[Hidden-tech] Is the Press Release Dead?

[Tish Grier]

Great interview, Ron!

There are definitely many, many more ways to reach people today than the standard old-time press
release.  But, there are ways of making press releases work, such as what Jeff suggests as in
putting links to relevant blog posts.  When you do that, the email/press release becomes more
social media friendly, so to say.

Another thing that's important is the tone or "voice" of the release.  I've been involved in a
number of "blogger outreach" initiatives over the past two years, and the "voice" of the release
can make or break it in social media.  If you use marketing speak or standard p.r. lingo, you
might get a reporter to look at what you've sent, but you certainly won't get a high-profile
blogger to give you the time of day.  If anything, a stiff, corporate-sounding outreach email
(which is often a press release as well) will leave bloggers shaking their heads.  Some others,
though, might bite back.  Nobody likes being spammed!

Tish
--- Jeff Rutherford <jeff at jeffrutherford.com> 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.
>    ** If you did, we all thank you.
> 
> 
> > 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.
> >  ** If you did, we all thank you.
> >
> >
> > 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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