A big “thank you” to all the publicists from around the nation who have been sharing their perspectives about the value of the press release in today’s digital age in response to a media query I posted over the Thanksgiving weekend. Some of the replies are just so good that I want to share them verbatim and give credit to each contributor. Let me start first with comments from Fred Pfaff of Fred Pfaff Inc. He writes:
Back when I jumped the desk and went into PR in 1993, I wasn’t using a lot of press releases. In fact, the first five years, I probably did a grand total of six. Everything was targeted and pitched by phone and letter. Unless the client was a Behemoth, releases turned off trade reporters, in particular.
Today, things are moving so fast, with downsized staffs overburdened with the demands of three (or more) publishing platforms, that releases are essential. I never thought I’d see the day when news gets picked up almost verbatim, with a new lead and a byline, but it’s happening by necessity throughout publishing.
That said, the inbox is a blur. So, a couple of tips from my experience:
Don’t lead with the product/company name. Too many releases, particularly corporate, start with the company name. Unless you’re the Google of your industry, generalists (whether you’re emailing them or throwing it on the wires) will pass it by. And if you’re a start up company or a new product, the trade reporters won’t know you, either.
Instead, lead with the punch line. What’s the significance? That’s got to come through in the head and dek lines. If you’re not using dek lines, learn how. Take a lesson from the Wall Street Journal, which sometimes puts four dek lines on a story. Busy reporters need the quick pitch, which cues them to look for specifics in the body copy.
Make the subject line a subject line, not a reply of your headline. Again, what’s the significance? To do this, you have to think broader than your client, in terms of where the news fits. Think like the reporter. Is this news, feature, source, or idea? Is this a new flavor or a new trend? Is this a new hire or a big acquisition? It might take a phrase, and it might take a sentence.
Source everything. Time rules. Whether they’re pitching a story internally or writing a brief from the release itself, reporters can’t afford to call with questions or every piece of news. So the sourcing has to be in the release itself. The old trick of giving them only so much so they call and the the interview is just that: old. It’s also annoying to someone with six stories to churn out today.
No attachments, unless it’s the photo of a new hire. Attachments, particularly big ones (e.g., your client’s new TV commercial), can get blocked by firewalls. They also can get passed over because of the time rule. If the reporter doesn’t know it’s coming, don’t send an attachment. Instead, embed a link withint the release itself. So, for example, if you have a product presentation or a commercial or a podcast, one click automatically opens up the file and it start playing immediately.
Again, time is the factor. It’s what is really driving news decisions today. And it’s only going to get more so as embattled media try to publish more stories via fewer reporters.
And here’s another excellent comment from Vanessa Horwell, Chief Visibility Officer for ThinkInk. She writes:
There is life beyond the press release.
It’s a fact. The press release has become the most widely-abused and over-estimated tool for spreading news that’s not really news. Unless you’re a biotech company announcing an earth-shattering discovery or a publicly-traded company with a major earnings alert, the press release is not the be all and end all. Think beyond the release: think position statements, whitepapers, case studies, survey reports and opinion pieces. (We do.)
Think beyond the press release and use today’s ink.
And while many PR firms still use traditional media to get your message out, we know that press releases can be used very differently than they have been in the past – online. Focusing on specific goals and target audiences vs. the “spray and pray” approach, press releases can become a new communication tool once again. Not only can they increase an organization’s visibility and credibility and announce news, they can also reach customers directly and and employ search engine optimization to increase traffic to a company’s website. Fully utilizing current technology, online releases cut through the clutter to companies noticed in an information-rich environment.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
Whatever you do, don’t give up on PR or marketing. When you cut your visibility, you stop the conversation with your customers. It tells people that you’re no longer in play and you are putting your business at and brand at risk. Out of sight is out of mind. This is not the time to be quiet – go out and make some noise. Get your message seen, read and heard.
I’ll have more to share on Wednesday. Again, my thanks to all the publicists who have invested valuable time to reply with impact and specificity to this query and contribute to this very timely conversation. Dan Janal tells me that 172 people have already registered to listen in on Thursday’s 10 a.m. (PST) teleseminar about press releases. Want to join in the conversation or have access to the Mp3 file after the fact? Here is the link.
