38 Experts Share News Release Best Practices

by PR Coach

PR news release graveyard

This just in… news releases are not dead!

Another week, another claim the press release is dead. We’ve gathered 38 articles by experts with practical  suggestions on how to make the best use of news releases and how to get results.

It’s a tool that’s still valuable when it’s done professionally. Smart PR pros make sure they’re adapting their news releases to make them social media-friendly and useful for readers other than just traditional media.

A recent Google search for the term “press release” delivered 61,100,000 hits while “news release” got merely 15,700,000. That means we’re going to have an uphill battle trying to change the name “press release” and attitudes about it. But, let’s give it a shot!

Let me put my cards on the table right now. If it ain’t “news,” it ain’t worth sending out.  That’s my foundation for success.

While still popular in the UK, “press release” is an outdated term going back to when the media was dominated by newspapers produced on printing presses. With the growth of social media, the term is a relic.

Now that anyone can put out their own news release on a variety of free and paid newswires, quality of “news” is the issue. Not to mention, poor editorial judgment, terrible writing and sloppy presentation which also devalue real news.

Five of my recent posts illustrate this sad state of affairs:

Bad Press Releases: 20 Worst Headlines Ever – there is a reason this post went viral. You won’t believe how bad these 20 headlines and news releases were.
Bad Press Releases: BS + Bafflegab = PR Fail
– loaded with bafflegab and just plain baffling.
Bad Press Releases: Mixing Marketing Up With News
– mixing marketing with news is a recipe for disaster.
Bad Press Releases: Weight Loss News Loses Credibility
– no news, terrible grammar and no credibility.
Friday PR Picks: News Releases – A Gothic Tale
– 27 experts share news release tips.

So, I’m just saying, the news release is not dead. It needs news! And it needs smart PR professionals to make sure it’s valuable for both the media and all our other important audiences.

Have a look at what our 38 “experts” say about news release best practices, how to reinvent your release for social media and, most important, how to get results.

News Release Best Practices & Tips

7 Deadly PR Sins Committed on PRWeb.com [Dave Manzer]
9 Press Release SEO Questions Answered
[Cision]
A Letter from a Press Release
[BurellesLuce]
Best Practices: Writing Press Releases for the Web
[Deni Kasrel]
Does the Press Release Need Rebranding?
[Brooke Nolan]
Good Press: 6 Steps to Writing Killer Op-Eds and Commentaries
[Open Forum]
Here’s a Handy Checklist for Writing Press Releases
[Publicity Hound]
How to Optimize a Press Release for Search
[BusinessWire]
How to Write a Press Release that Gets Attention
[ProBlogger]
How to Write a Social Media Press Release
[Inc]
How to Write a Winning Press Release: The Step-by-Step Guide
[Idea Hub]
Industry Opinion: Is the Social Media Press Release Here to Stay?
[PR in Canada]
Insanity: Very Pleasing Press Release Quotes
[Sword and the Script]
Is Your Press Release Guilty of Information Overload?
[Fresh Ideas]
Leverage the Power of the Press with News Releases
[Success Works]
Link Love
[Andy Lark]
Make Up Your Mind to Make Some News
[Barbara Rozgonyi]
Most Confusing Press Release Ever
[TechCrunch]
Only 18% of News Release Headlines are Optimized for SEO
[Schwartz  Communications]
PR Firms and the Link-less News Release
[Tom Foremski]
PR Pros: Stop Cramming Everything into the News Release Headline
[ZDNet]
Press Release Writing Tips (From Journalists)
[Journalistics]
Press Releases Do Get Shared on Google News
[Adam Sherk]
PublicRelations: The Best Press Release is No Press Release
[Marketing Sherpa Blog]
Reuters Distributes Press Releases in Editorial Feed
[IR Web Report]
Social Media News Release is an Example of Curated Content
[Shel Holtz]
The 6 Essential Steps to Writing a Killer Press Release
[Copyblogger]
The Press Release is Not Dead – It’s Not Even Sick
[The Wax Blog]
Use Hyperlinks in Press Releases: Here are 19 Ideas
[The Publicity Hound]
Use News Releases for More than PR
[Journalistics]
Where Next for the News Release
[PR Breakfast Club]
You Lose When Your Press Releases Makes Everyone Snooze
[Content Marketing Today]

Need more news release tips? Our PR Library shelves are loaded with articles and press release hints, open 24 x 7 and you don’t even need a library card.

Author:  Jeff Domansky is Editor, The PR Coach

Photo Credit: Elephi Pelephi via Flickr

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