Re: Online Press Releases
LISA MULLENNIX <lmullennix_at_laughingbird.com> wrote:
I've been doing some research on the value of sending
out press releases online. I'm getting the impression
that it will be difficult to get journalists to
actually use your press release. I am hesitant to pay
a lot of money to a company who specializes in press
release distribution, since I have no foresight into
the results.
Does anyone have any experience sending out press
releases on your own? How do you get a press release
into a journalist's hands without spamming? Can
anyone explain the value of sending out press
releases? Any thoughts on this matter would be
sincerely appreciated.
---
As a newspaper editor about to move back into Internet
and marketing communications consulting, I can tell you
that there is no easy answer to "getting journalists to
actually use your press release."
Are emailed press releases any more effective than paper?
No. Any less effective? No.
The key is targeting. I receive an average of 60 to 100
press releases a day. How many do you think I actually
read? 99% are completely irrelevant to my publication.
Many public relations companies make a great deal of
money telling their clients that they have "pitched" x
number of publications, without any concept of the needs
of whether the story is appropriate for the publication.
I am forever getting PR people calling me who have never
even seen my publication.
So, a couple of points to keep in mind:
Know your target: Screen media outlets for those that
have an obvious interest in your story.
Don't mass mail (e or otherwise): Pick and choose.
Look for angles: What is unique about your story and
how does it fit the specific media outlet?
Don't expect them to "use" your press release. Think of
it as a lead to get them to write a story.
Hope that helps.
Lawrence Pintak
Received on Fri Aug 18 2000 - 09:54:31 CDT
