HOW TO WRITE AN EFFECTIVE PRESS RELEASE AS A TRUCKING INDUSTRY SUPPLIER

With some direct suggestions from key industry trade publication editors 

If you are a supplier of products or services in the trucking industry, chances are you have news that you would like potential customers (trucking fleets primarily) to see. Some of this can be done through your field sales staff and your distributors as they communicate with those customers and with participation in industry trade shows and other similar get-togethers. 

But, the most time- and cost-efficient way to do it is through a well-written and well-placed press release/news announcement. 

Our commercial vehicle trade press does an excellent job reporting news to their readership as well as handling a complex range of issues that fleets are interested in – so the publications have a dedicated following. Fleets tend to trust them as an excellent source of information – in fact, in surveys we have conducted with fleets, the trade press appear as the first or second choice in how fleet decision makers receive news.

When you get ready to develop your press release – there are two crucial audiences you need to consider: 

The media you are depending upon to deliver the news to your audience and the audience itself.

First, let's talk about the media that you hope to use to deliver your message:

They are busy (most receive hundreds of emails a day) so you need to make their jobs as easy as possible for them to decide to cover your news - which means dropping the marketing spin in your press release (remember this is not a paid ad) and sticking to the facts of how your new product or service is going to benefit the publication’s readership that you are trying to influence. Please use plain language – not fancy corporate speak - and avoid jargon and acronyms. This is especially important in headlines and the first paragraph “If I can’t tell with a quick glance that this is newsworthy for our audience, chances are it goes straight in the trash” Among those hundreds of emails received daily, several will be press releases so the major benefits and how the products work should be apparent immediately. 

You need to reduce the amount of editing that will need to be done before your news makes it into publication. As I said earlier the industry trade press is a trusted source of information and they want to continue to be that, so they generally are not simply going to cover what you write without putting it through the BS test -that means editing which takes time. In many cases, if a press release comes across their desk that appears to need a maximum amount of editing, it is very possible it won’t make it through.

Other content suggestions directly from the media: If it has a good angle that speaks to the challenges the fleets are facing, then it is always worthwhile: value to the reader - is this just marketing, or is there some industry value or worthy announcement. Incorporating a good meaningful testimonial quote from one of your fleet customers goes a long way in getting your press release included in media coverage. Better yet, is that fleet and/or a credible company source willing to talk to a media reporter for a follow-up? 

Press Releases should always be accompanied by a picture – sometimes the quality (content) of the image that comes with a press release can put it on the fast track to publication – or not. Pubs like multiple images so they have a choice from which to choose– a product shot, a diagram of how the product works, product installed on a vehicle, with people in the picture: No logos in the image because it makes it look like an ad. Hi-res images (>300 PPI) are required and there is some preference for horizontal format. You can provide a link (or we do as well during the distribution process) that the media can download.  The mail server we use to deliver press releases to the media will not allow attachments which is why downloadable images are necessary and easier for the media to get to and share with their production departments. Pasting the image itself into the release is an added necessity so editors can quickly see what is available. 

Next, the audience you want to influence: 

The audience (the readership of the trade press) is primarily fleet decision makers who have been in their job typically 20+years with intimate knowledge of how things work, what works, bottom line impacts (good and bad) likely from changes –– they react to numbers and facts – quantifiable features and most important benefits to THEM. It’s difficult to spin anything to fleet execs, they have heard it all before and are immune to it. 

Most are not particularly interested in aspirational talk, but rather in how is your solution going to help my fleet today to be more productive, be safer (how specifically), reduce downtime, increase uptime, reduce maintenance costs, reduce my total cost of ownership, help me grow, improve my customer service, make my drivers and technicians happier, positively affect MY reputation - with specifics on how. The basis of any press release directed to commercial vehicle operators should be the standard “features and benefit” calculation. Additionally, not only does the inclusion of a fleet quote as we suggested earlier influence the media, but it also influences those prospective customers you are trying to influence. If another fleet has chosen this solution, I may be more inclined to give it serious consideration for my fleet. A fleet’s endorsement helps to confirm the promises you are making. 

Your reputation is important to point out as fleet buyers are influenced in their decisions based on their experience with a company: your product quality, your customer service, technical assistance when needed, replacement part availability, and how their relationship with you as a supplier has benefitted them in the past. This goes both ways – if the experience has been negative, that hurts your ability to sell them something new.  

Fleets like “easy” – saves time, less complicated so harder to get wrong. It’s difficult to make wholesale changes in a fleet – it means taking vehicles out of service so the value has to be worth it. Adopting a significant change in their operations or their vehicle population is a huge challenge – think about that when you tell them how great your new product is. Most fleet executives are up on technology and they are interested in pursuing the latest, but it needs to make sense to them as an operation.

My one bottom-line suggestion is - Think like a trucking person – not a marketing person as you are developing your press releases.

Chris Kemmer