Press Release Writing Tactics: 2014 Update
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Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight
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Social marketing, PR insight & thought leadership - from The PR Coach
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Jeff Domansky
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It’s seven years since the ground-breaking post ‘Die! Press Release! Die! Die!’ was written.Tom Foremski’s this-can’t-go-on wail reads as powerfully as a Martin Luther deconstruction of one of the central pillars of the public relations industry. “I’ve been telling the PR industry for some time now that things cannot go along as they are,” Tom wrote, “business as usual while mainstream media goes to hell in a hand basket.”.
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Eight years later we're still talking about the death of the press release?
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Excellent news release tips and examples from the Bulldog Reporter PR University webinar Mastering Interactive News Releases: 7 PR Secrets of Digital Press Releases That Woo Editors and Wow the Public. .... It’s no secret that today’s Internet and media inboxes are overflowing with news releases announcing products and services, financial earnings, changing staff, and more. But with so many of these releases competing for the same eyeballs in newsrooms, standing out from the pack requires finesse and clever packaging, particularly in this digital era. Some highlights that came out of the webinar (#realworldpr) included Bulldog Reporter PR University training director Brian Pittman’s list...
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Here's a great bunch of trends, tips and insight into what works best with digital press releases.
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Search Engine Marketing - Just as press releases were about to go the way of the horse and buggy, SEO saved that workhorse of public relations. But Google again changed the rules ... Here's the PR equivalent of your grandpa's story about walking five miles to school in three-foot snow drifts, uphill both ways... Back in the day, when distribution hinged on fax machines and tracking coverage meant cutting articles out of actual magazines and taping them into physical binders, the press release was a pretty powerful tool. It gave your intermediary audience (reporters) the breaking news and basic information it needed to spread your story to your primary audience (investors, customers, prospects, potential employees, partners, and others). The best way to reach all of those important groups was by informing the editorial gatekeepers, and one of the best ways to inform them was via the press release. Lots of things have changed since PR pros had to walk uphill both ways to the fax machine. Companies now have many ways to reach their primary audiences: blogs, social media, email newsletters, webinars, and more. PR and marketing leaders know that their job titles today should include "publisher," since they now own multiple platforms from which they can communicate directly with key constituencies....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Here's a great look at press releases and what they are NOT.
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Last night PR Newswire completed the updates to our content syndication network and on www.prnewswire.com to meet Google’s new guidelines regarding links in press releases. And we’re convinced that in this new environment, new opportunities for press release issuers abound. Here’s why. Now that these changes have been made, we no longer have to caution you, as we had recently, to be careful to limit links to just one or two per press release,. You’re now able to link the interesting and useful content that best serves your readers, and your business. This means you’ll be able to add more richness and depth to press releases, using links to add new dimensions to the content you present...
Jeff Domansky's insight:
PR Newswire responds quickly to revamp news release guidelines in the light of recent Google issue..
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10 Yetis Vents - Google update has not killed press releases or PR Agencies its just killed crap content and spammy writing. Right now the interwebs are full of "Google has killed PR Agencies/press releases" stories. These all relate to big G's latest update that talks about its crack down on keyword optimised press releases and the need to use no-follow links in stories that PRs push out. Whether it is emails from nervous clients wanting clarification on the situation, or people on Twitter sending me DMs asking if I have seen various stories (because we set our stall out around being very SEO savvy), it is really up in my grill right now. Not many public relations professionals have put their head above the parapet and come out with their take on this, so I thought I would give it the first shot....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
10 Yetis analysis will help you refocus your news release efforts. Recommended reading for PR and marketing people.
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New webmaster rules target core PR practices around press releases...At least, so Tom Foremski claims. Wrong Tom. You're way off base with your interpretation of new Google rules and how they will impact PR agencies. Foremski's best known as the author of "Die press release, die", an infamous rant aimed at PR people. In his post, he misinterprets Google's directions on getting SEO slapped for black hat SEO linking practices. Then he wrongly applies his mistake, concludes somehow that it applies to press releases, and aims it squarely at his favorite target - PR people. Sorry Tom. The worst practitioners of bad press releases are not PR agencies or legitimate PR pros. They are usually marketing departments or uninformed small business people who mistakenly think press releases are a great way to easily get "free advertising." Their news releases don't contain real news. They simply stuff releases full of marketing nonsense. If you want proof of that, check out my blog where I've written 4 or 5 best-of-bad-press-release blog posts that have proven to be remarkably popular and entertaining.Most savvy PR people rarely use news releases. In fact, PR pros these days are usually social media leaders, skillful storytellers and adept content marketers. Unfortunately, the same thing is happening in social media channels, annoying consumers and, instead of engaging them, pushing them away. It's time Foremski wrote the sequel to his famous anti-PR rant and called it "Die Marketing nonsense, die!"There's probably a very nice sequel for me too write as well. Its called "Die lazy journalism, die!"
