Comments on: 5 Ways To Kill The Press Release

By: Jason Kintzler

Jason Kintzler — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 19:05:26 +0000

Thanks Chris. PR and communications for that matter will always require good relationships. The press release – new or old – has never served as a relationship builder. I just hope PR will stop pushing the “auto” button and continue tactics that hinder, not grow relationships! Thanks for sharing…good old contact is always good.

By: jeremy toeman

jeremy toeman — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:35:36 +0000

interesting advice, though i think it is highly limited to certain types of news. won’t help you with a gadget launch, won’t help you as a big company, won’t help you working in conjunction with a large partner, etc.if this were “5 ways startups could avoid using press releases” i think it’d be much more on-target.

By: chris shaw

chris shaw — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:12:21 +0000

Some of the best PR advice I’ve ever received was to pick up the phone and call a reporter. You’d be surprised how easy it is to find direct contact information for just about anyone. If I’m sending a release, I send them directly to the targets I think are relevant and use the good old fashioned story idea approach to capture their interest. Not a story idea the client wants to plant, but a story idea that the reporter’s audience is interested in. Then you’ve done two things, you captured a reporter’s interest by making their job easier and you put something out there relevant to the audience.

By: Jason Kintzler

Jason Kintzler — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:58:57 +0000

I hear you Michelle. I think it’s easy to assume certain journalists/writers aren’t “social media savvy,” but the truth is, there’s nothing confusing about getting a pitch via a link to a website built around your story (which is a PitchEngine release). No matter the age, it’s safe to say most of them are on the internet. In most cases, getting everything delivered via link is easier to understand the clunky email attachments!The beauty of this – you get to be the one to show them the light!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:31:44 +0000

Ok, I’ll bite. You know one of the industries I am targeting – the outdoors. Most of my audience is old. yes, old. So to say “heck with the press release” to these guys is unfathomable to me, and they aren’t on Twitter and are just now getting on Facebook. My other targeted industry is the cable industry: younger crowd, more hip. But when DISH Network launches new channels, what do they do? Send a press release to Multichannel News. It is still the fastest way to get your news out. HOWEVER, I will preface that the people I send releases to I already have an established relationship. And like amvandenhurk said above, write with purpose. If a reporter comes to know your emails as purposeful and not filled w “fluff,” they will open it.