Is your press release really newsworthy?
Press releases are overused. If you have a client who’s insisting on sending one when it’s not necessary, take some time to explain why it’s a bad idea.
We’ve all been there. A client has the most amazing news to share and simply cannot wait to have you write a news release and put the “news” on the wire.
Cringe. Sigh. All the journalists wait expectantly at the delete button.
This scenario happens quite often, and it isn’t always the client’s fault. After all, they aren’t supposed to be the public relations experts. We are.
Requests like these are usually a sign that we need to do a much better job communicating what exactly is newsworthy and which newsworthy items deserve the time and monetary investment of writing a news release. This is also the perfect opportunity to explain the pros and cons of working with a wire release service, and when it’s appropriate to put a release on the wire.
Stop overusing the news release
Unfortunately, how and when to use a news release is an often-overlooked point of differentiation, which translates into way too many news releases, misaligned expectations and damaged PR/journalist relationships.
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