Friday PR Picks: News Releases – A Gothic Tale

by coach

News releases: Dead or alive?

Our Friday PR Picks this week are all about press releases. We’ve gathered 27 of the best, recent news release tips, tactics and articles. Everything from how-to tips, better news release writing, smarter ways to use and distribute them, and a fresh look at the social media release.

The poor press release is a Gothic tale. Every time it’s a dark and stormy night, it gets  slammed, damned, buried, resurrected and morphed into the social media release. All in just little more than three years. But every six months another article comes along saying that the press release is dead once again: RIP, the Press Release (1906-2010) — and Long Live the Tweet [Ad Age]

Enough of that already!

The problem with the news release as I see it, is we’re trying to use an “old” tool for new purposes. That old square peg no longer fits into the new round hole. The news release used to work nicely as a way to provide reporters with basic news information. The thing is, with the advent of social media, we’re now responsible for talking to all kinds of audiences through all kinds of new channels.

The poor “old” news release is inadequate for this new purpose. While the new social media release addresses some of our needs, it still is not perfect!

So as new media evolves, we need to create new tools and rethink how we communicate with both reporters and new audiences.

No question PR still needs excellent writing skills, storytelling ability, relationship building, analytical thinking and pitching prowess. It’s just that the “old” news release is no longer up to the task.

You can expect to see the next chapter in this Gothic tale of the press release to rise from the dead again in about six months. In the meantime, browse the terrific tips below and start communicating differently. It’s not that scary!

Let us know how you’re adapting and providing information to the media now. Still using the press release? Getting the same results? Love to have your comments below.

We’ve got lots more news release tips and resources in the PR Library. Do stop in there as well and look around.

Photo credit: Mugley

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Friday PR Picks: News Releases

4 Ways News Releases Boost SEO [HubSpot Blog]
5 Tips for Writing a Great Press Release
[Open Forum]
5 Tips to Optimize Press Releases For Search
[TopRank Blog]
7 Timeless Press Release Tips from Around the Web
[PR Web]
17 Impact Factors of Online Press Release Performance
[30 Minute PR]
Give Your Blog a Marketing Boost with Press Releases
[Performancing]
How to Optimize a News Release (Brief Tutorial)
[Social Media for Public Relations]
How to Write a Press Release
[Inc]
Long Live the Press Release
[Young & Associates]
New Journalist Survey Zooms in on Images in News Releases
[PowerLines]
Not So Fast, AdAge: “RIP, the Press Release (1906-2010) [Kathy Gill]
Press Release Buzzword Bingo
[Schwartz Crosswords]
Publicity…Everything Changes but the Tool
[Consumer Electronics Net]
Reporters Want Press Releases by Email, New Report Shows
[PR Leads]
RIP, the Press Release (1906-2010) — and Long Live the Tweet
[Ad Age]
Second Irrelevant Press Release eMail Survey Data
[Inconvenient PR Truth]
Social Media Release: Evolution
[PR Squared]
The Press Release (a rant. for immediate release) [Strategic Public Relations]

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