Press Releases Are No Longer Press Releases
October 8th, 2008In my view, the press release is still an essential component of any publicity campaign and its scope has widened as the Web has become more interactive.
Under Web 2.0, the evolution of the press release is a fascinating one. The fact is that a press release need no longer be directed at the press.
In a blogging age, everyone has their say and, through search engines, everyone has access to what is said. What does this mean for the press release? It means that you can write your press release for your potential customers. You can ignore the press! A good press release will still be talked about but it does not need a journalist to give it life.
In spite of the fact that your press release may well be read by your potential clients directly, it should still follow the conventions. It should still present your information in an objective way. It should still provide an interesting story. The press release and the advertisement are still poles apart. A press release should never use hard sell tactics.
I recommend thinking of your press releases in the same way as your email newsletter. It is an opportunity to talk about what is happening in your organization. Do not be afraid to post a press release as often as you have new information or a new story to impart. I also believe that it is worth using new content each time you post your press release and placing this unique content in different places. Then you will have valuable content about your organization, in different places on the Web, pointing back to your own web site.
PRfriend has set up eight locations where our visitors can post their unique press release:
www.localpressreleaser.com/ This site enables you to post your release in your local area, where your customers are.
On these sites, you can talk about your organization, choose a category for your release and add relevant tags. You can also link back to your own web site. However, we require that each press release has not been published in other places on the web and that the content is valuable and interesting. Each of us owes it to the Internet community, and to our own reputation, to always offer our best content and to avoid repeating ourselves unnecessarily. And it feels good, sometimes, to give journalists the cold shoulder!
July 27th, 2009 at 5:15 am
We have edited this post to include the launch of http://www.localpressreleaser.com. Please check out this site and talk to your local customers through informative press releases.