Is the news release dead?
A lot of high-tech marketers I work with wonder if the news release is dead. I say no, it’s not even dying.
As David Meerman Scott says, more and more customers are finding you by Googling, so you need your name all over the Web. News releases are great way to spread the word. But try to…
- Be relevant. Directly address the problems your prospects are trying to solve and use their language.
- Deliver value. If you make security software, deliver useful content on how companies can secure their data. “News” is more about thought leadership than ever.
- Offer multimedia. Include images, at least, and podcasts and videos if you have them.
- Webify. Hyperlink appropriately, include buttons for bookmarking sites (e.g., Digg and del.ici.ous). Format your release for the Web, put key search terms in the metadata, and enable prospects to subscribe to your releases via RSS.
- Speak plainly. We all pay lip service to this concept, but BS abounds. And while the news release is healthier than ever, BS is indeed dead. The blogosphere is in many ways a massive reaction to it. When we cut the
craphyperbole, we cut through the clutter.
Have you modified your releases for the Web 2.0 era? What are your results?
Vermont Governor Jim Douglas just signed a new bill allowing the creation of "virtual companies" to be headquartered, figuratively, in the Green Mountain State. No physical headquarters required. No in-person board meetings. Nada. The business can just be an Internet-resident operation. (If it was my startup, I'd pick somewhere in Vermont's Tolkien-esque 