Blogger Resource: How to Use PR Newswire

The MSB team is so excited to have Amanda from PR Newswire here to talk about how you can utilize this resource! A big thank you to Amanda for putting this together for us again!  

Blogger Resource: Updates to PR Newswire for Journalists

Whether it’s a new haircut or a closet overhaul, change can be refreshing. Recently, PR Newswire’s platform for bloggers and the media underwent a makeover. Re-launched in February, PR Newswire for Journalists’ new, responsive design not only looks better, but many of its tools are even easier to use. 

After stopping by Midwest Style Bloggers last year  with a PR Newswire for Journalists how-to, I’m happy to be back to update you on how fashion and style bloggers can take advantage of the site’s different features.

Receive the Style News You Want, When You Want

We’ve streamlined our newsfeed customization process so that it’s easier to receive and save announcements from designers, retailers and others in the fashion industry.

My favorite improvement is that the process of selecting your email preferences and search criteria has been reorganized to fit on one page.

In the top-right of PR Newswire for Journalists, click on “Edit My Profiles” from the drop-down menu beneath your name.   At the bottom of the next page, you’ll click “Create New Profile.” 

If you’re new to the site, you will be prompted to add a newsfeed after you register.

On the “Create a News Release Feed” page, you’ll first tell us how often and when you want to receive news, as well as your other email preferences:

Below that you’ll select the type of news you want by keyword, company, industry, subject, place, and language. 

The search criteria work the same as they used to on PR Newswire for Journalists.  Criteria groups such as Industries and Subjects are combined in an “and” relationship. Within each criteria group, you can make multiple selections which will be combined in an “or” relationship.

For style bloggers, I’ve found that the following industries and subjects work well:

Industries: Cosmetics and Personal Care; Fashion; Jewelry; and Textiles

Subjects: Features; New Products/Services; Product Recalls; Surveys, Polls, & Research; and Women-related News

However, you can mix and match according to your own interests.

If there’s a press release that you want to save, click the bookmark icon next to the headline. When you go to the My PR Newswire tab at the top-left of the screen, there will be a section on the right to view all of your bookmarks.

Other enhancements to our newsfeeds and press releases include the ability to share on social media and view related news from the same company:

Additional Newsfeed Resources:

·       6 Steps to Ensure On Target News Release Delivery

Find Free Multimedia for Your Blog Posts

The new multimedia gallery now has more search options than before.

Instead of just browsing by a keyword or content category, the Advanced Search menu allows you to search for multimedia by geography, industry, date, and keyword in the caption. In the screenshot below, I searched for the tag ‘Fashion.’

It’s also now easier to download an image from a dropdown menu. The client’s original resolution, as well as large, medium and thumbnail versions, are available: 

As before, any images from PR Newswire’s Multimedia Gallery can be used on your blog for free if credit is included. The photo credit is located within parenthesis at the end of the caption. For instance, the above image should be credited to PRNewsFoto/b michael AMERICA.

Just like with news releases, related images will now display to the right of a photo and social sharing buttons will appear above.

Additional Multimedia Resources:

·       42% of Bloggers and Journalists Report Using More Multimedia

Connect with Brands for Product Reviews and Research

ProfNet helps connect bloggers with sources for research, product reviews, and Q&As. The updates made to PR Newswire for Journalists provide more direct access to your query inbox and drafts and our searchable database of subject matter experts.

If you’re interested in reviewing products or are writing a blog post and need an expert’s input, fill out the “ProfNet Query Form” with details about your request:

If there is a geographic region or organization type you always want to submit your queries to, you can now save those under the Query Preferences tab.

For instance, we typically recommend submitting product review requests to the following organization types: Authors, speakers and consultants; Corporations; PR agencies; and Small businesses. You can save those in your Preferences tab so that they are automatically selected every time.

If you save a draft before submitting it or want to access query replies and your expired queries, you can access those in the ProfNet Inbox.

In addition to submitting a query, you can search for sources and reach out to them directly via our database on ProfNet Connect.

Additional ProfNet Resources:

·       Guidelines for Bloggers Requesting Products

·       ProfNet for Journalists: How to Manage Your Query Inbox

·       ProfNet for Journalists: Searching the Experts Database

Discover Other Bloggers, Blogging Trends and Community Events

While most of PR Newswire for Journalists’ changes were improvements to tools bloggers and journalists have been using for years, we also launched a brand new Community section to the site featuring our new media blog.

On Beyond Bylines, bloggers can find information on blogging tips, trends and tools, as well as blogger profiles. 

We also have compiled a list of upcoming blogger events and our industry newsfeeds on Twitter, such as @PRNFashion and @PRNleisure. 

If you’d like your blog to be considered for a Beyond Bylines profile, submit your information here.

Additional Community Resources:

·       Creating Community Within These Walls

If you have any questions about PR Newswire for Journalists or need help creating a free account for your blog, email us at Media.Relations@prnewswire.com. You can also register online.