As a journalist and analyst, I receive about 50 releases a day, and at least twice that many when there’s a major show. Here’s where you’re probably expecting me to say that I automatically delete them because I prefer to keep up with companies via Facebook and Twitter.
You’d be wrong.
For all the dissing of emailed releases as antiquated and ineffective, I prefer them. One reason is because I don’t have the time nor interest to stay on social networking throughout the day to see what various companies are doing. Even when press releases come in by the dozens each day, they’re still far more convenient for me to deal with.
Another reason is because they’re easy to manage and use. After weeding out the relevant ones – more about that aspect in next week’s blog – I leave them in Outlook and dig them out when they’re a good fit for a story that I’m starting. For example, I’m currently working on a story about 4K video, so I simply plugged “4K” into Outlook’s search engine and violà, I got a handful of press releases. Then all I had to do is hit reply and add a query to start beating the bushes. It doesn’t get any easier than that, and for a busy journalist or analyst, easy is good.
Which brings up the issue of effectiveness. Companies and PR firms shouldn’t fixate on how many outlets pick up a release in the first week. I often respond to press releases weeks or months after I’ve received them, almost always to the surprise of the people who sent them. That’s because I write features, not news. So don’t be afraid to take a long view when reviewing hit reports. Sometimes the hook has to sit in the water before someone comes along and takes a bite.