Anyone mind posting their press release?

[jDun1212]

Hello developers,

I've got a rough draft of my press release for my game, but I'm sorta running in circles at this point with both the layout of it and the wording, I was wondering if anyone might be kind enough to post their own press release or maybe link out to it.

Also do you personally think that press releases help improve downloads or exposure?

[headcaseGames]

PR kit
this is linked from the game's page at the bottom

I'll usually copy the PR from this archive, maybe condense it a bit, and send it out to my contact list with a link to this zip file (rather then sending out a batch of image files and links to lots of people). Also I'll repost it thru PRmac.com

I think a PR/media kit is absolutely a must when you release software. Yes, it will likely get glazed over by the majority of people you send it out to, but sometimes only a couple of key people need to see it and there's the chance that it could proliferate that way. This is not an unusual occurrence either, it just depends on the usual factors (how well and concisely your PR is designed, what else is going on at the news at the time, the overall interest-level of the "story" of your release, etc)

[JeremyTM]

prMac is a great place to look for other iOS and Mac related press releases. Plus when you actually register and start writing your release, there are some very helpful guidelines there which explain what is required for each section of the release. It even gives you word and character counts right from within the editor.

Here is our press release: http://prmac.com/release-id-42221.htm

It's our first one though, so it may not be the best one to get ideas from

[conixjohn]

Originally Posted by headcaseGames

PR kit
this is linked from the game's page at the bottom

I'll usually copy the PR from this archive, maybe condense it a bit, and send it out to my contact list with a link to this zip file (rather then sending out a batch of image files and links to lots of people). Also I'll repost it thru PRmac.com

I think a PR/media kit is absolutely a must when you release software. Yes, it will likely get glazed over by the majority of people you send it out to, but sometimes only a couple of key people need to see it and there's the chance that it could proliferate that way. This is not an unusual occurrence either, it just depends on the usual factors (how well and concisely your PR is designed, what else is going on at the news at the time, the overall interest-level of the "story" of your release, etc)

That's very useful indeed! Just embarking on the whole release / PR trail right now...

[nicolasgb]

I founded Majaka in January and we released Ski Champion in March. I issued 3 press releases :

• Majaka formed
• Ski Champion Available
• 100K downloads in opening week

I'm uncertain what direct impact Press Releases had on downloads (~170K free DL so far). However, I can definitely notice that they've helped us raise Majaka's profile as a new company. This is especially true locally (France) where our French PR were very decently circulated.

Here some advice I gathered over the years :

• Find "topics" to make news : game released, sales numbers, rant, etc.
• Read other PR to see how they are structured, but also be ready to write something out of the norm that will get attention.
• Work on your best copy, and ask nicely for a review on the Warrior Forums
• Circulate your PR through gamespress.com

[Synaptic Wave]

Wow, thank you for that Warrior Forums link!

[nicolasgb]

You're welcome Tbh I didn't actually ask help from Warrior Forums for my press releases, as I wrote all of them in a bit of a rush. But I did get pretty helpful feedback for our App Store description.

[MelissaMarie]

Originally Posted by jDun1212

Hello developers,

I've got a rough draft of my press release for my game, but I'm sorta running in circles at this point with both the layout of it and the wording, I was wondering if anyone might be kind enough to post their own press release or maybe link out to it.

Also do you personally think that press releases help improve downloads or exposure?

From what I've seen with our apps, press releases do not increase download numbers, but they are important for recognizeability. They're a way to put the information you want people to see when they google your company, and see straight facts.
Since they don't seem to increase download numbers, I agree with the other posters: prmac is the way to go, especially their $20 service - I've gotten more indexes with that than their free.
As for formatting, I think every service is a bit different. Don't spend too much time on formatting until you're typing in to their system. I know PRmac doesn't host any images, doesn't let you do any formatting, all links have to be listed at the end, and no bit.ly links allowed.

PR Newswire (about $1000 a release) lets you add images and logos, and embed links. You're also more likely to have your press release republished on affiliate sites of major networks (nbc, abc, etc.). Granted I only used it once, but even with a big-name celebrity namedrop (he tweeted about the app,) the release didn't increase download number.

PRWeb is another one, about $200 per release and they let you attach images. But again, it depends on your budget, and results were similar with this one as well.

[jDun1212]

Do you think its better to go though a service like prMac or to try and do it yourself? I have a pretty lengthy contact list that I plan on emailing out, and i was thinking that i would just attach my press kit (press release included) to these contacts that I have. Or does prMac do that for me? and would it be better to go thought them?

[MelissaMarie]

Originally Posted by jDun1212

Do you think its better to go though a service like prMac or to try and do it yourself? I have a pretty lengthy contact list that I plan on emailing out, and i was thinking that i would just attach my press kit (press release included) to these contacts that I have. Or does prMac do that for me? and would it be better to go thought them?

I think you have to do both. PRMac doesn't let you add a list of emails.

If you have contacts you keep in touch with, you should send them the info they need with a touch of personalization. If you want them to take the time to write a few sentences on your game, maybe you should take a few moments to give them exactly what they need. If they covered you before, or covered something similar that makes you think they'd be interested in your app, mention that other app. If you're writing to the general inbox of a site that you've never been in contact with, a form letter is fine imo, at least it's contact.

In my experience PRMac is more for indexing your release (a copy is accessible on google for...well possibly forever, I've been doing this for 2 years and all of our releases are up) and getting it republished on smaller sites (more indexing) is worth $20. Probably a good idea to also post a version of your release on your company/developer blog as well, just so it's easily accessible. And if it's on your own blog, you can add pictures and make it look exactly how you want it to.