Yes. And no.
If you work in communications, you’ve likely been reading about (and experiencing) the demise of the press release for the past several years. The days of sending a press release over a wire service for media or SEO traction are long gone. Very few people have time to read a couple pages of press release content, especially editors and reporters who are typically performing several different functions for one or multiple media outlets. And today, most newswire sites use nofollow links, which means that any links within the press release do not help SEO efforts.
If you work outside of communications, you may be hanging onto the press release as a way to announce something noteworthy and garner the attention of journalists. And there are many elements of the traditional press release that you can use to do exactly that. Here’s where the press release isn’t dead: in the attention-grabbing headline and compelling details of your news.
While the final product may not be a press release, the end goal is the same that it has always been – to reach as much of your audience as possible with your news. With some slight alterations, the process that you once followed to develop a press release can now be used to develop the storyline that you’ll need to share your announcement. Here are four ways to turn your press release idea into a media pitch that an editor will actually read:
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While the press release as we knew it may be dead, much of the content that you would have included in a release can still be the cornerstone of a great media pitch. There are always many ways to tell the same story; just make sure yours is quick, compelling and personal.
Author: Estera Hayes