The press release is alive, no - dead, no - alive again

If you’ve been in public relations for even six months, you’ve most likely noted the demise and rebirth of the press release at least half a dozen times. I think quite a few people fill up their weekly industry column quota by killing off the release. At times, I’ve been singing at the grave myself.  Thanks in no part to a former boss once introducing me as “This is Jessica, she handles PR - you know, Press Releases!”

But like every tool of any trade going through transitions, there is still an important use for the release  -  which is very accurately summed up in The Evolution of the Press Release by the folks at TechCrunch.

Press releases come in different flavors and serve different purposes. Well-written press releases are far from dead. In fact, when developed strategically, their opportunities, appeal and benefits are only expanding in conjunction with the groups of various influencers and consumers who rely on them for relevant information.

The disruption of the Web has splintered press releases into a variety of formats to serve different audiences and different purposes: Traditional releases for media, SEO (search engine optimized) releases for customers, and Social Media Releases for press, bloggers, and also customers.

Thanks to Justin Foster over at Tricycle for sending along this great link!

(REMINDER: PRSA-Idaho’s quarterly meeting over the lunch hour on Moving Beyond Traditional Media’)

-Jess