Are Press Releases Valuable?

Press Releases
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

There are many business people who believe that no business can be a success without having press releases as part of their marketing strategy. However, the other side of the coin is the opinion (of a growing number of professional people) that press releases serve no purpose and eliminating them is sensible.

The existence of press releases in business

Press releases have been in existence for a very long time and it is certainly not surprising to learn that many business owners are compelled to want to use them to heighten the success of their own business. That is not to say that press releases are not useful in certain contexts. They most certainly are useful. However, as a business owner, it is also important to understand when they serve an important purpose and when they may not be necessary. It is also important to remember that there are a large number of other tools in the technology repository that will enable today’s business owner to achieve an equal amount of success. Of course, it is of the utmost importance that the business owner makes sure to educate him- or herself before making any decisions whatsoever regarding whether or not to use press releases as part of the overall marketing strategy for the business. There are many different ways in which the business owner can achieve positive results for the business.

Your approach to press releases

There are many different types of press releases that can be shared with other people and it is very important to understand your motivation behind using them as well as ensuring that the most appropriate one is  used, depending on your particular business. The thinking behind the press release is extremely important for your business and understanding the power that it has or doesn’t have is essential for your business and will be a big contributing factor when it comes to whether you go one way or the other in the decision-making process.

Answer one question first

The first question that you need to answer for your business is whether your business actually needs to use press releases. As you are answering that question, part of the information that you will want to factor into the decision is knowing exactly what is available to you. As was stated earlier, there are many different tools that you may wish to take advantage of that will get your target audience to notice you and to want to interact with you. If you ask yourself exactly what a press release is, it is an approach to telling your story on a universal basis. Another important matter to take into consideration is the appropriateness of the press release. There are times when a press release is perfectly appropriate and there are  times when it is not appropriate at all. For example, if you happen to own a business that is involved with financial matters or you own a large corporation and you have some truly important news to share, it is extremely appropriate to share the information with a press release. If your motivation for issuing a press release is simply to share information, there are several different ways that you can do that. You don’t necessarily have to do it with a press release. As you are in the process of making the decision about whether you feel that a press release is the most effective tool for your business, you may wish to consider the following as alternatives to a traditional press release.

  • Take your press release and convert it into a blog post (either on your website or someone else’s): The main objective of a press release (any press release) is to use it to tell your story to other people to whom it will make a difference. If you can convert your press release into a blog article, you will be able to expand on what you would have written in the press release simply because you will have more space in which to accomplish that. Additionally, the concept of having to run after members of the press to get them to agree to release your press release will be eliminated if you post the information as a blog article. It will give you more control over your own content than you would have otherwise. You will be able to post that blog where you choose to post it and as many times as you choose to do so.

  • Present your story in a different format: In general, a press release is one document, whereas technology nowadays allows you to present your story in many different ways online. You can take major components of your story and share them on the social media channels that work most effectively for you and your business. You can also post updates as frequently as you feel is appropriate. If you break it up enough, in fact, you can get a great deal of mileage out of your story and hopefully, your target audience will hang on your every word and will be very excited about what you will share next with them.

  • Make a video: As you have probably figured out by now, videos are an extremely effective way to tell your story. It is important to bear in mind that you must always connect with other people on an emotional level and a video is an excellent way of doing that. If you make an effective, powerful, compelling video, other people will be touched by it. If they are touched by your video, they will want to share it with other people. Before you know it, your video will go viral!

  • Use effective graphics: When it comes to social media, in many cases, graphics are very effective. In fact, if you can successfully marry the right graphics with the right words, you will be golden. Many, many people react extremely positively to graphics and they are often compelled to share those graphics with other people.

  • Attempt to reach people one at a time: With a traditional press release,  you get one shot and you have to hope that enough people read your press release and are moved by it. However, with social media, you can tell you story to one person at a time and you will then have the opportunity to make a truly lasting impression. What is most important is using the means to tell your story  that will create the biggest buzz. Of course, that big buzz can happen with one person at a time or many people at once.

Conclusion

Press releases serve a purpose without any question. However, it is also important to remember that you may need to let other possibilities make their way into your thinking and into your overall marketing strategy. There are many different ways to say the same thing and to positively influence other people. The more ways you know, the more interesting you and your business will be and the more other people will have a desire to interact with you regularly. Although  it is true that social media has completely altered the way that people communicate, only you  can determine if using press releases is important for your business. If you feel that using press releases will benefit your business in some way, by all means, use them. However, if you feel that they don’t actually contribute anything positive to your business, you may wish to consider not using them anymore.

[signoff][/signoff]

Author

  • Carolyn Cohn

    Carolyn Cohn is the Co-Founder & Chief Creative Services of CompuKol Communications. Carolyn manages CompuKol’s creative and editorial department, which consists of writers and editors. Her weekly blogs are syndicated globally. She has decades of editorial experience in online editing, and editing books, journal articles, abstracts, and promotional and educational materials. Carolyn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo.