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Here's my rant on Tom Foremski's rant ;-)
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Press releases will continue to be the workhorse of public relations, even after social media has allowed businesses to engage directly with customers. Here are 10 mistakes to avoid when pitching one.
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From
marktzk
Though there are many, many ways to get news coverage without issuing a news release (for some ideas, see my seven-part series on ways to earn good media coverage), press releases still work. That said, it’s also all-too-common for companies to make fatal errors in the way they write and distribute news releases. Here are 10 common problems....
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The press release is a tried-and-true public relations workhorse which (despite many premature reports of its death) remains one of the most popular communications formats for PR pros today. That said, we can all agree that the last few years – heck, the last few months even – have seen tremendous change in how information is consumed. To ensure your press releases are effective in reaching today’s wired audiences, avoid these common mistakes that can sink your message’s visibility....
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Check out the four examples of companies reinventing how they use and present the press release.
Every year, for the last ten years, someone has proclaimed that the press release is dying. While the rumors of its demise are exaggerated, they are not totally unfounded. That’s because the press release is, in fact, being eclipsed by digital alternatives that are more flexible, more interesting, and more relevant.
...This shift in medium and message represents a new era in corporate communications. News now needs to be conveyed in an empathetic tone and delivered in a user-friendly format....
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...When we asked journalists to rate how useful they find social media channels, we also asked them to rate two more conventional information sources commonly used by journalists, corporate websites and the good old fashioned press release. The results surprised us – the participating journalists scored press releases higher than any other information source in terms of how useful they are for researching articles, closely followed by corporate websites....
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The creation and promotion of a press release is hard work, but what do you do after your initial efforts ...
are done and the buzz has died down tremendously? Unfortunately, it can be really hard to extend the life of a press release if not done properly and at the right timing. This article will talk about how you can greatly increase the visibility of your press release online even after your initial release. It will also help you improve the search rankings of your release and increase traffic using four strong techniques....
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Check out these 8 tips for writing a press release that attracts attention from journalists and consumers. Start 2014 off with a blast of PR.Press releases used to be the powerhouses of public relations firms — a way to fax timely, relevant information out to journalists. Nowadays, online publishing platforms like social media and blogs cut down on the supremacy of the press release. It’s now just one tool in a sea of educational channels available to the online marketer. Nevertheless, we think well-written press releases are important in targeting news audiences and leading them to sites where they can find more information about your offerings. Here are 8 tips for writing a killer press release that attracts attention — and results!.
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Good reminder of press release basics.
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You don’t have to be a giant company to create and publish a survey that gets noticed. For example, here at MyPRGenie, we frequently use surveys to identify trends, preferences, and opinions on PR, social media, and digital marketing, and then use them in our PR and marketing efforts. Once you’ve decided what you hope to achieve with your survey, the second step in setting appropriate goals is to define who will be surveyed, and who will want the data gathered from survey participants. One of the challenges with online surveys is that participants self-select, so they are not as randomized as a well-done telephone survey. So it’s important to clearly identify who you want to participate in your survey, and discard survey responses that are outside your pre-determined group....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
MyPRGenie explains how to create surveys that generate media coverage for businesses, and how to promote them for maximum results.
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Too many business-to-business press releases fail. Why is that? Publicity can be admittedly a bit hit and miss – but the main reason that most press releases fail is simple. They’re not actually news. When I look at press releases which don’t hit the mark, they most commonly fail in two ways. The first is that the topic chosen for the release really just isn’t newsworthy. The second is that, while the topic itself may be newsworthy, the writer has failed to identify the heart of the topic – and delivered something which then isn’t newsworthy, when in fact it could have been. Let’s look at these two things....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Rob Clarke shows what makes an effective news release.
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In a bit of Friday weirdness, we came across a press release that we just had to share with you. It turns out that Anchor Communications has hit a major milestone: or brilliant stunt?s CEO has notched a Klout score of 68 and issued this PR Web press release to put it on the record...
Jeff Domansky's insight:
WTH? Total screw up or brilliant stunt?
