Public relations is changing. This is a fact that is not lost on PR companies, bloggers or the press. It’s often lost on companies with news to release however. I get queries from a lot of clients still looking for a more traditional approach and who try to rebuff efforts to take a more contemporary approach, e.g, blog posts, social media, collaborative events, or guerilla marketing. They want a traditional press release–on paper and physically mailed in a media kit–thank you very much.

Then I read this post in Mashable by Jonathan Rick about rethinking the press release. While he admits the press release isn’t dead, he perhaps places too much emphasis on using social media to get the word out. It’s an interesting read because he’s right in so many ways about using social media as part of an effective PR campaign to brand a business and connect with customers–and even reporters. However, I think it diminishes the importance of the press release and as a journalist for nearly 20 years that makes me bristle.

The press release in its traditional, formal, unexciting form still has a place in any media campaign. Breaking news in a blog post or on Twitter is great if you are a large established brand with hundreds of thousands of followers. If you are a company trying to make your way, you aren’t going to be heard beyond the people who are already fans.

Just like the press release is not yet dead neither is traditional media–yet. The fact of the matter is unless you are already on a journo’s radar no one is going to be checking your blog for news on a regular basis. You still need to be proactive in trying to get coverage. The best way to do that is to reach out to reporters directly. With a press release that cuts the fluff and drives straight to the facts. And people do, in fact, still read/watch traditional media.

That said, a press release sent to traditional media should only be one part of your campaign. An important one, but not the only one. Breaking news on your blog first is a great way to connect with loyal customers by giving them “the inside scoop” and giving them the feeling that they are valued. Announcing your news online, to bloggers and via social media reaches bloggers and potential customers who like to get their news online.

The bottom line is, social media is a great way to connect in a more personable way with your customers. Press releases have one main intent and that is to break news. Use both methods for the most effective campaign. The argument about whether the press release is dead should stop. The real question should be “What is the best way to make the press release and social media work together to get the most from my public relations campaign?”

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In all of those years that I sat at a news desk and read through thousands of press releases there were always those that made me wonder: Was the goal of this press release to make it into  the trash as quickly as possible? There are several things that are common in press releases that hit the trash rather than the newsstands. Mistakes pop up in both press releases written by public relations professionals  as well as by business owners running a do-it-yourself public relations campaign.

So if you are intent on taking the time to write a press release only to have it become a waste of time, here are five ways to get your press release trashed:

1. Use different colored fonts, wacky graphics or alternating upper and lower case letters.

Not that reporters don’t like the creative flair found in an email with flying hearts and winking happy faces, it’s just that when you get as many emails as a newsroom reporter does you really want to receive information in a straight forward manner.

Image: Francesco Marino / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Imagine reading dozens of emails a day and some written in all caps, some in upper  and lower case, some have flashing colored text and others have funny graphics. A straight forward clean- looking press release would be a refreshing welcome.

2. Forget vital info

The next technique you want to remember if you are looking to get your press release trashed is to forget vital information. It’s surprising but many times reporters get press releases that are missing vital information like the date and time an event is taking place, or even more common is leaving out the contact information so that if a reporter has a question they have no one to contact.

3. Threaten to take your press release to the competition

There is so much that crosses a reporter’s desk that there is usually something that can replace whatever is contained in your press release. By bringing up the competition, it tells a reporter that you really don’t care about their media source. Like anyone would be, reporters are going to feel loyal to their readers or viewers first and by showing that you only care about getting publicity, so much so that you would pit media outlet against media outlet, then you may find the response you get is “Go right ahead.”

4. Call continually to see if the press release has been published

Several calls a day until you get some answers may seem like a good idea. After all, persistence pays off right? But persistence quickly turns into pestering. You’ll wind up with a newsroom on alert for your calls and it will be harder and harder to find someone not “out on assignment.”

5. Don’t submit your press release in a timely manner

If you really want your press release to fly straight into the trash then wait a couple of months after the event to submit it. Otherwise you can submit it two days before the event not allowing the reporter enough time to schedule coverage.

