The PR industry is changing, and so are press releases. Traditional releases have been swapped with social media press releases. Check out this article to learn how to craft a stellar social media release.
Any public relations professional knows that the bread and butter of the PR industry has always been press releases. PR is all about spreading the word and getting your information out to your publics, and press releases have always been the best way to accomplish this. However, times are changing within the industry as we move toward a digital and social media era. This means saying goodbye to the traditional press releases of the past and moving on to social media press releases.
From the Media to the Internet
In the past, press releases were tangible and specific in its audience. As stated in PRWeb’s news release Traditional Press Release-Out-Online News Releases Are In, the traditional press releases that used to make up the industry were written solely for the media with them as the only audience. At that point, once sent to the media it was up to their discretion whether they felt it was something that fit with their company or they wanted to publish. However, now that social media has creeped into the forefront of the industry, these rules have gone out the window, with the use of social media press releases widening the range of audience and possibility for stories.
The New Era of Press Releases
Because the way we consume and process news has changed, press releases needed a makeover to adapt to this new landscape. Just writing a basic press release is not good enough anymore. On top of having a sharp and clean release in terms of grammar and format, which is expected, your press release needs to be an attention getter to reach anyone, especially in an era where the media is flooded. If you want your press release to stand out and get the headlines you need, there are a few changes your going to have to make. PRWeb lists some great tactics to help make your social media press releases great, including expanding your audience reach by making your releases available to everyone via the Internet, including video, images and audio to gain the attention of your reader, and send your releases to both traditional and online media, just to name a few.
Standing Out Among the Crowd
In the world of PR its not enough to simply do the bare minimum and be just good enough. If you want to get noticed and get your content out there, you need to stand out among the crowd and be exceptional. This applies to your social media press releases too. In an industry that depends on other people sharing your work, you need to convince them that what you have to say is worth sharing, because at the end of the day its up to the media, both traditional and online, to get your word out there. This means crafting press releases that will resonate with the public and have a story to be told. Its imperative to remember that the media is constantly being flooded with different ideas and pitches, so to get noticed you need to prove to them that your angle is worth taking. The article How to Write a Press Release by Tim Donnelly for Inc.com provides some great tips on how to craft a press release that will stand out.
One of the best tips I noticed was to “mind the message”, or essentially figure out and emphasize the message that will make the media care about what you’re saying.
“The ‘news’ in your news release has to be obvious, or else your notice will be fast to the recycle bin. The first step is figuring out exactly what message you are trying to get across, and how it qualifies as news”
Tim Donnelly for Inc.com
Harsh but true, this is the reality that every PR professional needs to be mindful of when crafting a release. On top of having an absolutely flawless format, Donnelly suggests that you also target your distribution to your audience, and utilize multi-media.
Main Differences: Traditional vs Social Media Press Releases
With pros and cons to both formats, there is still a time and place for both traditional and social media press releases. Although at heart they are the same, there are some key differences between the two that will clue you in as to when it is better to use one over the other. The article What’s the Difference Between a Social Media News Release and a Regular Press Release by Mike Santoro for Walker Sands provides some great insight into the differences between the two. Santoro describes that the main three aspects that differentiate a social media press release are the audience, the style, and technology. Generally, social media releases are geared more towards the audience instead of the media, are less formal stylistically, and utilize technology and multimedia.
What I’ve learned from diving into this topic is that although traditional press releases will never go away, its time for PR professionals to add social media releases into their repertoire. To be successful and stand out among the crowd, you need to be able to flawlessly do both, and know when to use one over the other to reach your goals. Make sure to always have your eye on your publics, and emphasize the newsworthiness in every release, and you’ll go far.
Maria's Musings 