Not too long ago, I posted about how effective press releases may or may not be now. Well, according to a few other firms, my predictions are correct. Let me briefly say, that my prediction was basically that press releases are somewhat effective, but more of a necessity and that sending a media release or contacting the media directly is the most effective route.
Here is what I have found via MediaPost:
According to recent poll of corporate communicators conducted by Ragan Communications and PollStream, 49% of today’s professional communicators say they think press releases are “as useful as ever,” but a third of the respondents said the press release is “a necessary evil that won’t go away soon.”
A corollary paper by Lindsey Miller from Ragan pointed out that 45% of respondents said If press releases are losing relevance, it’s because of the growth of social media. Though, 23% and 24% respectively blamed the demand for a more trustworthy and/or engaging information source and the decline of the newspaper and magazine industry.
Yep, you guessed it….it’s a split! Are Press Releases necessary? Yes. Are they as advantageous as they used to be? My personal opinion is for the most part, no they are not. If you are using it for seo and links yes, but even that is not as valuable as it once was (again in my opinion). If you are targetting media or wanting media to pick up your story, you HAVE to contact them directly!
Gone are the days of reporters sitting by the tele-type machine waiting for news to roll out from the AP (Associated Press). Do reporters check the AP? Most certainly, but in this day and age, its not enough.
PR pros will often forego writing a release unless it’s for a specific reason or if they aren’t confident they can reach their audience in any other way. 45% see the ability to target reporters and editors in more personalized, direct ways the most effective route for clients. 23% blame the waning interest in the press releases on the demand for a more trustworthy and/or engaging information source and 24% blame it on the decline of the newspaper and magazine industry.
Vanessa Horwell, chief visibility officer for ThinkInk, said, in the Miller paper, “There may be good reason for a more direct approach. Most communicators surveyed send their press releases to print sources, which means newspapers and other publications receive hundreds, perhaps thousands, of press releases per day. Some surveys estimate that from 55% to 97% of press releases sent to media outlets are never acted upon.”
The point of all this is: Press Releases have their place, they are good for some things and some reasons. If you are looking to get contacted by the media, don’t expect a press release to do it on its own.
