The point here is not to replace your standard press release channels. Keep those! The point is to try and monetize your news, affordably, by using direct mail postcards.

If you generate a press release to announce a new product, service or other newsworthy event, you would probably go on to submit the release through one of the wire services. Great! That's an excellent way to generate awareness, interest and inquiries.

But why not get more mileage out of your press release by tailoring it for your customer base? Simply adjust the copy to be more customer-oriented, apply it to a postcard design with some relevant and eye-catching graphics, and send it to your customer list.

To get the most out of your postcard release:

1. Feature products and services, not general news.

Reserve this approach for product- or service-related news ... news about the things you sell. If you send general news that's not tied to a product or service, you'll bore your audience and fail to recoup your mailing expense (much less make a profit from it).

2. Tweak your copy.

In pure form, press releases don't make good marketing copy. But within your press release beats the heart of a powerful marketing message. Editorial style marketing copy (a.k.a. "advertorial") has always been a strong performer. So don't rewrite the copy entirely -- tweak it. Retain the editorial feel, just liven it up a bit.

3. Put customers before prospects.

Try this approach on customers, not prospects. Your customers are more likely to be interested in your new product or service, and they're more likely to respond to it. This means a better ROI for your mailing. Remember the 80/20 rule?

4. Point to a landing page.

Postcard messages are best kept brief. So pull the most captivating points out of the release, shape them into a postcard message, and point to a website landing page where customers can learn more. And do them a favor ... make the landinge page URL easy to type (i.e., www.fakecompany.com/word). Your readers won't have the luxury of clicking the URL like they would in an email. Keep their typing to a minimum.

5. Test and experiment.

Every direct mailing should be tracked and measured. But when you try something new, like a postcard release, you really need to watch the numbers. That's the only way you'll know if your experiment is worth repeating. In addition to the usual direct mail testing points, you might even put a postcard release up against a regular marketing postcard.

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