In late October, the press release—a tried-and-true staple of public relations practitioners for decades—marked its 120thanniversary. While a noteworthy achievement, today, many PR pros question its value as an array of resources are now available to share news and convey the key messages of organizations.
In this age of 24-hour news, social media, citizen journalists and now artificial intelligence, is the press release still relevant?
A Little History
PRWeek published an opinion piece reflecting on the press release’s history and role in PR by Museum of PR CEO Shelley Spector. The brainchild of PR pro Ivy Lee, the press release was born after a train accident outside Atlantic City, NJ killed more than 50 people. Lee needed to share the news quickly and accurately on behalf of the Pennsylvania Railroad. His goal, as Spector explained it, was to put the organization’s account before the public and the press.
The press release has come a long way since. While the who, what, when, where and why fundamentals of press release writing remain, distribution methods have changed dramatically from in-person hand-outs, to physical mail, to fax, email and digital distribution.
“A release is a contemporaneous record of what an organization chose to say—and how it chose to say it. Future readers compare its claims and promises with what happened next. In a media environment crowded with fleeting posts, copied snippets and synthetic content, a dated, attributable record matters. It gives resources and the public something they can inspect and challenge,” Spector wrote.
The press release continues to hold value today as a tool for companies to share news. It’s useful reference material for journalists for story ideas or to help them connect with valuable sources. And today, the press release has new value—as clear, well-written releases contribute to an organization’s visibility not only to the public, but now to AI.
Dos and Don’ts of the Modern Press Release
Prospects and clients will often approach PR firms with a request for a press release. Often these firms respectfully reply that a press release may not be right tool for the job. Journalists’ inboxes are flooded with numerous press releases, often well within the hundreds, every single day. While a valued legacy tool, press releases have become over- and even misused. Consider these dos and don’ts.
- Do not consider every company announcement worthy of a press release.
- Do consider the newsworthiness of your announcement or talk to a PR professional who can help you weigh its news value along with other options for spreading the word.
- Do not view press releases as the only vehicle to share company news.
- Do consider connecting your announcement or new product to a timely trend journalists in your space are following and build a proactive pitching campaign accordingly.
- Do not expect your press release will lead or even generate the news.
- Do expect your release to serve as valuable reference material for journalists, AI and the public.
- Do not expect broad media pickup of your press release with blasted, mass distribution, known in the biz as the spray-and-pray approach.
- Do take the time to target the appropriate journalists, for whom your release will be relevant.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, do not expect your press release to translate directly to sales. A press release should be used in tandem with other tactics like contributed content from industry leaders and proactive media engagement with organization executives that tie to industry trends rather than directly to your product or service. A multi-layered, strategic approach will build credibility through the third-party validation found in earned media and in time, help to boost sales.
After 120 years, the press release remains a valuable tool in a PR practitioner’s toolbox, but it’s most impactful as part of a broader, integrated communications strategy.
