Why are we still writing press

releases?Gregory E. Kie @GKie

The news industry is changing dramatically

Are we changing with

it?

A Facebook post probably reaches your target audience more effectively

We can learn a lot from the changing landscape of The New York Times.

We are writing in a style that died along with blast faxes

“90 percent of everything is crap.”- Sturgeon’s

Law

“If you throw enough crap against the wall, some of it is bound to stick.” -Something I

learned at #SUNYCUAD

Too much crap brings about a bigger problem:Lack of

Discovery

So why are we still writing press releases?

Answer: My supervisor, vice president or college president told me to.

Lesson: Avoid Marketing Language

“For our purposes, marketing language, exaggeration and aggrandizement are of little value and require work to remove them.” –Craig Frielich, northcountrynow.com

Never discount local outlets

It’s easier to republish a news article once it’s been recognized. Upsell your news based on previous coverage.

Case Study - Kevin Manne @k3v2

“It went bonkers.”

“Don’t write the story for us or use cute lead-ins. Provide the information in a concise

way and let us decide.” – Paul Riede, Syracuse Media

Group

We should write NEWS releases, not PRESS

releases.

We should NOT pepper every media outlet with

every release

Social media cannot be an afterthought, it should be integrated into the press release strategy.

Watch what you put out on the wire. Does a story about

two staff members sponsoring a bowling

tournament need national attention?

Remember the inverted pyramid

Use readMedia’s Merit to send targeted student news

releases

Above all, know your audience. Then write for

them.

Always include a picture

“When you can write the type of press

release that is aligned with the news media’s own goals and needs, they'll not only print the release but thank

you for it.” – Colin Matthews, CEO,

readMedia