The New Press Release Era

The New Press Release Era

Earlier this week, I wrote about how the inverted pyramid is still alive. Now David Meerman Scott describes the new press release era in his latest MarketingProfs article.

The most significant take-away? If you still believe that press releases only target the media, your strategy will likely fall short. The press release is now fully web-enabled.

Because of media disintermediation, customers, investors and other audiences now have equal access to press releases. They view them through search engines, media sites, your online press room, RSS feeds, industry sites and blogs.

In this new landscape, Meerman Scott argues, the press release becomes much more of a sales tool. Your release should speak directly to those audiences. You must measure those efforts through unique URLs or other means. You must optimize your releases for searches and browsing.

Do customers specifically seek out your press releases online? It depends on your organization and its products or services. But it’s also dangerous to overlook the possibility. Your public relations, marketing and advertising efforts – and, ultimately, your brand – depend on it.