Want to know why? Because every news outlet I've pitched recently has asked me to follow up with...you guessed it, a press release. And these were major outlets.
To be clear, I will say the structure of the traditional press release is a bit outdated. Much to my regret, some of the formatting of press releases that used to be functional are now defunct -- (press releases looked so official with all that stuff!) And you don't fax a press release the way you used to for many outlets.
However, it's OK to update your press release format and still use them. Here are three reasons why press releases haven't received the death knell yet:
- Their purpose is still to capture the essence of the story. It's not the whole story. It's not three pages long. It's a summary of the most interesting and important elements of your story. It's supposed to simply whet the reporters' appetite for more information. This is needed during the busy day of a reporter/editor/producer/planner.
- It's a structured format everyone can understand. Sure, you can tell people to trash the presser and just send a bunch of bullet points and that may work. But I love press releases because they are full of structured information and -- if done correctly -- get straight to the point.
- Reporters are still asking for them. Regardless of what the industry buzz is, the folks at major media outlets still asked for this information. Again, the format has changed, but the role of the press release remains relevant.
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