The Value of PR - Press Release Abuse

To me, Public Relations is a complex and exciting field, but unfortunately as I discuss what I call 'the value of PR' with potential clients and acquaintances I find that the general idea of PR is negative. In my biased opinion the cause of this perception could only be that many of these people have a very basic understanding of PR or they have very limited experience with it. My goal as a Public Relations Specialist for Infuze Marketing is to spread the word about the benefits of PR through exceptional service to our current clients, potential clients and frankly, anyone who asks. Before a company makes the decision to add PR to its marketing efforts, a company needs to understand the very basics and plan to trust that the PR professional it hires knows the true value of PR and will exercise it appropriately for the company. From time to time I'll discuss this topic through our blog beginning with this one, so stay tuned...and don't forget to subscribe if you'd like to be notified when we post! Press Release Abuse One of my biggest pet peeves as a PR professional is the misconception of the press release, leading to what I call 'Press Release Abuse.' The purpose of a press release is to alert the media to something newsworthy (part of the difficulty comes in here with each individual's loose definition of newsworthy). Contrary to popular belief and oh probably 85% of press releases issued, standardized press releases such as the ones announcing new-hires, promotions etc. can be highly ineffective and can actually hurt an organization by sacrificing credibility with media contacts. In a perfect world, and trust me I'm aware it isn't, I would advise not to issue these types of releases and here's why: *These types of releases don't distinguish themselves in any way from the many other releases editors are receiving. *These standard announcements don't help to promote the company or sell products. *Typically, there is no incentive or benefit for the general reader to pay attention to the information. *These releases are only meaningful to the person featured and his/her family and friends. They don't interest the general reader or make the reader want to conduct business with the company. As always there are some exceptions and positives to note: *The statistics say that it takes at least 8 impressions before your company name is remembered, mentions in these releases could attribute to this number. *Smaller local newspapers are likely to use these releases in a brief form, giving you a chance to get your key messages out regardless. *Some businesses can in fact benefit from these releases for example, real estate companies. Many real estate companies house agents as independent contractors; issuing a release announcing that a new agent has joined the firm has the potential to bring past clients to the new firm. Keep in mind that a call to action must be included, allowing readers the chance to reach the company or individual. So as you can see, PR can be pretty complex and all of the (sometimes annoying) minutia matters. It is important to weigh all decisions that relate to the public's perception of your company, even one ill-timed or ineffective press release can hurt... Just another reason why hiring a qualified PR professional is worth it.

Labels: cristina spencer, press releases, value of public relations, www.infuzemarketing.com