provoking claim, or anything that could possibly stir up debate so people can’t resist reading on. Now you’ve grabbed their attention, you need to sum up the crux of the story within the first paragraph. It’s also best to include a few choice quotes from yourself, team members, or patients. Readers are always interested to hear from you personally or how others feel about your services.
Timing is everything!
Once you’ve decided on your story, something else worth considering is timing. Dental practices that promote themselves at just the right time with the right message will definitely benefit from gaining a higher profile and increased customer base. With this point in mind, make sure you provide the editors with an appropriate date for release. If for example your press release is time sensitive and needs to go out now, make sure you say “for immediate release.”
Hopefully, this information has left you itching to get writing or planning a killer press release and will help you to avoid common mistakes when doing so. However, it can be a little daunting especially when you’ve never done it before. As a result, if you don’t fancy giving it a go yourself We can help…
The Dental Writers team are skilled in writing newsworthy dental press releases that will attract the right publicity for your dental practice. To find out more about this service and others, contact us on +34 605 45 73 42.