Seriously, this happens often. Newspapers work on a time factor. The very nature of news is that it is, well, new. If something happened three months ago, it’s no longer new and that press release will likely be ignored.

Conversely, if you submit a press release and pitch a story the day before the event, the time element is at play again. Reporters often schedule the stories they run unless it’s breaking news. So by submitting a press release to close to the event you may have a great story idea but if the news budget is full already the media outlet may not be able to fit you in.

So there you have it, five ways to make sure your press release gets trashed. On the other hand if getting your news published is your goal, totally don’t do the top five things mentioned above and you’ll be alright.

Shelly Cone is a journalist, public relations professional, and press release writer. She is also the owner of Beach Betty Public Relations, a California lifestyle design company offering press release services, media relations and collaborative marketing events to help you design your life by growing your business.

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Have you ever tried submitting your press release to an online press release submission site only to have it rejected for some unknown reason? Or maybe you’ve sent out press releases to the media only to hear nothing back. It could be that your press release was actually an advertisement.

There are a variety of reasons that media won’t immediately pick up your news. It could be they already have a full schedule of stories or your news doesn’t apply to their readership or maybe it just went to the wrong reporter. On the other hand online press release submissions sites really have one main reason they will reject a press release and that is that it is really an advertisement.

Of course there are other reasons, like maybe it wasn’t formatted correctly or you capitalized every word in the headline, but more likely than not what you submitted was an advertisement. Sometimes there’s a fine line between what’s considered news and advertising.

News is anything new to you that you want to announce to the world. For instance, you just added an eco friendly line of products to your offerings, or you hired a new employee, or you just hit the $1 million mark in revenues or whatever. It’s announcing something that is about to happen or just happened, without trying to do any selling.

Advertising is telling about your product and trying to sell it. Anything that talks about how great your product is, is advertising. For example, “Beach Betty Public Relations offers great press release services” is a headline that is advertising services. It’s not news.

Then again, sometimes your press release will be newsworthy yet it still gets rejected from the online press release submission services. Here’s the secret: You need to use words like “just launched” “announces” “forms partnership” “Gets a new” and similar phrases that relates that something just happened or is about to happen. That makes it news.

Remember, as a journalist myself, I’m not advocating puffing advertising into something that slightly resembles news just to get your message out there, but if you have a truly newsworthy press release these are just a few tips to make sure you get the word out.

No matter where you submit your press release, no one is going to publish what you say unless it is newsworthy. Before I explain what it means to be newsworthy or how you can become newsworthy, let me explain what is not newsworthy.

If your press release talks about a sale, that is not newsworthy. It is advertising. If your press release talks about how great your products or services are, that is not newsworthy. That is advertising. If your press release talks about the fact that you, your products or your services exist, that is not newsworthy either.

So what is newsworthy? The short answer is: Anything new to you or your business. The long answer is it depends on whose perspective you are considering. News editors and features editors will have a different view of what is newsworthy than a business editor will.

So how do you find the right angle to pitch in your press release? Well first consider your audience. If you are trying to get across how successful your company is by releasing your quarterly earnings report, then you are trying to reach maybe investors. You will likely submit your press release to business editors and so therefore, a press release announcing all the money you made in the last quarter is the right angle.

Your company isn’t limited to that angle however. Often times your company has more than one newsworthy angle. Now say that your company has made all of this money in the last quarter largely because of the popularity of a new product line that has moms everywhere clamouring to get their hands on one. Well now you’ve got a feature story about a hot new product trend.

So often the question becomes not really what is the right angle, but where to pitch that angle. Most businesses have several reasons why they are newsworthy. Write a press release for each angle you can think of and submit it to various outlets. Test your results.

There is one space on the Internet that every business owner covets–The top section of the first search engine results page. There is one easy way to get there and it doesn’t even require a website. Claim your Google Places Page.

