The New Rules of Press Releases

In case you haven’t noticed, press releases are changing. The way they’re written, the way they’re distributed, and the way they’re used has evolved.In the “old days,” press releases were sent to, well, the press. They piled up on reporters desks (because they were physically mailed to them; no email back then!) and occasionally one got pulled from the pile and printed in the newspaper.

Today, we have email, Internet, and SEO to throw into the mix. Press releases use all these elements, and are no longer  held captive by a few key editors. Now bloggers and consumers are the targets of releases.

In his book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR , David Meerman Scott explains the “new rules of press releases:”

• Don’t just send news releases when “big news” is happening; find good reasons to send them all the time
• Instead of just targeting a handful of journalists, create news releases that appeal directly to your buyers.
• Write releases that are replete with keyword-rich copy.
• Include offers that compel consumers to respond to your release in some way.
• Place links in releases to deliver potential customers to landing pages on your Web site.
• Optimize news release delivery for searching and browsing.
• Add social media tags for Technorati, DIGG, and del.icio.us so your release will be found.
• Drive people into the sales process with news releases.

How are you using press releases? Are you still stuck in the “old days,” or have you evolved along with the process?