Review announcements
Writing news about analysts’ reviews
Independent market analysts are amongst the most respected voices in an industry: people rely on their views. When a market analyst reports on your product, an opportunity exists to create high value publicity.
Before you rush out to share your good fortune when appearing in an industry report, take a moment to pause and ask: ‘why are we included?’.
Publicity announcements often fail to make the most of the opportunities presented by market analysts' reports. Too often, news announcements focus simply on the company’s inclusion, rather than the reasons why – and what that means to the wider market.
When news announcements fail to ask the question ‘why’, they aren’t usually especially interesting to the outside world. For example, a managing director congratulating his or her own company on what is being reported. This is unlikely to maximise really good publicity opportunities – and can turn high value, third party, independent observation (and sometimes endorsement) into inward-looking self congratulation.
For example, take this poor news announcement intro:
XYZ Company included in Big Report
XYZ Company is delighted to announce that it has been included in the Big Report of the Top 50 Products.
Simply being included in a report isn’t newsworthy. The news value is contained in ‘why’ XYZ Company has been included and how that affects its customers and the wider market.
It also fails in a bigger way: by not differentiating XYZ Company with the others in the report.
Your news announcements should contain your values; they should help customers to select your company rather than a competitor.
In these below the author has more clearly identified the ‘why’:
Improvements in XYZ Company’s customer service recognised in Big Report
The impact of customer services training at XYZ Company has been recognised in the Big Report: 9 out of 10 score XYZ’s call centre ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.
European expansion secures Big Report listing for XYZ Company
100% increase in European sales revenues, with expanded Germany and UK-based teams, has helped XYZ Company into this year’s Big Report.
XYZ Company’s research and innovation recognised in Big Report
Faster development times for users has helped XYZ Company to rise 10 places in this year’s Big Report.
The headline and synopsis work together, so there’s no need to cram every detail into the headline. With headlines, impact and brevity trump detail. What won’t fit into the headline can go in the synopsis, which should neatly summarise all of the story’s key facts.
The reasons why your company is included in an analyst’s report will usually be apparent from the key activities your company has been involved in, for example over the past year. Often the report itself may specify why you were included. If it’s not clear, call them and ask. They’ll usually welcome the opportunity to help you to present the information accurately.
It’s also worth checking if the analyst produces communications guidelines for PR professionals and journalists interpreting the information. These might provide rules for how their reports can (and can’t) be used – and on the correct terminology to use in your communications. Additionally, approval from the analyst/publisher may be required if parts of the report are reproduced.
Summary
Tip 1. Explain why your company is included in the report
Tip 2. Connect the reason with your values and activities and your audience
Tip 3. Check if the analyst provides communications guidelines