13 Responses

  1. Laura Stamps says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Marketing Communication
    Discussion: How Valuable Are Press Releases to Your Business?

    In my market press releases have no value other than SEO in a Google search. And that is a short lived value. I sometimes think social has taken the place of a press release. It definitely serves that purpose for me. I have found the ROI to be much greater when I post about a new book on a social site rather than issuing a traditional press release. But I think you have to take into consideration where your customers and prospects get their information. For many these days it would be the main stream at their favorite social site.
    By Laura Stamps

  2. Janie Renée Myner says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Music Industry Network
    Discussion: How Valuable Are Press Releases to Your Business?

    Honest truth? They are not as valuable now as they were 25 years ago!!!

    I think journalists and their industry counterparts are flooded with press releases nowadays. And it’s not always the best way to get their attention, unless they are cleverly crafted, give away just enough info to make them want to be mobilized…and yet enough mystery so that they will come out to your event. I realized that if researchers have too much info right away from your PR, they will just press a small and insipid article, if that—
    When you’re an artist, you WANT journalists to review your show, your event, your CD…. A good PR helps you create a BUZZ. Yet since the internet, the whole world is a’buzzin’!

    So, if your PR stand out in a pile, great! Otherwise you have to find another way to get attention….Miley Cyrus has figured that out…
    By Janie Renée Myner

  3. Judith Eckles says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Linked User Group (Official Linked User Group)
    Discussion: How Valuable Are Press Releases to Your Business?

    From my perspective, the first question the business owner needs to answer is “who cares?” After answering that question s/he can ask how is the best way to communicate with the target audience? If the only person who cares about the content is the business owner, go back to the drawing board and find content that really matters regardless of the means by which it is communicated.
    By Judith Eckles

  4. Rick Kirkham says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Small Business Accelerator
    Discussion: How Valuable Are Press Releases to Your Business?

    I’ve really got to get into doing press releases thank you for the reminder
    By Rick Kirkham

  5. Sabine Dunac says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Social Media Consulting
    Discussion: How Valuable Are Press Releases to Your Business?

    Really interesting article, I’ve never thought of taking a press release and turning it into a blog post instead. Social media has definitely changed the way we use to do traditional marketing.
    By Sabine Dunac

  6. Sven Jänchen says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Fans of Mashable
    Discussion: How Valuable Are Press Releases to Your Business?

    online press releases helped me to boost seo ranking.
    By Sven Jänchen

  7. Brynne Tillman says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Linked User Group (Official Linked User Group)
    Discussion: How Valuable Are Press Releases to Your Business?

    Judith, what are good elements that go into a press release? How do we create one that people do care about?
    By Brynne Tillman

  8. Erin Pfiffner says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Fans of Mashable
    Discussion: How Valuable Are Press Releases to Your Business?

    Agree with Sven…press releases are mostly for SEO for us. Occasionally we get traction with local news and events organizations to announce when we’re hosting or participating in an area event.
    By Erin Pfiffner

  9. Joan Stewart says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Linked User Group (Official Linked User Group)
    Discussion: How Valuable Are Press Releases to Your Business?

    Brynne, you don’t have to write a press release that is “newsy.” If you write one that shows readers how to solve a problem they are struggling with, you can hit a home run.

    By Joan Stewart

  10. Peter K. O'Connell says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Marketing Communication
    Discussion: How Valuable Are Press Releases to Your Business?

    Press releases are still a worthwhile tool provided you have an overall PR plan — and that PR plan is integrated into your overall marketing plan with all the tools working together.
    By Peter K. O’Connell

  11. Mark Armstrong says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Marketing Communication
    Discussion: How Valuable Are Press Releases to Your Business?

    Very thought-provoking article, Carolyn, thanks.

    I associate press releases with traditional media: you send a release to a newspaper, and hopefully it gets printed on their business page. Nowadays, that would include their online edition.

    I do get the impression that social media is gradually supplanting the traditional press release. Most people now get their news thru social media channels: blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

    As you point out in your article, social media is very image-driven. That gives it a big advantage over the traditional text-based press release. I read recently that 63% of social media consists of images– and as everyone knows by now, a post or a tweet with a photo, illustration, or other graphic is much more likely to be shared, multiplying its reach and impact.

    Thanks for sharing your post, nice to meet you.
    By Mark Armstrong

  12. Ty Whalin says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Marketing Communication
    Discussion: How Valuable Are Press Releases to Your Business?

    Have gained some value from a few press releases, but overall not a ton of traffic or leads from press releases.
    By Ty Whalin

  13. AMIT KUMAR SINGH says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Fans of Mashable
    Discussion: How Valuable Are Press Releases to Your Business?

    Press release is an official document by Brand/Company which says everything about the launch, it’s all about providing correct information to the media in a written formate & no one can commit any mistake in that, because company brand name is at stake when ever something goes wrong with press release. Press Release is very valuable.
    By AMIT KUMAR SINGH