Well, yesterday’s post ginned up some good discussion across the Internets, both on LinkedIn and The Capitol Fax Blog, where editor Rich Miller offered his take on the piece.
Overall, some good, thoughtful comments — both in agreement and disagreement.
But I must say, I still hold to my assertion that the press release has outlived its usefulness.
First, the fact that Rich Miller saw my post on either Twitter or Facebook and highlighted it on his blog (which is a key media outlet in Illinois) supports the point of my post.
Second, I think many of the commenters wrote their responses as if I am somehow limiting alternatives to press releases to merely Facebook and Twitter. While I have found both of these platforms effective in pitching media, my initial post talks about email and even direct, personal phone calls as viable, effective alternatives to press releases.
Additionally, more than one commenter asserted that the press release is a great way to control the message. Maybe. But how can a simple statement emailed to a reporter not control the message? Or a 30-second video featuring the CEO or spokesperson of your client? Or a Tweet linking to a short, on-message blog post?
There were several commenters who discussed trade publications in their industry who like to run press releases “verbatim” as stories. I’ve experienced this, as well. This isn’t really a press release — it’s you writing a story for a publication.
Finally, the events of yesterday evening drive home my point. Last night, one of my clients (a Cook County, IL Commissioner) broke real news on his Twitter account regarding a grand jury investigation into county’s financial records. A Chicago TV news reporters saw this tweet, called me for information, interviewed my client and ran with the story. I then emailed a brief statement by my client (not a press release) to several key reporters, some of whom printed in the statement in their stories. Updates on Twitter — not press releases — helped drive coverage in the Chicago media market.
Thanks to Rich for picking up my post, and thanks to all those who shared their comments.
I think Rich summed up my post the best when he wrote: “The start of something new and maybe the end of something old.”
I’ll stick to my contention that the press release lives on, and that your message streams on twitter, or facebook or elsewhere, are just press releases in different formats and on different mediums.
The first press release was a letter, transmitted via postal mail in 1906. The core of the press release is that it is an intentional communication to the press, not its margins, or method of delivery. It was the result of a company hiring a professional to guide them in how they can improve their standing with the public, through the medium of a communications strategy that involved the press.
The press release isn’t dead, it is simply adapting to broadening standards and means of communication.
Thanks, but, keep in mind that if you had posted that on Twitter today, I wouldn’t have seen it. Too distracted with projects to look at Twitter today.
Yes, but as either you or someone else stated in comments on your blog or LinkedIn….maybe journalists have email inboxes that get cluttered up, as well. The great, great majority of press releases get ignored or lost in the shuffle (or the “round file.)