It’s a press release, but maybe not as you know it

In today’s digital age there is simply no excuse for sending out huge numbers of poorly targeted press releases. And some believe that they have had their day. Kevin Murray, chairman of the Bell Pottinger Group, thinks that press releases are outdated. He points out that if you visit a modern newsroom such as the BBC‘s, which be believes all PR people should do, you will find people dedicated to searching the internet and social media sites, highlighting how sending them a press release would be a waste of time.

He adds that the BBC is not alone in having gone through a digital revolution which has involved successfully integrating online with its TV and radio offerings. Murray says: “We all have to concentrate on a digital approach now. This needs to incorporate the audio and visual, while appreciating how a story changes during the day. For example, a story might be launched on a morning TV or radio show and within hours this story is evolving as people respond to it“.

Murray claims that the problem with press releases is that they are out of kilter with the rest of the media, as they fail to appreciate how news consumption has changed: “You might start the day with radio, then pick up the Metro newspaper on your commute, at work you may log on to online news, then read a paper again on the way home, followed by TV news – plus you might also receive RSS feeds. Press releases don’t meet the needs of people who are consuming news in these ways.” Murray believes it is important that PROs keep up with evolving media, and describes how Bell Pottinger itself holds regular internal seminars with media experts, such as when Peter Horrocks came in to describe how he revolutionised BBC and its digital platform.

Not everyone agrees with Murray that the press release is without merit. Jo Jamieson, director of Berkeley PR, says that press releases still have a place in the world of PR. She explains: “They can serve a useful purpose – if they are done right. The negative attitude towards press releases stems from the thousands of badly written, long and boring ones sent out each year, yet masses of stories written by journalists result from a press release.

That said, it is important to remember that press releases aren’t the be-all and end-all of a PR campaign and should be used to support other activity being carried out. No PR agency worth its salt can generate quality results for a client simply by sending out press releases.”

Technology might not mean the death of press releases, but it does means that they need to change. Author of Press Releases Are Not a PR Strategy, Linda VandeVrede, believes that the digital age's impact on PR has been mostly positive, including its effect on press releases. She explains: “Press releases are now shorter, full of interesting multimedia components, and much easier to disseminate to segmented audiences. My prediction is that press releases will evolve in the next five years and will be called something else, and the traditional format we love to hate will finally dissolve.” VandeVrede concludes that social media tools such as Twitter will continue to force PR professionals to craft more highly condensed pieces of information in an ever-widening array of formats to please individual audiences.

Tips for writing press releases
1. Before you send your release, think about whether it would be better to actually speak to your key contacts first

2. Research the audience thoroughly, and find out how they like to receive information

3. Be relevant, don’t send the same information out to all your contacts, tailor messages

4. Be interesting. Put the most surprising or juicy facts at the top of the press release

5. Be succinct. People tend to read no further than the first two paragraphs

6. Make sure the release is part of a well-thought-out integrated PR strategy

7. Research latest SEO techniques. Think carefully about links and make sure the releases are received by the right people, perhaps by using a newswire service.