You want to claim your Google Places Page to get killer results in local search engine listings. For example if someone is looking for a flower shop in San Luis Obispo Google will often show a listing of several local flower shops next to a map of where they are located. These listings appear usually below the sponsored listings but above organic search results. This is prime search engine results page real estate!

The best part of it is that you don’t even need to have a website.

How to claim your Google Places Page

Simply go to Google Places

Click on “List Your Business”

Enter your phone number to see if you business is already listed. If it isn’t you’ll be given the opportunity to list details, like your address, hours of operation, etc., But you’ll also get to enter up to 10 photos and up to five YouTube videos about your business. This is a great way to enhance the listing. Your can include pictures of your storefront, your products or videos demonstrating your product or just introducing your services.

Once you’ve entered your information Google will call you (or you can opt for a postcard, which takes a few days) to provide you with a pin number. Enter that pin number on the screen to validate that you are the business owner. Then in about a day your listing will appear in the Google Places map.

The very best part about this is that few business owners are taking advantage of this free way to draw attention to their business. Maybe you’ll be the first in your city. If you have questions about the best way to enhance your Google Places Page, give me a call or drop me a line at beachbettypr@verizon.net

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Whether you are updating a business blog or sending out a press release, you probably have a sentence at the top of the page called a headline. You thought only newspapers had those I bet. Nah, just about any piece of writing that contains information has a headline. It’s the thing that calls out to potential readers telling them why they want to read what you’ve written.

What’s your headline style?

Do you simply write one informative sentence explaining what the reader will learn? For example:

“How to Write a Headline”

Do you get a little snarky?

“Your Headline Sucks, Read How It’s Done”

Or do you draw on their curiosity?

“The 10 Best Headlines You’ve Never Seen”

A headline should do a little of all those things. However, keep in mind your main purpose for a headline. If you are trying to gain more readers go with something a little more snappy or draw on their curiosity. But if you want to get the attention of search engines you are better off going for a straight forward title.

What’s the best headline you’ve seen lately?

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Your website provides the world with all the necessary information about your business and your products. Yet everyone is telling you you need a business blog. You ask ‘Why?’

I say, because you need a ‘voice.’ Not necessarily you but your business and no one can get a sense of that voice by just looking at your website. Because here’s the thing, your website is boring. Yeah, I know you spent extra for the flash/splash page animated whatever but it’s still a business website to me, the web surfer/potential customer. Your website is not going to give me a feeling that I know you. But your blog will.

Take a look around my blog. The writing you see, the advice I give, that’s pretty much what you get if you talk to me in person. Conversely, if you just look at a page that lists my services, maybe my prices and contact information, it doesn’t give you a feel for who I am.

That’s where a blog comes in. Your company blog shouldn’t be a vehicle to pitch sales. It should give customers a peek inside your inner thoughts. What are you about? How do your processes take place? Who’s behind the company? Those are the things a blog should cover. Web customers are different than other types of customers because they want to know that stuff.

It’s easy for anyone to put up a website, but you never know who’s behind it. That makes it easy for scam artists, or anyone else for that matter, to have a presence on the web. To gain trust of a web customer you need to make them feel like they know you. Accomplish this with a business blog.

So what information should your blog contain?

• Introduce not so visible employees
• Employ YouTube to give your customers a walking tour of your facility or processes
• Show them how something is made.
• Talk about current topics in the news that relate to your industry and talk about how your company feels about them.

Don’t be afraid to let your guard down a bit. Embrace a friendly personal tone with your blog. Your business blog doesn’t have to be a chore either. Hire someone like me who offers affordable public relations including blog maintenance or find an employee who embodies what your company is about and have them maintain it. Either way it’s an important part of your public relations plan.

Your customers want to know you. What are you going to tell them?

Is the press release dead? You know what I’m going to say. However, there was actually a declaration made by Simon Dumenco at AdvertisingAge yesterday that the press release is officially dead.

And why? Because celebrity reporters have turned to Twitter to get real time news. Also JetBlue skipped an official press release about its flight attendant melt-down situation and instead posted to Twitter. The article also points out how BP issued a formal press release apology but didn’t go to Twitter therefore leaving themselves wide open.

