David Meerman Scott of Web Ink Now wrote an article for Marketingprofs.com called the “New Rules of PR,” which is actually a list of “rules” for writing press releases.
While there are a number of good tips in the article, I take exception with this one:
Don't just send press releases when “big news” is happening; find good reasons to send them all the time.
While I think it is good to get your information out there, I think advice like this breeds what I will call “junk” releases. Here is one example of a junk press release that I wrote about in January.
It also takes the focus off what should really be happening, which is good communication with the public.
Information in any communication sent out by an organization should be newsworthy to its target audience. In an online environment, that audience can be niche. Amy Gahran had a good post yesterday about a company that recently caught her eye with a very targeted search-engine optimized press release.
The bottom line it that if you have information, or a product or service, that you feel is beneficial for the public you are trying to reach, then it is newsworthy. If it is self-promotional blather, then it is not, and it might even hurt your credibility.
What do you think rises to the level of news in today’s online environment?
