Public relations is about getting your message out to key audiences. Many times, PR shares the same goals as traditional marketing. But it’s different. You don’t pay to have an article written or a story aired by a media outlet like you do to have an advertisement placed.

As public relations professionals, our job is to understand the media, how it works, what their needs are in addition to having a thorough knowledge base about our clients’ businesses and their objectives. It’s at this intersection that we provide businesses great value in counseling them how to get their message out through the media.

As the media world has evolved so has the public relations profession. Unless it’s your full-time job, it’s practically impossible to stay abreast of the constant media changes, from the world of cable news channels to newspapers, magazines and social media outlets like Twitter.

Nowadays, there are many avenues to connect with the media, but one tactic that has been around since the beginning of public relations is the press release. It’s still one of the best ways to communicate with media. It’s a basic communications tool that proven PR professionals know how to properly construct to get the best results.

In general, a professional-written press release is not too long, answers the basic questions, and packages your story in a way that provides the media and other parties a creative way or news hook for them to write about your story.

Done poorly, distributing a press release can actually hurt a business as it may give media ideas for writing unflattering stories, which can damage your reputation. Done correctly, having media cover your business can prove invaluable. That’s why you want a professional to handle your company’s public relations.