You’ve got news, and you’ve crafted a beautiful press release to announce it. Now you’d like to disseminate it to your target audience – and if your business operates or sells in Germany, you can significantly increase your reach by translating your press releases into German.
Many Germans may be fluent in English, but that doesn’t mean they will search for or read information on the web that isn’t in German. Fact is, people prefer to get information in their native language. Translating your press releases will allow you to take your public relations efforts across language barriers. And thanks to a variety of free or low-cost online press release distribution services, spreading your news is as easy as write – translate – post.
Before you run your news release through Google Translate, take a moment to consider what’s at stake. When it comes to press releases, there are two things you need to keep in mind: You want people to read it and you want to portray your company in a positive light.
This means your press release not only needs to follow in-country conventions for journalistic style, it also needs to be culturally sensitive. No matter how advanced translation technology is becoming, do you really want to entrust your business reputation to a machine? Translation errors introduced by machines are embarrassing at best and can damage the reputation of your brand at worst. Besides the risk of inappropriate word choices and a potential cultural faux pas, you are running the danger of showing your audience that you don’t value them enough to spend money on informing them.
Where to publish your German press release
So we’ve established that press release translation is best left to a professional, human translator.
Now that we are on the same page, let’s discuss where you can publish your press releases to reach those German hearts and minds – and hopefully, their wallets. Here are some of the most popular German press release distribution platforms:
• openpr.de
The free version of this press portal allows you to upload up to three press releases per day. No registration is required, and the website has a simple form for you to fill out so you don’t forget any important details.
• firmenpresse.de
To post your German press releases on this site, you need to go through a quick registration process to create an account. Press releases need to have at least 500 characters.
• fair-news.de
This free service also requires you to register and create an account. After that, publishing press releases is as easy as logging in, posting your news, and hitting “save.”
• prcenter.de
This site not only allows you to post your press release for free, it also offers instructions for writing press releases as well as a database of German PR and marketing agencies.
• trendkraft.de
A one-stop shop for PR professionals offering free publication of up to five press releases for basic members and unlimited releases with a paid membership. Create an online portfolio and get tips for crafting an effective press release. Registration is required.
• presseportal.de
With an average of 10 million visitors per month, this may well be Germany’s largest PR portal. You don’t need an account to publish your first press release, but you will create one in the process. Select add-on services to increase visibility or choose to publish your press release as a native ad in one of Germany’s top newspapers. Best of all: This website is available in English, making the process easy even if you don’t speak a word in German.
• extremnews.de
This press release publication platform offers a unique advantage: No registration is required and you can simply email your press release in the body of an email to beitrag@extremnews.com. You may even include photos or graphics. The caveat of this simple process: publication is not guaranteed and subject to editorial approval.
• businessportal24.com
A low-priced distribution platform with the advantage of an English interface, making it user friendly for non-German speakers.
Don’t expect to see rising sales after your first German press release. PR is a marathon, not a sprint, and the key is to consistently push out press releases to increase the chances of your news getting picked up by the media in your target country. Even if not, writing press releases is never a waste, as they remain online indefinitely and increase your chances of popping up in search results.
Done correctly, publishing press releases in foreign languages and posting them on press portals in your target market can be a very effective way to establish your brand in the minds of foreign consumers. Given that most press releases only consist of a few hundred words, the financial investment is minimal in comparison to the ROI you can reap by expanding your brand presence to a new market.
Beyond translating your press releases, I would be happy to help you navigate German press release distribution sites so you can spread the word about your latest product, award or event in Germany.
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