Monday, October 13, 2014

Snapchat introduces opt-in ads, Don't over-promise and is your Press Release easy to scan?







Snapchat introduces Opt-in Ads
Be interesting to see how this works – Snapchat has introduced opt-in ads as it tries to monetise its 100+ million users.  The ads will be woven in with ‘stories’ which last 24 hours and not just seconds.  This will be avidly watched by brands targeting a younger target audience – apparently Lynx and McDonald’s trialled the ads on a limited basis.

Don’t over-promise
Reading the article below – which is about getting an online business ready for Christmas - reminded me of a recent disappointing experience I had when I checked out a new Irish online store for yoga and fitness gear.  I've seen this company profiled quite extensively in the Irish media - broadcast and print- and am in the market for some Pilates clothing.  The owner also referenced Sweaty Betty whose clothes I really like (see photo above) – they’re pricey but good quality and are designed to meet the requirements of people doing yoga, pilates, running etc.  Anyway when I logged on, I was disappointed with the very small selection of clothing on offer from the new company – a big fuss had been made about a limited offering. I acknowledge that they are only starting out and that the stock may be increased as the business grows – I hope so.  But my advice is, only do a soft launch when you’re starting out especially if only offering a limited stock.

Is your press release easy to scan?
Newsrooms are like many businesses – they’ve cut back on staff over the past few years which means journalists are even busier.  Many also have to produce content for online as well as offline versions – and they receive hundreds and even thousands of emails daily – of which your press release is just one.  So chances are they will scan the release first to see if there’s anything of interest for them.  The article below has tips on how to make that easy for them including putting the news up front, using bullet points and cutting out the faff.





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