Shannon Whitley

My “record store” doesn’t sell any records; American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) hasn’t serviced a telegraph in almost a hundred years; Music Television hardly plays any music; and according to journalist, David Henderson, the Press ignores press releases.  Services and products change over time, even if terminology doesn’t.  You’ll forgive me if I still use the term “press release” when the Press has nothing to do with it.   

I’ve read countless posts from people who say that reporters don’t read press releases; press releases are dead.  I suppose ‘ye olde press release’ may be losing its luster, but press releases are far from dead.  Au contraire, Mark Rose of PR Blog News reports that the press release is alive and well.  I don’t believe that all reporters are ignoring all press releases.  They ignore the spam releases, and they should.  Stop using the shotgun method to get your message out and you’ll find it easier to contact people who really give a damn about your news.  

So, what are press releases today?  If they are not for the Press, then why bother?  The Press is one communications channel, but aren’t you really just trying to use the Press to get your message to more people?  What if you could reach the people directly without dogging the exhausted reporters?  With the internet, the possibility is there.  I’m not saying that you should ignore the Press, but online communications channels can be as effective, perhaps more so, than a mention by your favorite reporter.  Take a look at this great post mortem to see how a holistic approach can lead to greater success.

Consider the fact that more people than ever are reading press releases directly, grabbing their news off the online wires.  What a fantastic opportunity for PR to create messages for ‘the people.’  It’s still important to form relationships with the Press and keep them informed, but you also have a direct channel to the masses, some of which have online audiences of thousands of readers.

If Mainstream Media (MSM) is ignoring press releases and treating them like spam, then the law of averages says that some great news items are left at the bottom of MSM’s electronic waste baskets.  Journalists have plenty of news to cover.  I don’t blame them for trying to limit the overload of information.  However, what a huge opportunity for citizen journalists!  Citizen journalists are today’s ’49ers, panning for nuggets in a steady stream of news.  Encourage the growth of citizen journalism.  Citizen journalists have the ability to search for unique news, and chances are good that a vigilant citizen can catch something that MSM will have missed, perhaps your message.

My definition of Citizen Journalist, by-the-way, is not inclusive of the manic people who are screaming to dismantle the Press.  Our history is replete with individuals who created and distributed their own pamphlets, tabloids, and newspapers.  Citizen Journalism is nothing new.  It exists beside, and sometimes grows into, our commercial news channels.

So, continue to generate press releases.  The Press may ignore your message, but your network is no longer limited to just the Press.  Embrace as many communications channels as possible, including citizen journalists.  You’ll need to adapt your approach, taking advantage of tools that you haven’t used before.  With so many news outlets and citizen run media sites, it won’t take long for true communicators to harness the power of social media press releases and citizen-run news services. 

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