Comments on: Press Release Intervention

By: Kel

Kel — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:47:15 +0000

liz — killed you? what? i have no idea what you are talking about. haha! i do agree hard news is a good example for a release.

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:49:04 +0000

Kel,
Remember that time you almost KILLED me for including “thrilled” in one of my releases??!!! I have to say that although I think sometimes press releases are a necessity for hard news, I do agree with you completely.
Thank you my fearless mentor,
Liz

By: Kel

Kel — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:19:45 +0000

bill, that is so funny you mention the word “thrilled.” i couldn’t agree more and it is #1 on my list of release pet peeves. it couldn’t be any more unoriginal. personally, i like the word “jacked” but for some reason clients aren’t as thrilled with it. haha!

By: Bill Sell

Bill Sell — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 01:41:07 +0000

Kel, completely agree on the need to say no, or at least throttle back the number of releases clients want. Equally as important is doing away with the word “thrilled” in releases. People are thrilled to win the lottery, but winning a lottery and announcing a new merger or business deal just isn’t “thrilling”. We all need to work on that as well… And with the new Web 2.0 tools the word “thrilled” really doesn’t play well. I think it’s actually banned on Twitter.

By: Kel

Kel — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:34:31 +0000

garazag, thanks for the response. i say a resounding “yes” to all the things you cite!

By: GarzaG

GarzaG — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:17:34 +0000

The battle between PR and social media is playing out so quickly. I couldn’t agree more with you on Press Release Intervention.

Instead of just say no to press releases. What do you say yes to? 1:1 relationships, longer term investment in user base, getting to know your user base, listening.

Nice post.

By: Kel

Kel — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:58:22 +0000

tara, you bring up a good point regarding the economic downturn. as companies look to minimize expenditures, maybe they will be more likely to consider not putting releases over the wire to save the $750 +/- associated with doing so. hmmmm…maybe there is a silver lining to this economic mess…

By: Tara

Tara — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:39:39 +0000

The last two companies I managed were press release addicts for all the wrong reasons. I had constant pressure to put the most insignificant stories out there because they thought it brought value to their investors and justified raising capitol. Sadly, the financial stiff shirts fell hook line and sinker on these bogus tactics. I am sure with all the recent economic turmoil there will be a new realization to value and what makes a product story unique and differentiating so that it has significance in the market place – no more smoke and mirrors.

By: Kel

Kel — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:36:50 +0000

david, there are certainly things that make sense for a press release. partnerships in a b2b situation can be a good example, although not always and rarely do they lead to real coverage. every situation is different. a publicly traded company like yours would probably lend itself to more press releases than other companies. however, i still think we need to raise the bar as to whether the release actually goes over the wire. your pr team can be more effective with a quick, non-invasive “just wanted to let you know” email to a reporter than sending a full-blown release. moreover, the reporter will appreciate the approach.

By: David Cooperstein

David Cooperstein — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:31:12 +0000

Kel

This is interesting – but how do you change the reporters minds, and how do you track things that were annouced. I agree that issuing a release because Jackie in Sales blew her nose (using tissue!) is not news, but some things, esp. in B2B and high tech, require explanation beyond a 140 letter tweet. So how do you go about that in your view. We don’t put everything on the wire, but the documents must get written, no?