[Hidden-tech] Is the Press Release Dead?

[Jeff Rutherford]

Thanks for sharing Ron.

I think that press releases tend to be overrated too - and in many  
cases one step above spam. In all the media relations/PR work I've  
done, I've always had the best success with a personal, targeted email  
or phone call based specifically on what a reporter routinely writes  
about and is interested in. And, I often forgo a press release for a  
concise email with 2 or 3 relevant bullet points of why a reporter  
should care about what a company is doing.

And, I definitely agree with Amy re: reaching audiences/potential  
customers via online media/blogs/podcasts and bypassing "traditional  
media" altogether. But, I also think that you can strategically use  
blog discussions to pique the interest of reporters at much larger  
media organizations.

I've had success in the past emailing 4 or 5 blog posts about a  
specific topic to a reporter at the New York Times, and said, "You  
really should take a look at this. This discussion/controversy is  
growing in the blogosphere, and it's something that you should be  
paying attention to, and by the way, I have a client who is an expert  
on this that you should talk to."

Jeff



Jeff Rutherford
jeff at jeffrutherford.com
413 369-4128 - phone
866 677-4108 - fax
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrutherford




On May 21, 2008, at 11:41 AM, A - Z International wrote:

>  ** The author of this post was a Good Dobee.
>  ** You too can help the group
>  ** Fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
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>
>
> Interesting Ron . . .
>
> I seem to be living/breathing PR these last few months and I'd say  
> this is a bit extreme, if provocative.
>
> I think amateurs overplay the power of press releases. They're  
> important for mass outreach. And they can be tailored for social  
> networking sites, listservs, whatever . . .
>
> I do agree that the outlets for your information are shifting. In  
> getting news out on the Climate Change Transport Think Tank at UMass  
> next week I'm convinced that targeting listservs/Web sites of  
> organizations will prove just as important as media coverage. But  
> only time will tell . . .
>
> best,
>
> Amy Zuckerman
> HT Founder
>
>
>
>> I did a Q&A with David Meerman Scott, author of the New Rules of  
>> Marketing and PR, in my TechTreasures blog this morning. I look at  
>> how Web 2.0 is changing the way marketing and PR pros do their job.
>>
>> <http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2490.html>http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2490.html
>>
>> Ron
>>
>> Ron Miller
>> Freelance Technology Writing Since 1988
>> Contributing Editor, EContent Magazine
>> Staff Writer, Daniweb.com
>>
>> email: <mailto:ronsmiller at ronsmiller.com>ronsmiller at ronsmiller.com
>> my blog: <http://byronmiller.typepad.com>http://byronmiller.typepad.com
>> Daniweb Blog: <http://tinyurl.com/5hozlr>http://tinyurl.com/5hozlr
>> web: <http://www.ronsmiller.com>http://www.ronsmiller.com
>>
>> Winner of the 2006 and 2007 Apex Award for Publication Excellence/ 
>> Feature Writing
>>
>>
>>
>>
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