Mastering media alerts–also known as media/news advisories and media releases–is an essential skill for PR professionals. Whether it’s a one-page announcement of an upcoming event for local reporters or a full-blown press release distributed through wire services, a well-crafted media alert can help your client’s story reach a wider audience and drive more engagement. Take a look at this sample media alert from a local Lights On Afterschool event to get inspired.
The free news alert service from Google monitors the web for new articles that match your search terms, including blogs, news articles, videos and scientific research. Then it notifies you of the results—as they happen or once a day, depending on your settings. It’s especially helpful for businesses, allowing them to keep tabs on mentions of their brands, competitors and industry keywords online.
To set up a news alert, log into your Google account and click the Create Alert button. Enter your search term and select a frequency (as it happens or once a day) and location to receive notifications. You can also use search operators like quotes, minus signs and site restrictions to narrow your search and avoid getting overloaded with irrelevant content. For example, using the minus sign with the word restaurants will only notify you when new content mentions “restaurants” in a specific region or language.
About the Author
