You can easily send an email distribution to Media Contacts or Outlets you have selected in your result set. You do not need to save the Media Contacts or Outlets to a list to take advantage of this feature. However, if have already saved the selected Media Contacts or Outlets to a list, click here to learn how to Send an Email Distribution to a Media List. If you have not yet saved the Media Contacts or Outlets to a list, follow the instructions below to send your email distribution.
From Your Search Results:
Check the Media Contacts or Outlets to whom you would like to send the email. You can select all of the Media Contacts or Outlets using the top checkbox or use the checkbox directly to the left of a Contact or Outlet to select them individually.
Click the Connect button and choose Send Email.
You will be guided through a step by step process to create and send your email.
Distribution Settings
To start, give your distribution a name for internal reference; it is not seen by your recipients. Be as descriptive as possible so you can easily remember what was sent at a later date.
You can customize the “from” name and address that recipients will see in the Sender Information section. By default, the system will use the information of the logged in user.
Choose whether or not you would like a copy sent to you.
Click the Next button in the bottom right.
Distribution Recipients
Since you have already selected the Contacts or Outlets to whom you will send the distribution, you will see this Recipient screen already populated. Specifically, you will see the number of Media Contacts or Outlets selected and “from Search” indicated.
You have the option to send the distribution to any additional saved Media Lists as well at this point. To do this, click into the Media Contacts or Outlets field and check the lists to whom you would like to distribute.
You can also add individual recipient email addresses by typing them in and hitting the Enter key on your keyboard.
Click the Next button to move on to the next step.
Select a Template
You can choose to either work with a blank HTML slate, or you can choose one of our pre-designed templates to help you get started.
On the Default Template Page , you will find templates provided to you by Cision. If you would like to use a template shown here, simply click the template that best suits your communication.
If you, or other Cision users within your organization, have saved any of your own templates, click the Custom Templates heading to select from those options. Saving a Custom Template will be covered in the Design Your Email section.
Click the Next button to begin writing your email distribution.
Design Your Email
Now it’s time to craft your communication.
Enter a Subject for the email. This is the title the recipients will see. It should stand out and grab the reader’s attention and be about 55-75 characters in length.
Add the body of your release by importing, pasting or typing.
Importing the Email Body as a Word Document
If you have already constructed the body of your release in Word, you can simply upload the Word document using the Import Word Document link. Any images and links existing in the document will also be uploaded. You can edit the body of the email further once it has been imported.
Designing the Email Body using the Editor
If you have not already created the body of your release in Word, fill out the body by typing in the text or you can use the paste text buttons to paste sections of text from a word processing application.
You have the ability to format your release using the Toolbar:
Save the body of your email as a Custom Template if future emails will have a similar appearance.
Upload an image from your computer to the Image Library or add an image already uploaded to the Image Library, such as your company's logo.
Paste text as Plain Text. If the HTML email is blocked by the recipient’s server, a text version will be sent automatically. You can customize the plain text by selecting the Manual option.
Tip: You will want to edit the plain text version if you are using links or images in your release to clean it up for the recipients.
Text formatting options.
Insert a link.
Color text or background text.
Insert a personalized field such as: Contact First name, Formal Name or Outlet Name.
Note: The personalization option will be greyed out if you have included Additional Email Addresses on Email Recipients page as these two features cannot be used together.
Insert an image using an URL.
Once you have constructed the body of your email, you will have the option to modify the plain text version of the email and add an attachment if desired.
If the HTML email is blocked by the recipient’s server, a text version will be sent automatically. You can customize the plain text by selecting the Manual option. Tip: You will want to edit the plain text version if you are using links or images in your release to clean it up for the recipients.
Click Attachment to upload an additional file. The file must be smaller than 3 MB . It is intended to be purely supplemental information and your most important points should be in the body of your release. Also be sure to review pitching profiles to make sure your recipients are OK with receiving attachments.
If are using Google Analytics, you can use these fields to track the traffic driven by links added in the body of the email. In order to accomplish this successfully, one of the links in your email needs to be for the site you are monitoring. Click here to learn how to integrate Google Analytics with the platform.
The following is an example of the fields that will appear for Google Analytics. Note that the fields that appear are based on the system that is selected:
Web Tracking: Select the Marketing Automation System from the list you are using to track your website. (Ex: Google Analytics) If your system is not listed, you have the option of selecting Other from the list. An example of the Other fields appears below.
Source: Source will define where this referral traffic came from (EX: Cision).
Medium: Medium will define what Medium the referral traffic came from (EX: Email Distribution).
Campaign: Campaign will group several releases about the same topic together so that you can report on the overall campaign performance (EX: Spring Promotion).
Term: Optional parameter suggested for paid search to identify keywords for your ad.
Content: Optional parameter for additional details for A/B testing and content-targeted ads.
The following is an example of the field that will appear if Other is selected.
Web Tracking: If your system is not listed, you have the option of selecting Other from the list (Ex: Select Other for SalesForce).
URL Parameters: Enter the UTM code generated by your system exactly as it should appear when appended to all URLs in your email body. Following is what an example UTM code might look like: utm_source=Cision&utm_medium=Email& utm_campaign=Cision%2BFeature%2BUpdates
Before clicking the Next button for the Confirmation screen, use this as an opportunity to Preview your email. You may also click on the Save link in the upper-right to save as a draft or click Exit to discard this draft and exit the Email Distribution wizard. Click on the Next button when you are ready to proceed to the final step.
Confirmation
You can review your information and schedule or send your email distribution on the Confirmation step.
Click any of the Edit links to make changes to the choices you made in the previous sections.
Use the Send Preview button to send a preview of the release to yourself or colleagues.
An Opt-Out language is required. This is the language that will be used to generate the required Opt-Out information that appears at the bottom of the email.
An Opt-Out address is required, and you can change the address and company name displayed by clicking on the Override Address box. When adding or editing opt-out information, the state field is optional for all countries except the United States and Canada.
If you would like to add the Email Distribution to a Campaign, select the Campaign name from the drop-down.
You can have the email sent Now, or schedule it for a future time and date. Emails scheduled for future distribution can be modified before the send date.
Click Submit when you are satisfied with your choices. If you selected the "Now" option for Schedule, your email distribution will be sent to all recipients.
