A look at high-performing press releases from May and other trends for PR pros to know
Here at Cision, we’re always urging clients to take a data-driven approach to their PR strategy, and press release creation and distribution is no exception. In this series, my aim is to provide some insight into the press releases that are making waves on the wire and in the media – and the reason behind it.
I invite you to take a look at some of the highest performing press releases on PR Newswire from the last month and consider which tactics they’re using that you can apply to – and enhance – your own press release strategy.
May releases performing well on prnewswire.com:
The following releases were among the most viewed in the past month. Was it a compelling headline that made each so popular? Eye-catching visuals and an easy-to-read layout? Take a look and judge for yourself:
- Luggage Company Disrupting Airlines - Saving Travelers From Carry-on Fees
- Crocs & Healthcare Apparel Brand FIGS Partner for Third Year of 'Free Pair for Healthcare' Program
- McDonald's To Exit from Russia
- And although it was a late-April release, the Twitter/Elon Musk announcement was still a top performing release in May.
May releases with some of the highest multimedia engagement on Cision channels:
Not surprisingly (to us, at least), press releases with multimedia elements performed quite well in May. The following press releases from last month that exemplify best practices with multimedia – and convey just how powerful multimedia assets can be when telling a story.
- CASIO EXPANDS EDIFICE COLLECTION WITH NEW TIMEPIECE (see the image above for a peek)
- Crocs & Healthcare Apparel Brand FIGS Partner for Third Year of 'Free Pair for Healthcare' Program
- PRINGLES® TEAMS UP WITH EMMY-NOMINATED TALK SHOW HOT ONES™ TO RELEASE LIMITED-EDITION LINEUP FOR SPICY LOVERS TO TEST THEIR LIMITS
- President's Choice® Welcomes Summer with Over 100 New PC® Products and Recipes
- Give the People What They Want! Smirnoff Embraces Decades of Commitment to Inclusivity and Fun with the New 'Vodka for the People' Campaign Featuring Kaley Cuoco and Anthony Anderson
Trend spotlight: 'Stranger Things'
The hit Netflix show was also a hot topic among releases in May. What isn’t strange? Each these releases performed well (and included nice multimedia assets, too):
- DORITOS® PARTNERS WITH NETFLIX'S STRANGER THINGS TO BRING FANS THE FIRST-EVER "LIVE FROM THE UPSIDE DOWN" CONCERT FEATURING CHARLI XCX AND '80s MUSIC LEGENDS
- Now You Can Order Domino's® Pizza … With Your Mind
- Empire State Building Partners with "Stranger Things" on Dynamic Light Show and Special Experiences for Fans at the Observatory
- Timex Collaborates with Netflix's Stranger Things on New Special Edition Timex x Stranger Things Collection
- JanSport x Stranger Things Unveil Limited-Edition Collection to Celebrate Launch of Season 4
Other trending news and keywords for PR pros to know:
The Ukraine-Russia war continued to have an impact on trending news last month. After a slight dip in April, the keyword “Ukraine” appeared in releases on our global wire 780 times in May, up from 568 times in April.
Other trending keywords from May on the Cision network:
- ·“NFT” was used 332 times in May press releases, down from 359 in April and 370 in March. Two notable examples: eBay Launches First Collection of NFTs in Partnership with Green Web3 Company OneOf and Akamai Launches First NFT Artwork Dynamically Fueled by the Internet
- Press releases tagged with the “ESG” subject code continue to be popular, appearing 358 times in May, including: The Hershey Company Releases its 2021 ESG Report; Honeywell Introduces Emissions Control & Reduction Initiative To Support Customers' Sustainability Goals
- “Supply chain” also stayed top of mind for many brands, appearing 1,931 times in May releases. Among the numerous examples: This Texas Instruments release, which included an executive quote from the TI Chairman, President and CEO Rich Templeton: “These investments in long-term manufacturing capacity further extend the company's cost advantage and provide greater control of our supply chain.”
- Speaking of hot topics, “Summer” is definitely in season: The keyword was mentioned in 2,599 releases in April, and in 3,683 in May – a definite seasonal trend upwards. A few examples:
- Cold Stone Creamery Celebrates Summer with All Things OREO
- Smirnoff Red, White & Berry Names Kaley Cuoco as Chief Summer Officer to Reboot Summer Fun (Notice the strategic use of multimedia assets here.)
- J.P. MORGAN LAUNCHES 23rd ANNUAL SUMMER READING LIST
- Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® Celebrates Summer with Variety of Deals, Sweet Summer Refreshments
- Last but not least: The subhead of this Microsoft partnership announcement: “As summer travel season approaches, companies streamline operations and reimagine team member and traveler experiences with the Microsoft Cloud”March examples of Ukraine-related press releases included:
The bottom line: You can learn a lot from the press releases (and press release content) that perform well. The more you pay attention, the more insight you can glean around the best practices that capture audiences and increase earned media - and the more equipped you will be to create higher performing press releases for your organization.
