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Modular News Releases

March 2, 2006 by Kami Huyse

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So much talk has occurred around the meme (or idea) of the press release is dead that whenever it comes up again, everyone writes a reactionary response about their entrenched opinion and goes on with their life, only to have another boxing round again in about two to three months. I admit, I have done it myself and it is the third most popular post on this site.

I think that everyone agrees on the following points:

  • The press, or news release, is something that has been entrenched in the media/PR culture
  • The format can lead to overblown claims and other information
  • Reporters generally use information from only a fraction of the releases they receive
  • Some releases are written better than others

Very few have offered a true alternative, and fewer yet a sample of what they think a press release should look like. Here are a few that have:

  • Six years ago (2000), B.L. Ochman suggested a format of 200 words or less that used the headings who, what, where, when and why. In 2001,
  • David Phillips and others came up with the eXtensible Public Relations Language (XPRL) in 2001, which was supposed to be a wholistic approach, but probably too technical to catch on.
  • Earlier this year, Amy Gahran suggested using a fact sheet format.
  • And most recently, Tom Foremski suggests an approach using tags as headers.
  • Finally, Todd Defren sharpens his pencil and actually writes a release in a new format in response to Tom’s challenge.

I must admit that I like the idea of a modular news release. It fits with today’s mad pace of 24 hour news and is easy to read. I think that by linking to online sources and giving direct numbers, the “release” becomes even more valuable. If a reporter can get his or her story written with minimal contact with the PR folks it really is better. I work this way with reporters all the time and they usually appreciate it and call back for more information. However, Todd disagrees with me on this and wants to maintain a little more control.

All of this said, modular formatting, fact sheets or any other format we may dream up, does not prevent bad writing or a blatant marketing focus from emerging. So many have said it over the past few days – in the end it boils down to the competence of the human behind the format.

Tags: Press Release is Dead|Press Release|Press Release Format|News Release|PR|Public Relations

Filed Under: Featured

About Kami Huyse

Kami Watson Huyse, CEO of Zoetica, is passionate about great communication. Working in Public Relations since 1994, and blogging since 2005, she has seen trends come and go, but one thing has stayed the same – people are looking for ways to authentically connect. She loves to connect with readers, so leave a comment or follow @kamichat on Twitter and connect there.

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