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June 2, 2008

Bad Trend: Press Releases for Press Releases

Post written by Doug Quenqua

Note to PR professionals: Let your press release do the talking.

That is what it's for, no? Your client or company has news to share, so you write up a press release and e-mail it to the relevant reporters. This is a good system.

But a troubling trend has taken hold. It seems lately that every press release we receive is prefaced by three to four introductory paragraphs in which the otherwise level-headed PR professional sending the e-mail describes -- often in terms identical to those of the release itself -- what the news is, why we would find it interesting, and how we can follow up to find more information.

Then comes the press release, which tells us what the news is, why we might find it interesting, and how we can follow up to find more information.

This never used to happen. Back in the days of faxed press releases, which some of us are just old enough to remember (we assume prior to that they were physically mailed, but we would have to rent some old journalism movies to be sure), nobody prefaced their news releases with a handwritten page explaining what to expect on the next page. So why now?

I have my theories. Perhaps PR people feel too much pressure to develop a one-on-one relationship with reporters, and press releases seem so impersonal in the age of digital over-sharing (just think of all the things Facebook has taught you about your "professional" contacts). Perhaps they are trying to make their release feel more like a privately shared tip, which is how most reporters prefer to get their information. There is also the fact that e-mail makes it easier than ever to pound out 500 word missives about any old thing.

But we all have less time than ever these days. So let's do us both a favor. You keep the pre-release chit chat to a minimum—"Hey Doug, hope you find the following useful. Would love to hook you up with an interview if you have time. Thanks!"—and we'll not use our Facebook status updates or Twitter feeds to bitch about you. At least not as much.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at June 2, 2008 11:04 AM

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Comments

I've noticed this trend, too. I got a press release from LifeStyles Condoms that drove me mad because it was so bad. It included a preface with a fake personal note (you know, insert editor's name here ...), contact details and an html link to the viral videos it was promoting. But then the press release followed, which didn't have a contact name, or a contact email, or a phone number or any live links.

So which is the real press release? The fake personalized note to me or the press release after? What happens when the two bits get separated online? Is the preface to make up for the fact that it is beyond pr people to write a decent, catchy press release? Looking forward to hearing others' comments on this annoying trend.

jpower@pbp.com  June 2, 2008 12:46 PM

As a PR professional, I really appreciate the honesty in this post. You hit the nail on the head as far as the intention of building a more personal relationship with reporters, but there definitely has to be a balance between information overload and thoughtful sharing of story ideas and information.

I can say that I never send fake personalized notes (horrible!), I will admit though that I'm guilty of being too wordy sometimes. It's difficult to keep things concise when you want to show that you are being thoughtful with what you send along.

This post is something I will definitely keep in mind going forward!

Megan  July 10, 2008 1:24 PM


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