Is The Press Release Dead?
posted by Cynthia on September 22nd, 2010
Came across another article that claims the press release is dead.
It’s not the first time I hear this. I mean, according to the media some staple is dying everyday. First Wired Magazine claims the Web is Dead. Stephen Hawking claims God isn’t needed to create the universe and now the press release is defunct.
Is the press release is dead? No. Is it the only way the media gets the information? Not anymore. Citizen journalism isn’t going anywhere and traditional media need to look for other sources of information and leads to stay “relevant” in today’s ever changing media market. Not only are reporters getting your pitches via press releases, but they are checking out YouTube, facebook, Twitter and popular website such as HARO (Help a Reporter Out). So you better have your bases covered.
The purpose of a press release is still as applicable today as it was decades ago. It is a useful tool to announce something new or pitch an idea. But like everything else the press release needs to change to remain relevant. Does that mean it needs to be shorter? Sure. Do I need to post it on Twitter? Why not. The purpose is the same, just that the tools are different.
Just as the public will not completely abandon html for smart phone apps, press releases will be around for a while.
What do you think?
Guest Post: Cynthia Gutierrez-White, PR and Media Relations, Marketing Professional; Regional Director of Communications and Marketing for American Red Cross; Amazing Woman.
September 22nd, 2010 at 3:58 pm
I read the same AdAge column and had the same reaction (link below) as you: the press release isn’t dead, it just isn’t the only game in town any more.
That said, I found your blog post on Twitter. Chances are, I never would have read a press release about it. If I never stumbled across your post, I wouldn’t have read the article on Stephen Hawking either. Both are well done, and both show what a powerful tool new media really is. It can’t do everything, though. For every job there is an appropriate tool. Sometimes it’s a hammer, sometimes it’s a nail gun, sometimes it’s a press release, and sometimes it’s a tweet.
http://briankeaney.wordpress.com/2010/09/15/reports-of-the-press-releases-demise-have-been-greatly-exaggerated/
September 23rd, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Great points Cynthia and Brian.
I believe that the press release isn’t dead, it’s just coming to us in a new form. A tweet is basically the headline to a press release. It’s the hook, the call out for attention, the 140-character thought that will make you ask for more. A press release has always been designed to do all of that.
Sure, some news organizations want more than 140 characters because they’re going to run the whole press release exactly as it came from the organization or person who sent it. But many others use the press release as the first step towards getting the whole story. To me – that’s exactly what a tweet should do.