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Google now calls links in press releases "unnatural" and is mandating nofollowing them. Even though Google took away the anchor text links in press releases (and guest posts and articles), there are still press release optimization opportunities. Google's most recent update to their defintions of link schemes sent shockwaves through the SEO and online PR world; a real downer to link building strategists. It's true: the world's largest search engine called links in press releases "unnatural" and is mandating nofollowing them. What does this mean to organizations using press releases to gain digital visibility in search and social?For brands publishing a press release or an article on your site and distributing it through a paid wire service, such as PR Newswire, Business Wire, Marketwire or through an article site, you must first make sure to nofollow the links if those links are "optimized anchor text." Is This a Big SEO Deal? Yes. No. Maybe. Google has been slowly squeezing the SEO life out of press releases for a while now. "In 2006 online press releases were amazing for SEO. In 2013? Not so much," said Joe Laratro, SEO expert and PubCon lead moderator. "Online press releases have had very little value in terms of links and content over the past few years – I would say it had been steadily declining. However, I still thought it was a good part of a large organic link building strategy until the new guideline changes."...
Jeff Domansky's insight:
So there. The sky is not falling but the landscape is changing and the ways to get better news release results need revamping.
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There are few companies or organisations that can come close to rivalling the power that Google wields over the internet and search in particular.... So when the search engine updated its rules on unnatural link schemes recently, making specific reference to press releases, it triggered a rather alarmist article from ZDNet asking whether Google had killed PR agencies. The convergence of PR and SEO is something we’ve covered previously on the blog, with articles focusing on the importance of search optimised PR and suggesting seven SEO tools to improve online PR efficiency. However the article on ZDNet understandably (and probably intentionally) ruffled a few feathers within the PR industry as it painted them as black hat SEOs, out to flood the internet with dull, keyword loaded press releases just so they could help their clients climb a few places in search rankings....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Take a breath PR and marketing people. News releases are still helpful but better care needs to be taken to get better results.
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...Do those search engine optimized press releases you're sending actually boost your search rankings? What about those guest blog posts you're writing? While the question of whether anchor text links in press releases ever actually pass search value has always been debatable, a recent update from Google seems to shed some more light on these issues. On Friday, Search Engine Land reported that Google had sneakily updated its Webmaster Guidelines' Link Schemes document. If you're not hip to the SEO lingo, link schemes are "any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site's ranking in Google search results ... [including] any behavior that manipulates links to your site or outgoing links from your site." This, according to Google, includes what are called unnatural links -- "links that weren’t editorially placed or vouched for by the site’s owner on a page." And this, my friends, is where press releases factor in....
Jeff Domansky's insight:
Caution ahead: Google updated its 'Link Schemes' document last week. Here's how it affects your press releases and SEO and it may be worth rethinking your approach to news releases.
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There might actually be news here, but this transcendentally offal news release won’t tell you what it might be. Lack of organization, absence of clarity, nauseous, self-congratulatory, “look how great I am” tone makes this wordy train wreck fail the “who gives a *bleep*?” test. Can this new venture afford a professional writer?...
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Last week I penned and article for Ragan’s PR Daily titled “The 5 Mistakes Press Release Writers Make” and followed that up with a more detailed post here titled, “The 6 Mistakes That Can Sink Press Release Visibility.” I shared these on several PR discussion groups and solicited additional feedback from my fellow members, asking what other press release tips they would offer....
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Each week, Dear Gracie answers questions from ProfNet Connect readers with advice from our network of nearly 50,000 ProfNet experts.
Dear Gracie, Some of my clients repeatedly ask me to pitch announcements that I don’t think qualify as “news.” I know if I do pitch the information, journalists will be annoyed and I could damage my media relationships. How do I explain this to my clients?
Peeved Pitcher
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Great news for PR practitioners: Despite rumors to the contrary, the trusty old press release is not dead. Text 100 surveyed 72 journalists and found that the press release is still the preferred format for receiving corporate news.
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I cover technology for CNN.com and elsewhere, so I get a lot of pitch e-mails from PR folks. Some of these are very useful and well targeted. Most are rather “meh.”
…And a few are utterly stupid.
Here’s one such e-mail I received today, in its entirety. Name of the PR person, PR firm, and client are removed to protect the guilty...
[Yep. Stupid alright! JD]
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PR Newswire VP Sarah Skerik's presentation on news release tips and tactics is useful reading for PR pros and business. take reticular note of the day description of the social media press releases and the use of visuals..