SIX COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID FOR NEWS RELEASES
With the need for speed as a permanent state in investor relations and corporate communications, even the most seasoned professional can experience a setback when quickly crafting and disseminating a news release. Here are common mistakes to avoid when it comes to your news release:
Facts over speculation
News releases must focus on the facts and cite sources wherever used. Overly promotional, speculative or emotional information is considered to be less objective and more suitable for advertisements. The Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) advises that facts and data points are of the utmost importance.
Accuracy of tickers and exchanges
For publicly traded companies, ensuring the accuracy of tickers and exchanges is vital, especially when many can look similar. This is the most common mistake to avoid. Providing an inaccurate ticker is like providing the wrong link to your website, making your company much more difficult to find for anyone interested in learning more or investing. Once your news release crosses the wires, there’s no turning back; and issuing a correction is like a kick in the gut.
Dates and time zones within the release must align
Public companies are always up against the clock for a disclosure deadline. It’s not unusual to delay a news release by a few days while awaiting board approvals. Another common mistake to avoid is forgetting to update the publish date of your press release. Often newswires will catch this, but that’s not always the case. Should your press release cross the wires with the wrong date, this can be very confusing for media outlets who may decide not to pick up your news release – because it’s old news! Double checking your time zones in your news release (for earnings releases, webinars, etc.) is another important step in making sure your news release is ready to go without error.
Keep it newsworthy
Anyone working in investor relations or communications has seen their share of CEOs looking to publish a news release to publicly share something that excites them, which may not always be newsworthy. For non-material news releases, make sure that the news release focuses on newsworthy information that is relevant for your investors and other key stakeholders. A great news release has a hook, is punchy and to the point and will peak interest of the investment community.
Land more press with less
A common mistake with news release submissions is wanting to include everything, to the extent that it is more than three pages long. Brevity is your friend. An ideal news release is quick and to the point, ranging from one to two pages maximum. Adding links to your website can be an effective way of conveying more with less text. Remember, an investor’s attention span is short and the first paragraph is what really counts.
Include a call to action
A call to action or “CTA” is one of the most important elements in your news release. Consider the “why” and what you want readers to do with the information. Most investor relations and communications experts are great at this, but when multiple projects amplify the rush, it can be harder to include this explicitly enough within the draft in the heat of the moment.
It can be harder to cover all of the bases as a news release is crafted, while dealing with challenges like capacity across a smaller team or having multiple priorities to balance. Steering clear on these six common mistakes will put you in a better place, and enable you to focus in on other aspects of your storytelling and news release efforts. Here’s to eliminating six common mistakes in news releases from your future drafts! Should you have any questions or wish to work with us on your investor relations and communications needs, please reach out to happyinvestors@irlabs.ca.
