Rumors of the death of the press release have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, you could even say the humble press release has been reborn – as a traffic-driving, search-engine-optimizing workhorse. Smaller companies are seeing the light when it comes to the press release’s new role, while larger corporations are more apt to have a traditional view of the press release and may be missing out.

That’s the conclusion of Mihaela Vorvoreanu, PhD, of Clemson University.

Vorvoreanu, a fellow of The Society of New Communications Research, presented a study at the SNCR Symposium last week on how businesses, both large and small, are using online news releases these days.

Smaller businesses are warming up to the fact that online news releases written with search engine optimization in mind are an economical way of tapping into an organic search audience — and may be a better value than sponsored search strategies. They also tend to view online releases as a way to communicate directly with consumers.

Large companies, in contrast, tend to view press releases primarily as a method of getting their news in front of reporters, with hopes of ensuing media coverage, Vorvoreanu said.

Perhaps the big players can learn something from their smaller brethren.

The survey didn’t measure the impact of the social media release – which was more of a PR marketing stunt (albeit a successful one) than anything else. The social media release as envisioned by its creator Todd Defren hewed to the traditional definition of a press release: a method of getting news in front of professional reporters and bloggers. It wasn’t designed or apparently intended for the consumer, who couldn’t care less about “pre-approved quotes” or “boilerplate statements” (But then again, so couldn’t most reporters).

When it comes to the news release, here’s what I think: get rid of the marketing speak and buzzwords, link to relevant blogs, video, and/or audio, make sure it’s optimized for search engines. That’s 25 percent of it.

75 percent of it is this: tell a good story that consumers, reporters and bloggers alike will all find interesting and valuable. And if you can’t make it interesting, question why you’re doing a release in the first place.

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Technorati Tags: press release, public relations, SNCR, social media release

As 2009 approaches, clients and prospects alike are looking at their marketing communications mix and asking the same question – how do I get my message out WITHIN my new (probably lower)budget?

Options on the table include:

- Scale back big ticket items like print advertising in favor of more targeted online advertising
- Scale back tradeshow activities to limit costs on transportation, drayage, design costs as well as staffing
- Rebalance your communications mix to include more PR activities – more releases, more editorial calls, more articles
- Add Social Media to the mix – blogging, commenting on blogs, podcasts etc.

No doubt, these are challenging times for marketing communications. But for PR, these are exciting times – times when we can push the envelope for our clients to cost-effectively get the word out.

What creative ways are you looking at in 2009 to get the word out for your clients?

Technorati Tags: PR, Social Media

I love this part from the movie Joe Dirt:

Joe Dirt: So your gonna’ tell me that you don’t have no black cats, kick but, or screaming mimis?

Kicking Wing: No.

Joe Dirt: Oh come on man. You got no lady fingers, fuzz buttles, snicker bombs, church burners, finger blasters, gut busters, zippity do das, or crap flappers?

Kicking Wing: No, I don’t.

Joe Dirt: You’re gonna stand there, owning a fireworks stand, and tell me you don’t have no whistling bungholes, no spleen spliters, whisker biscuits, honkey lighters, hoosker doos, hoosker donts, cherry bombs, nipsy daisers, with or without the scooter stick, or one single whistling kitty chaser?

Kicking Wing: No… because snakes and sparklers are the only ones I like.

Joe Dirt: Well that might be your problem, it’s not what you like, it’s the consumer.

Now, to me, Joe Dirt hit it right on the head. It’s not what you want, it’s what the consumer wants. And, as a PR agency, knowing what the consumer, in our case, the target audience wants, is the key to success.

Using the appropriate mix of tactics – whether it is SEO optimized press releases, podcasts, traditional media tours, etc. – is fundamental to reaching the target audience and getting the message through. This is even more important when focus is limited because of tough times, or other “noise” in the marketplace.

Defaulting to basic blocking and tackling – while appealing when things are hectic or stressed – probably misses the mark when it comes to hitting the audience. Ensuring that you keep your target audience firmly in mind, you can maximize the effect of your PR outreach by using the best tactics for that particular audience. And remember, as Joe Dirt said, it’s not what you like, it’s the consumer.

Technorati Tags: Communications, Outreach, PR, Social Media