Does Santa Claus exist?
Is the press release dead?
These questions come up every year. While the existence of Santa Claus has been widely proven to be true, I’ll weigh in on the other question as one of my coaching clients asked me that question just the other day.
My answer is simple. If you think a press release will get you quoted on the front page of the New York Times, you’d be sadly mistaken. You might as well expect to see a Lexus with a bow on top on your driveway on December 25. Yes, it could happen, but don’t bet on it.
However, a press release is a very good marketing tool if you want to:
– Help answer questions reporters have about your new product or service or book.
– Provide information for clients and prospects who visit your website.
– Build your digital footprint on the Internet so you can build credibility with reporters and prospects.
– Show up on Google searches for your company or product so prospects can find you.
– Explain your products and positions to your partners and distributors.
The truth of the matter is that reporters say they “hate” press releases, but they always ask for a press release when they want to check facts and follow a story.
What they are really saying is they hate “untargeted” press releases that are sent to them by people who are “spraying and praying.” In other words, don’t send your press release about your management book to a reporter who writes about baby products. As ludicrous as that sounds, it happens every day. That’s why reporters hate press releases. Those press releases are “dead.”
But when you pitch a reporter and they get excited about your idea, they will ask you to send them your press release. They want to see something on paper. It makes it real. It gives them something to check their facts by. It is in print, it must be true.
So when people ask “Is the press release dead?” I tell them, the spirit of the press release as a tool to help make the world a better place, is indeed alive.
Dan Janal, author of Reporters Are Looking for YOU!
Dan,
I like the analogy you make about “a Lexus with a bow on top” is great. While I’ve worked with clients who have indeed landed NYT quotes, a press release is definitely not a one-way ticket onto the cover of the WSJ.
All the ways in which you describe press releases as being great for indie authors are spot on, and I’d be hard-pressed to add another, but I will say this: if at first you don’t succeed, try again.
PR success doesn’t happen in one press release. While a Lexus may seem out of the picture for you, the more you try the more likely it is to happen. Don’t give up!
Thanks,
Mickie Kennedy
eReleases
Mickie, you are right. There are no guarantees with press releases, even when they are well-written and properly targeted. But I have had many experiences where I got amazing publicity from a press release. It can take persistence, though. And sending a few press releases should not be anyone’s entire PR/publicity strategy.
Thanks for the comment!