Having written press releases for the better part of the past 10 - 15 years, I'm constantly amazed at what is being sold as a "press release" on the internet.
I'm even more amazed at the hundreds/thousands of dollars being spent on these things with the promise of wide distribution. It's important to recognize the difference between an actual press release and what is, in effect, an infomercial or marketing spam.
A press release is legitimately newsworthy and is a statement of fact: who, what, how, when and where.
And sometimes why.
Here is an excerpt from a press release I found (and anonymized) online. Click anywhere on the excerpt to view the full press release and my short video on how to use press releases properly:
Somewhere, USA, February 30, 2008 — From start-up companies to Fortune 500 organizations, businesses depend on sales productivity in order to be successful. The Producivity In Sales Committee (http://www.somerandombusiness.com) has created a progressive resource, specifically designed to help anyone involved in sales at any professional level to maximize their efficiency and effectiveness. The Producivity In Sales Committee offers a Sales Productivity resource to provide clients with objective and candid advice about sales-related issues and concerns in a confidential setting over the telephone.
As a real estate professional the more involved in the personal and business community you are, the more likely you are to engage in activities that may be newsworthy. Not everything is newsworthy and if you get overzealous with this valuable marketing resource you can do more harm than good.
Press releases, when resulting in a blurb or story in a publication, are basically free advertising in that publication. Therefore, it's important not to take it for granted and abuse the forum. Today's consumer is more savvy than ever and will be turned off the majority of the time if they feel they've been given a sales pitch rather than a legitimate information piece:)
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