In competing for a piece of business not too long ago, my PR firm was asked to supply three samples each of recent clips, bylined articles we’d authored for clients, and press releases.
For two of the three requirements, the issue was our embarrassment of riches. But
for press releases, we were hard-pressed. These days, we write fewer and fewer
press releases – most being the obligatory personnel announcements sprinkled with
the periodic feature release. We just don’t see them as being as important a tool for
PR practitioners as they once were.
Yes, there are exceptions. For disclosure purposes, news releases on occurrences
or developments that could materially impact a publicly held company are
mandatory. And some businesses have real “news” to report, even if they’re not
publicly held, that may lend itself to distribution via news release.
But despite the popular image of PR firms as press release factories and their
account personnel as pitching machines, and the regrettable fact that many still
churn them out and indiscriminately blanket the media with releases that have little
or no relevance, the reality is that they’re pretty much dead as a piece of the
strategic communications arsenal.
Think about it. As a society, we've gone from the era of mass production, mass
merchandising, and mass marketing to one where customization is king.
In this environment, press releases are to PR professionals what the 30-second
television commercial is becoming to the advertising industry. As far as most
reporters and editors are concerned, they are overproduced; they lack
differentiation; they generally aren’t relevant; and the vast majority just aren’t
coverage-worthy.
As a profession, we must be falling down on the job of providing education and
counsel. Why else would prospects, clients and their bosses still insist on “expertise”
in developing press releases, when the pertinent question should be: “For our
business and our purposes, what are the most effective ways to get media
coverage?”
Understanding the client and the thinking/strategy behind its offerings is a first step
leading to the best possible storyline hooks. It takes getting to know the company
and its positioning – intimately. What differentiates it from the competition. The
thinking by senior level people in the organization that makes it great.
This takes an investment of time and requires the PR professional to think and act
like a reporter in order to gather the intelligence that leads to more than just
message points, but solid story ideas that will position the company in the best
possible light. Researching trends, issues and concerns in the industry generally
and the company specifically will provide the fodder for probing questions to form
the basis of useful interviews with appropriate executives.
The exercise adds to your knowledge base and gives you an idea of problematic
areas that may have to be countered publicly at some point. While giving the
executives a taste of the interview process for future reference, it also allows you
position yourself as someone who is thinking more strategically and has advanced
beyond the PR 101 rote.
The second step is to target your media markets and customize your message
accordingly. Even products with mass consumer appeal will get more buzz with
journalists if you narrow your focus and customize your positioning to reflect the
individual journalist’s beat, orientation, likes, dislikes, and recent coverage topics,
as well as the publication’s positioning with readers. Much of this intelligence can
be gathered through services like MediaMap, or the old fashioned way – by doing a
byline search and skimming through the journalist’s past articles (or segments in
the case of the electronic media).
A short, personalized e-mail – three paragraphs at most – to the targeted journalists
with a to-the-point lead-in should not only outline the storyline, but also
emphasize its relevance to the outlet’s Audiences. This personal approach is going
to have a far greater chance of grabbing the reporter’s attention than a news release
that’s written for the masses.
The third step is to ensure the people who are actually doing the phone call or email
follow-up in pitching the story are brought up to speed on the context of the angle
and overall client positioning. In short, they have to be prepared to answer at least
some of the reporter’s basic questions. A pet peeve of mine when I was a journalist,
was receiving a mass-produced press release that was followed up by a telephone
pitch by “sweet young things” whose responses to the simplest questions was
inevitably, “Ummmm, I don’t know. Is it important?” Their unpreparedness reflects
poorly on them and the organization they’re representing.
For years, the PR profession has indulged in considerable hand wringing over the
perceived lack of respect accorded the discipline, particularly vis a vis other
communications disciplines like marketing and advertising. It would help were
more practitioners to go beyond the numbers game to ensure broader trends were
reflected in performance of even the most basic functions.
Sally Saville Hodge is president of Hodge Communications, Inc.
( http://www.hodgecommunications.com/ ), a strategic Chicago-based public relations and
marketing communications firm. She can be reached at
shodge@hodgecommunications.com.
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