The Press Release: Is It Worth It?
I almost always write a press release. Why, in this day and age of email, blogs, and the insouciant charm of Twitter, do I bother? “Is it,” you may ask, “worth it?”
Yes. The press release is your mothership document. Whether you’re sharing tips about locksmith services or DIY patio building; you need to get the information down in one location. It contains the info that the media is interested in most: Who, What, Why, When, and Where. If it’s written well and has a catchy lede yet doesn’t wear the reader out with minutiae or boilerplate, it can serve you well. From this mothership sails the speedboats: SEO messages, Twitter Tweets, media advisories, or PSA copy. It’s also handy to send as deeper background for those with peaked interest.
Notice I said it can serve you well and that I always write a press release; that doesn’t mean I always send it. It may end up posted on the client’s website or in a requested e-press kit or nowhere at all but my laptop. I write it not because I’m a little old school, but because it grounds me in the facts and lets me play with what makes the story interesting (or warns me when it’s not). My old newspaper editor “Spidey Sense” usually tells me when it’s not something I should send–that despite my best efforts it will waste a reporter’s, editor’s or blogger’s time. (And yes, bloggers generally don’t want press releases…
