Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Is This Press Release Worthy For Solar Company?

Posted by chilove88 on 8/7/2009 at 9:34 AM ET 250 Points
Hello all,

Earlier this week one of our employees (a regional sales manager) was promoted to the board of directors our city's solar non profit organization that works to promote the solar industry and renewable energy.

I'd like to do a send out a press release about it but my boss is questioning whether or not it is news worthy and is concerned that the non profit organization may think that we are promoting our company too much with it.

I think it would be good to do it even to just release it online and I don't think it is inappropriate at all. If anything it will be promoting the non profit organization and our industry in general.

Thanks in advance!

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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Gail@PUBLISIDE on 8/7/2009 at 9:38 AM Member
    Absolutely send out a news release about this. It should be short and right to the point, but even a sentence or two in a business transactions section of a publication/website is exposure for you.

    The exposure is good for the non-profit as well.
  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 8/7/2009 at 9:51 AM Accepted
    You aren't exploiting the org, you are taking pride in your participation of it. Read any biz journal and you'll see announcements like this all the time. You should send the release.

    As someone who has sat on the board of many non profits -- we know that many people get involved to promote themselves and their business. We know this is vital to their involvement and attracting this kind of talent and expertise.

    by the same token, we will frown on commercial statements and anything that would be a conflict of interest. So keep it newsy, and go with it. Gail is right-- its good for the org as well and will help them continue to attract good members.
  • Posted by Frank Hurtte on 8/7/2009 at 10:20 AM Member
    Actually, I believe the organization needs to send out the press release.

    I am assuming the organization has at least one paid staff person. That person should put their name on the press release....

    If they do not, I would definitely issue one yourself.
  • Posted by telemoxie on 8/7/2009 at 2:06 PM Member
    if this were my project, I would work closely with the PR people from the nonprofit. I would try to portray the nonprofit in a positive light, as you suggested. If the nonprofit pushes back, then you would need to think twice about the press release.

    By the way, do you have a "news" section of your website? Most websites I have visited seem to do a poor job posting company news: often the most recent news item is a year or more old. If I were you, I would post the press release on your newspage, and I would be sure to include some technical terms to help Google send more prospects to your site.
  • Posted by steven.alker on 8/7/2009 at 2:22 PM Member
    Dear Audrey

    Go for it and get it into the trade press of your clients. This story is newsworthy because no one else in your client community will know about it.

    Succinctly weave in the technical as pects of your product for which he is responsible but avaoid sales spin or marketing jargon. You can get round to that later if they ask you do do an article which can usually be secured by a phone call the journal editors.

    Hope that this helps


    Steve Alker
    Xspirt
  • Posted by chilove88 on 8/7/2009 at 2:25 PM Author
    Thanks so much for all the great replies! You all have been very helpful. We will move forward with the press release.
  • Posted by matthewmnex on 8/10/2009 at 2:02 AM Member
    How can you promote your company too much ???
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