I’m thinking this guy has never been a real reporter. Reporters–even the millennial type–rely on press releases. Twitter is fine and I’m all over social media for my Beach Betty PR clients. But for my job as a reporter I still rely on press releases. Twitter and other forms of social media are wonderful for quick consumable soundbites and celebrity real-time news that quickly reports on the fact that Lindsey Lohan picked her nose, then moves to what she’s eating at lunch.

Social media is also great for networking with reporters and pitching them a story. However, unless you are feeding them a groundbreaking, juicy tidbit, most reporters are going to want the long version. I get inundated all day long with emails pitching a story. Usually they are one or two lines asking “Would you be interested in a story about …” To which I reply, “Send me a press release.” Why? Because no matter how poorly they are written, I don’t want to waste my time tracking down every possible story idea that more times than not is going to be about someone’s enchilada bake sale. I want the details. I want to know why it’s important that I stop working on the story I’m writing and talk to someone about their story idea.

Again, this goes for most story pitches and announcements. Not all of them. The really groundbreaking news never comes in the form of a press release. Then again, the really groundbreaking news doesn’t happen with great frequency.

Here are few reasons why the press release is still relevant:

1. It gives reporters easy access to the facts, the who, what, where, when and why
2. Reporters are too busy to track down every vague lead. A press release gives us something more to go on.
3. It lets us decide how newsworthy the story idea or pitch is. Sometimes stories are turned away because the person pitching the story emphasized something that the reporter didn’t think was important while neglecting to mention the item the reporter thinks is the true story. Having all the facts lets us decide.
4. Having contact information available lets us know that it’s probably credible, especially after we verify it. A social media post is too easily manipulated by anonymous sources.
5. A press release is a means for the little announcements to get noticed. You may not be a high-profile celebrity, let’s face it you probably aren’t, but you still want some attention for your newsworthy item. Do you think some big-time reporter is going to jump on it because you tweeted about it? No. Because he is watching Lindsey pick her nose. A press release across his desk is a tangible, physical thing, that in a world of social media stands out because it’s different. Different but definitely not dead.

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There are so many ways to promote yourself on the web through ads or link exchanges or commenting on other people’s blogs and hoping to catch their attention. However, often businesses forget about the little one-page tool called a press release. Combined with other services your press release can accomplish so much beyond simply contacting offline media.

It helps zero in on your message

If you engage in do-it-yourself public relations you know how powerful a press release can be in getting your message out. A press release takes your message and puts it in a succinct package ready for consumption by media professionals, bloggers or the general public. It tells everyone why you are newsworthy. It’s like: “Yeah, I’m newsworthy. What, you didn’t know that? Oh, wait here’s a press release that tells you why you should care.”

It’s a good way to build links

I know that there are some that will argue that this isn’t a good purpose for an online press release, but there is little dispute that a properly optimized press release will turn up in search results and usually pretty high up in the ranks. This is, of course, assuming you have something newsworthy to put out there. So why not capitalize on the bit of link juice and the attention it brings?

It’s an excuse to put your contact info out there

OK as a journalist this makes me bristle because it is self-promotion and starts to veer away from newsworthiness as far as the intent. But the fact is, if you write a press release you need to put your contact info on it. Everyone wants and expects this–including journalists who need it if they want to contact you about doing a story based on the press release. So this is different than say, what you should do to market yourself in social media. If you tried to put your contact info in all your Twitter or Facebook posts or blog comments you’d lose friends fast, but with a press release it’s supposed to be there.

So how do you use press release services to your advantage?

1. Choose some highly reputable press release services
2. Hire a press release writer to draft a professional press release for you and define what you should be announcing
3. If you are writing your own press release make sure to have someone else look it over and give their opinion
4. Find some popular press release submission sites and submit your press release or invest in press release services to submit your press release

Press releases are an efficient way to get your message out while saving you money in your marketing efforts. Have you found press releases helpful to your public relations strategy?