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.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Old habits are slow to change, and the more experienced public relations people will change as the industry changes- and this includes the use of press releases. Still, it’s a tool, which can be effective (especially on a slow news day) in reaching your audience. Remember too, that some smaller, local papers often look for free content and information that may have an impact on their community. Mediums and methods change. The press releases and the people who deploy them will too.
Press release of important occasions always make an impact on public, but if press articles looses their important due to bulk contents, then there would be no meaning of it..
I don’t know about the value of press releases per se but getting into Google News (which press releases do) WILL get you noticed.
I’d like to see the same study done asking the same questions of reporters, editors and bloggers, rather than asking the PR pros ;~)
I think responses would still be split, but directly cultivating contacts with reporters, editors and bloggers before you need a story; getting to know exactly the kinds of things they write about; and knowing their deadlines have always been key Public Relations tactics.
Sending a press release blast email out to 300 reporters will not net great coverage, and gives Pr people a bad name. First of all, there are too many others also blasting out releases to the same 300 reporters = competition and cluttered email inboxes.
Good PR folks have always done their research and tried to match the story to the right editor/reporter/blogger at the right publication, with the right pitch/story angle and with the right lead time, with a well written press release to provide the info (along with occasional carefullly timed and well-chosen phone calls). Preferably having made the right connection with said person before they had a story need. Granted that is an ideal situation, and it takes time, but that yields far greater results. There are probably fewer than 12 people on that list of 300 who might write a story about your “news” – why spend money, time, and annoy (and clutter the inboxes) of the other 288 reporters?
With that said, online news releases, if well written, with attention paid to SEO and keywords/links, can help your site’s page rankings, and generate the right consumers clicking through to your site; you never know, it might just catch the eye of an interested journalist and generate a story to.
You know, Cathy, I would like to see that very same thing! I find myself getting all excited just to get a “no” reply from them. I am in complete agreement with you, I think often times people think that writing a press release and submitting it is all they have to do. There has to be follow up, and there has to be responsibility on the part of both people, but, if you the PR person or the business owner are doing your research you will garner more good attention now and in the future with that reporter/editor/blogger/host etc if you do your homework and you follow up (respectfully).
My suggestion: If you don’t have time to do it right, hire a PR person who can!
“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.
i don’t think so, i agree with you that they are not that much important. 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!
Both can be true “Press could be good if it supports Truth and Harmony” and evil “if press make mistake and support devils”.