Is the press release dead?
So many topics to choose from for this month’s blog. I’m still probably going to write about the fourth bullet at some point because I just can’t keep my angst contained much longer. But this isn’t my personal Substack, it’s about public relations. And my job is to dispense advice that clients can take, ignore, or maybe a little of both.
So dear reader, today we’re asking ourselves: Is the press release dead?
I’m a little protective of this topic because 1) I love writing and 2) job security.
But in my biased - I mean PROFESSIONAL - opinion, of course it isn’t!
TLDR: press releases still matter. They’re one tool of several that should be used when you are communicating something of importance to your audience.
A press release traditionally defined is a written announcement, with quotes, about a new initiative/event/product/service, designed to get the attention of media. I don’t have to belabor the point about how that gets harder and harder to do with each passing breath, because 1) less media outlets/overworked reporters and editors, and 2) so much noise to cut through.
A well-written and well-timed press release certainly can – and still does – get a journalist’s attention. But it might not. What if a press release tree falls in the forest and no media is there to hear it?
It’s still important. Because that press release didn’t only go out to a media list.
It’s now on your website: Which is an all-encompassing space for the work you do. It’s an archive – of what you do and how you do it and what you’ve done most recently. It’s also a very basic but important exercise just to draft a press release – to carefully write out what you’re saying and why people should care. Which is just a good way to trick your brain into perfecting your elevator pitch for when you talk to lawmakers, customers, or any other stakeholders you reach.
It’s a reference point: You’d be surprised how often reporters will look at your website and check past press releases. Depending on the business you’re in, customers might, too. I cannot tell you how many times per week I check a client’s website trying to recall a specific initiative or data point so I can refer to it for something I’m currently working on.
And if it’s on your website, it’s a link that can be turned into content across numerous channels, such as shared on social media or sent in a newsletter.
So even if you think your news might not be newsworthy enough to garner breaking news headlines, let’s write the release anyway. It’s yours. You own it. It’s an opportunity to say what you want to say and disseminate it via many mediums – not just by sending it to reporters. Don’t wait on the media to turn it into a story and don’t beat yourself up if they don’t.
Or, do it the 2025 way (have ChatGPT write it and pay an influencer $100k to read it on TikTok).
Stay tuned for my 8,004 word September manifesto entitled: They can try to refresh Happy Gilmore, Naked Gun and Freaky Friday all they want, but if they touch Forrest Gump, Jerry Maguire or Notting Hill, I will declare Hollywood dead and I will never see another movie again.
