To Spam or Not to Spam

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by Emily R. Coleman

Shakespeare on the Net

An effective news release is targeted. It is designed to give pertinent information to a specific audience. It is short and to the point. And it is crafted to put your news in a larger context so that its relevance is clear.

Sounds easy, doesn't it?

So let's examine why most releases generate no attention.

1. The "I can, therefore I spam" or "if I throw enough against the wall, something will stick" approach. Just because you have a journalist's e-mail address doesn't mean that a news release should automatically be sent to it. If you think about how much unwanted e-mail you get, multiply it by an order of magnitude; and pity the poor journalists. Do you really think they'll read your release just because you sent it?

The Internet has not changed the fact that journalists have beats, areas they specialize in, follow, and write about. It's a virtually automatic delete when an unsolicited e-mail appears from an unknown source on a subject that is not of immediate interest.

Lesson: Discriminate. A news release is a marketing tool. Target your audience with the same care and precision you target your advertising, direct mail, or sales calls.

2. The "Microsoft and General Motors do it this way" approach. Far too many companies start off their releases with something like "Company X announces version 3.42 of its revolutionary solution, WidgetMaster Pro." WidgetMaster Pro may, indeed, be a revolutionary solution; but if Company X and WidgetMaster Pro are not already of interest to journalists, this is a surefire way not to get their attention.

Lesson: Lead with the recognized problem your product solves. Be sure that this is your e-mail subject heading. If, indeed, your product brings something to the party, journalists will want to know more about it, and about your company. This, of course, requires far more thought and effort, but the ROI is greater as well.

3. The "my product/new client/partnership/etc. is REALLY interesting." To whom? Just because something is of importance to your company, doesn't mean it is automatically newsworthy.

Lesson: Ask yourself if you'd be interested if it weren't your company. Does this product/new client/partnership/etc. change the face of the industry? State of the art? Why should anyone care? That is what your news release is about.

4. The "I'm going to tell you everything you could possibly want to know" approach. How many news releases have you seen that go on for pages, with generous doses of quotes from partners, clients, and management - and end with a half page summary of the company history ("Company X, an acknowledged leader in Widget software.")?

Journalists get hundreds of releases each week. How much time do you think they spend on any one of them when sorting through? The more a release looks like a time-sink, the less attention it gets.

Lesson: Use the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) method. Make your release short and to the point. If you can't get your message across in a page or so, don't send it. Rethink it.

And remember that news releases are not your marketing communications campaign. They are only a part of it. After you've successfully gotten journalists' attention, you should have thoughtful, clear, well designed brochures, product literature, and a Web site to help you turn a news mention into a sale.

The Internet has made it easier to issue news releases. But that very ease of issuance has made it more difficult to get noticed. As the use of the Net grows, the clutter grows with it. And editorial interest is increasingly difficult to achieve.

The rules for effective news releases haven't really changed with the Internet. But their importance has become greater: Target your audience. Give your information quickly and clearly. And make it relevant!

It is better to send out no release today than a release that will make journalists and editors ignore your releases of tomorrow.