Press Releases: Not Dead, Just Evolved

Mark Twain once said the rumors of his death had been greatly exaggerated. The same may be said for the press release. It's not dead, but its mission has evolved.

Those PR practitioners who are spreading these death rumors would have you believe that press releases should never be written, nor distributed. I take issue with this old-school thinking.

Now, inundating the media with press releases has not been a good practice since shortly after Edward Bernays opened the first PR firm in 1919. Any competent PR person has known for years that garnering media coverage almost never directly happens due to a press release. However, that is fodder for another article.

Let's talk about the evolution of the press release into a solid tool for helping organizations deliver key messages to multiple audiences in the digital age.

In the not-so-distant pre-Internet past, press releases were aimed solely at trade and consumer media outlets. The media acted as the gatekeepers, taking your information and making decisions about how, or if, to use it. Organizations today are able to bypass the media filter in a number of ways, thanks to the net.

Consider this: both journalists and consumers use the web for research. More than 550 million searches are done daily via the web. And, every month, US web-users conduct 27 million searches at Yahoo! News, Google News or other news search engines. According to recent surveys by Middleberg/Ross and the Pew Internet Project, we learn that:

? 98 percent of journalists go online daily

? 92 percent do it for article research

? 76 percent to find new sources and experts

? 73 percent to find press releases

? 68 million Americans go online daily

? 30 percent use a search engine to find information

? 27 percent go online to get news

But you need to think differently about writing your releases in this new age. You can extend the power of your press releases beyond the media by positioning them for search engine pick up. In effect, your press releases become a long-lasting, online, searchable database about your organization.

Once properly written with both readers and search engines in mind, you need to distribute the release. PR Web? and PR Newswire are my two favorite ways to get the message out. Both services help you reach into the newsroom and beyond.

PR Web emails press releases daily to between 60,000 - 100,000 global contacts points. Journalists, analysts, freelance writers, media outlets and newsrooms, as well as your average web users are signed up to receive this information. Also, it distributes releases via FTP, XML feeds and through a network of its own websites. PR Web-related sites are in the top 2,500 most visited sites. Every release sent out through PR Web is optimized for search engines, and PR Web guarantees your release will be picked up by Yahoo!, which is the number one most visited website on the Internet.

Does it work, you ask? Let me provide a recent example. I used PR Web to send out a release about my client Brent Dees and his Focus Four training for entrepreneurs. The editor of Leadership Excellence emailed me after seeing the release and asked Brent to write an article for his magazine.

The granddaddy of press release services is PR Newswire, which distributes directly into the central editing computers at daily newspapers, newsweeklies, national news services, trade publications and broadcast newsrooms. It reaches a total of 22,000 media points in the US alone. All releases are distributed to and archived in more than 3,600 web sites, databases and online services. Additionally, PR Newswire's website is in the top 2,000 most visited sites on the Internet.

Finally, let's take a look at the online media room. Its primary purpose is to provide journalists with easily accessible data about the organization, such as executive bios, earnings figures, key contacts and other solid, factual information. An organization also should place news releases here, particularly those aimed at key stakeholders like employees, strategic allies, and investors. Technology savvy consumers often visit online media rooms for the same reason journalists do: they expect to find factual information there.

Churning out releases and dumping them willy-nilly on the media is a dumb practice. But using releases as a strategic weapon to reach key audiences across the digital divide is smart PR. Practitioners who believe the news release is dead need to evolve, or they will be the moribund ones.

Harry Hoover is managing principal of Hoover ink PR. He has 26 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Brent Dees Financial Planning, Focus Four, Levolor, New World Mortgage, North Carolina Tourism, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, VELUX and Verbatim.

In The News:

pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Whats Your Op-Ed?

Everyone has an opinion on something, and you can leverage... Read More

Write Press Releases That Dazzle

When a reporter is wowed, intrigued, surprised or captivated by... Read More

Rise of the Creative Class

The fast changing dynamics of the world economy is forcing... Read More

Dont Expect to Bump Oprah From A Magazine Cover

"I want a pony, a tree house and the fastest... Read More

Nows The Time To Get Christmas Media Coverage

Publicity seekers know that Christmas can provide a bonanza of... Read More

Publicity: Show a Reporter You Care by Inviting Them to Fact-Check

Just like a financial planning client fears not having enough... Read More

Managers: Are You PR-Fit?

Can you honestly say that your business, non-profit or association's... Read More

Managers: Heres a PR Template for You

Let's start out with a caution for business, non-profit and... Read More

The Feeding Tube for Your Business

There are a lot of things that make a business... Read More

Want to Light a Fire Under Your PR?

Yes? Then do something positive about the behaviors of those... Read More

PR Works! 15 Ways To Make Your Press Release Stand Out From the Crowd

Do editors of newspapers, magazines and online news sites really... Read More

Editorial Calendars: A Key to Publicizing Your Business

What is the one thing that all of the best... Read More

Driving Near School Buses in Company Vehicles

School BusesWhen approaching a school bus: Slow down; If the... Read More

Financial Planners, Why Advertise When Free Publicity and Marketing Is Better?

Commit this to memory, please: To get in the media,... Read More

What Is Best Practice Public Relations?

Why, public relations that stays true to its fundamental premise,... Read More

Publicity Wont Thrive on Press Releases Alone

Press releases are a useful tool for announcing news and... Read More

10 Secrets to Get Your Press Release Noticed

It's difficult enough running the day-to-day aspects of a business,... Read More

Cutting Down Your Trade Show Budget

Whenever a recession or volatility threatens the economy, companies immediately... Read More

Managers: Super-Charge Your PR

Ain't a gonna happen unless business, non-profit and association managers,... Read More

Dont Pay for Radio Interviews

It used to be that all you had to do... Read More

Promote Your Products With A Press Release

Writing an effective press release is a way to draw... Read More

CD ROM Business Cards

Created properly, an extremely effective marketing tool.It's a great concept,... Read More

Top 10 Tips for Successful TV Interviews

1. Appearing in other types of media is the best... Read More

Financial Planner Marketing - Problems Are Good (For Financial Planners Seeking Free Publicity)

A common complaint you'll hear is that the media is... Read More

The Increasing Power Of Publicity - And How It Can Benefit Your Business

The call came into my office and the voice on... Read More

Cross Cultural Communication & PR

The Public Relations (PR) industry is responsible for creating and... Read More

3 Reasons to Tap into the Power of Publicity

Publicity is obtaining editorial coverage or features for your business.... Read More

Advertising and Community Relations -- Get the Best of Both Worlds

Have you ever noticed that in communities without big universities,... Read More

How Video Production can be used in PR

At the core of any successful public relations campaign is... Read More

So Whats Wrong With Strategic?

Some folks see the word "strategic" as a needlessly tiresome... Read More

The Key to Great PR

The Key to Great PR is PerseveranceBy Paula Gardner of... Read More

Managers and PR: One Thing Is Clear

As a business, non-profit or association manager, you have a... Read More

The MOST Powerful Marketing and Advertising on the Planet!

It sounds too simple to be true, but it really... Read More