NewzEngine extends service to cover media in Australia and the Pacific

NewzEngine.com, an online service that enables companies, organisations and individuals to write and distribute press releases, is extending its reach to include media in Australia and the Pacific Region, as well as New Zealand. NewzEngine CEO Sarah Putt says the ability to distribute releases to media outlets outside New Zealand is an exciting milestone for the company. “As with the New Zealand service, the media outlets are segmented, to ensure that press releases are distributed to the most appropriate outlet. We actively encourage our clients to think carefully about what region/sector to select to ensure their information goes to the most relevant media.” In Australia, locations are divided into the five states and two mainland territories, with clients also able to choose media in the business, education, politics and technology sectors. Two areas of the Pacific Region are also covered – Melanesia (Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and West Papua), and Polynesia (Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu). NewzEngine is also a great way for Australian and Pacific-based newsmakers to reach New Zealand media. The purpose of NewzEngine is to provide companies, organisations, and individuals with the ability to send professional communications about their activities, products and services in a way that is easy, effective and cost-efficient. Cin7, a technology company that is a pioneer in cloud-based inventory management software (IMS) and point of sale (POS) solutions, is a regular user of the NewzEngine service. “We have found NewzEngine to be extremely helpful in getting our message out to relevant media and, by extension, the wider market. From major investment announcements to new senior appointments in our business, it’s proving to be a very useful service,” says Cin7 CEO David Leach. Press releases are created through NewzEngine’s platform, then quality-checked by an experienced editor before being distributed to a network of journalists and editors. In addition, press releases are sent to global newswires via the MIL-OSI network (a New Zealand-based open source intelligence company), which include Dow Jones Factiva, LexisNexis, Contify, Thomson Reuters, Newscycle, NewsBank USA, Comtex News Network, Emes, and Gale. Organisations can subscribe to NewzEngine.com as a monthly or annual service or send a one-off press release. For more details, visit NewzEngine.com.

Newsletter: Press release vs blog post

NewzEngine.com – Anyone can write, but not everyone can write compelling, interesting content on a regular basis. So, when the commitment is made to the blank page, you want to get the most value out of your time (or the time of the person you may be paying to write your content). What is the best bang for your buck – a press release or a blog post? The answer is simple. It can be both. You can start with the same idea, the same information, you just need to alter the style. A blog post is conversational – it’s like chatting to a friend about your topic. A press release is a formal statement – it’s like a cover letter for a job application, you are out to capture and retain the attention of an audience who are unlikely to know you, who have many people competing for their attention, and for whom you want something very significant (in this case a professional writer or broadcaster to think your content is worthy of their time and effort). This is a blog post, so the headline is informal. If it was a press release, the headline might be “Press releases and blog posts differ in style, not content”. The first sentence would change too, for example: “Effective content writing takes into account stylistic differences.” Of course, this isn’t a press release because it isn’t newsworthy. And that is another critical difference between these two content types. A blog post seeks to be informative, while a press release seeks to be newsworthy. The latter announces a new product, new survey, new appointment, new investment, new event, and so on. If you are creating content for your business or organisation on a regular basis, then you will write many blogs, and only some of them will turn into press releases. And, when they do, you can send them out using NewzEngine. Find out more about writing press releases check out ‘8 Steps to Writing an Effective Media Release’ here.

Techweek is on a mission to find out how connected New Zealand is

Techweek, New Zealand’s festival of technology and innovation, wants to start a national conversation about how tech is impacting the daily lives of New Zealanders. It is today launching a survey asking people to let them know how many smart devices they have in their homes.

“The number of devices that can connect to the internet is constantly increasing. It used to just be your home computer – now it is a whole range of devices, including tablets, smart watches, speakers and TVs,” says Techweek Chief Strategy Officer Julie Gill.

“We think it’s important to consider how this technology is changing New Zealand households and one of the first ways to do that is to find out how many connected devices Kiwis have,” she says.

The number of connected devices is growing exponentially with the advent of smart homes. That’s when internet-connected devices control, monitor or regulate functions in the house such as room temperature and security alarms.

Gill recognises that while many New Zealanders have the opportunity to embrace new technology, there are households that are missing out, in what is known as the digital divide.

“In the latest Census, 1.3 million households stated they had access to the internet. This was out of 1.65 million total households. While it’s fascinating to look at how connectivity is impacting our daily life now, and in the future, we also have to be mindful that not everyone is able to participate,” Gill says.

“The Techweek2020 tagline is “Connecting our Future” and that includes everyone in Aotearoa – every New Zealander deserves to share in the advantages that connectivity brings. By finding out more about our everyday use of technology we can use that information to contribute to the discussion on how to tackle the digital divide.”

The results of the survey will be released during Techweek2020, 18 – 24 May. Last year Techweek attracted over 46,000 attendees around the country to hundreds of events that showcase technology and innovation. Events this year include Auckland University of Technology’s Creative Technologies Mid-Year Show, Canterbury Tech hosting a ‘Pathways to Tech’ event in Christchurch, and ‘Whānau Adventures in Tech’, a free event for the whole family in Tauranga. You can learn about these events and more at techweek.co.nz.

The survey is on the Techweek website here or check out Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and  LinkedIN.

About Techweek2020 

Techweek2020 is a national celebration of tech innovation presented by NZTech. During 18-22 May hundreds of events that showcase the use of technology in Aotearoa New Zealand take place across the country. Techweek2020 is supported by the Auckland University of Technology, Callaghan Innovation and EMA, ANZ Bank and Chorus. Learn more at techweek.co.nz.

NZTech is a not-for-profit membership organisation which is the voice of the New Zealand technology ecosystem.