2300-The Press Release Lie

An article about press releases and their relevance and ability was written by Bill Stoller at "All About Public Relations." In the article Stoller makes the claim that sending hundreds of press releases to everyone and "waiting for Oprah to call" is a "cruel joke." Stoller says the truth is that you have to have something great or interesting to pitch. I feel that we have talked about this is class numerous times.

You have to do great things for the pr people to be able to report that. He compared this to a musician with a demo tape. An artist who wants to be discovered could make hundreds of demo tapes and send them out, but unless the demo tape has great and catchy music, that will set the artist apart, it won't matter who gets hold of the sample. The same thing goes for press releases. They are still a good way to get some attention, but they have to possess something great. Stoller gave a few suggestions on ways make the press release effective.

1. Make it a newswothy story. We have talked about this in class as well. Make it exciting. Don't send a press release to the paper that talks about something that no one in the community will care about. Make it make sense to have it placed where you are pitching your story.
2. Learn to think like an editor. This makes a lot of sense. If I can pitch a story to them, the way they would like to hear it, and in a way that they understand what I'm saying and how to get more info, they will be more inclined to listen and possibly produce a story.
3. Make it relevant. Kind of like the first step, make it matter. Tell them why it's important to them and the readers. Show them how it will affect the community.
4. Be persistent. He said that you can't send them all out, and sit aroud waiting. If you really think what you sent out is important for a large group to hear, act passionate. Don't give up.

These are really good guidelines to making a press release work. The article can be found here, along with other good tips.