30 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
30 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Stop writing press releases....

by RyanGillam
25 replies
That have no value.

I see so many people nowadays looking to write press releases to announce the launch of their new generic website.

This IS NOT news and it isn't going to really have any benefit to you, it is a waste of money. Save your money until you can come up with a newsworthy angle for your story that people will WANT to read.
#press #releases #stop #writing
  • Profile picture of the author reviewers
    I think you're generalizing all press releases as being poor quality which results in them not working but the fact is that a good press release that is well timed can do wonders.

    I think the problem is that most new business owners trying to write press releases just don't have the skills to properly engage with readers.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8449992].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author RyanGillam
      Originally Posted by reviewers View Post

      I think the problem is that most new business owners trying to write press releases just don't have the skills to properly engage with readers.
      That's what I meant. Over the past couple of months I have been asked to write a number of press releases. The majority of these are for 'generic website launches' i.e. "please write something about my health website launching" or something. These types of press releases aren't targeted well at all and nobody wants to read them. Whereas if they came to me and said "please send out a press release based on some compelling new research my health website carried out" then I will. I know this sort of stuff won't just be found online but the print media may even pick it up.
      Signature
      http://ryangillam.com/ryan-gillam-ltd-writing-services/
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8450016].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Bish
    Yep, poor quality PRs are a waste of time, but on the flip side if you get them right they are cheap to have distributed, get a ton of traffic (with a couple of tricks) and have the potential to make you money (as an affiliate or vendor).
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8450698].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Bonita T Josephson
    PR is good for any kind of service announcements. Announcement of launching a website will not be able to attract much audience. You are absolutely spot on.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8450806].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Fun to Write
    The launching of a website in itself is not newsworthy. However, if the website can be tied into a current issue or event, it could be stretched to fit a news angle.

    But, yeah. Mostly, these are junk.
    Signature

    Focus+Smart Work+Persistence=Success

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8450943].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Michael Levanduski
    generic press releases lost virtually all their value since Google instructed people to no-follow the links in them. Essentially this made it so if people don't pick up the press-release and re-publish it, it won't have any benefit.

    You're right about that.

    Michael
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8450966].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author JessZ07
      @MichaelLevanduski, I haven't heard that yet. In one of your recent Press Release Distribution was this evident? Curious ...

      Press Releases, albeit, not generic ones have been very effective for me.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8451042].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author RitaWrites
        Launching of a website is not enough for a press release. You are exactly right about that. I write press releases for many clients, however, but have never been asked to write one about the launch of a website.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8451842].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Long Beach Nathan
    I agree. A press release announcing the launch of a new site just isn't news. It's not going to make people care about your site. It has to be tied to some research or study, or something like that; something that's newsworthy.
    Signature
    Need Music For Your Videos, Podcasts, Sites, etc? Get It Now On My YouTube Channel!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8452100].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author edd666666
      I coach small businesses, non-profits and authors on how to do their own publicity. Almost all of them come to me after bombing with press releases. They didn't generate much response and certainly not enough to justify the press release distribution costs. Newsrooms have cut back staff, so there isn't anyone there to even read them, and most other outlets have given up reading them due to the difficulty of finding something worthwhile amid all the junk. My clients do best sending a few targeted, focused emails with their message. It is free and actually gets to those you want to see it. OK, thanks, Ed.
      Signature
      “Over 1,000 People Have Used My Unique Pitch System To Achieve Their Publicity Goals... And I’ll Work Personally With You Too, One-On-One To Help You Get On TV!” CLICK HERE
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8452708].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Ryan, I believe the main reason people still do this is the outdated notion that sending any media release will immediately get them hundreds or thousands of high quality backlinks and rocket them to the top of Google in seconds. :rolleyes:

        They don't really care whether a human reads them or not, as long as they show up on both the PR sites and the scraper parasites using the RSS feeds for content on their autosplogs.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8455685].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author CherryAffairs
    Like normal blog posts, press releases won't create much hype and those who wants low quality press releases aren't looking for the hype. Most of them only wanted one because they thought it's great for backlinks and search rankings.

    They should stop the pollution.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8455721].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author o3man
    PR is still a great way to make some money. However, you need a great product or service. Most people forget that you need an interesting story to get free press. Otherwise, you are just wasting your energy.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8456481].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JennySweets
    Press Releases Still Matter, But Not For The Reasons You Think - Forbes

    Linking that because our very own Barb Ling does PR the RIGHT way - and it's been noticed.

    They work. Just not the way 90% of people are doing them.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8456491].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author celente
    at first I thought this was another attack at press releases, however once read, it is good advice.

    We do 1 press release a week for our site, and yes it is hard coming up with newsworthy stuff, however most of our press releases go viral cause we always have an angle. Plus as many warriors know I get my press releases done by a retired journo who use to work for wall street news.....

    1) You have to have quality

    2) you have to have an angle

    3) It has to be a bit news worthy or a hook that can get link baited or go viral

    4) IT MUST BE HIGH QUALITY AND WRITTEN WELL, not like a teenager wrote it.

    Most of the I chuckle when I see someone who has written a press release and they come to me and say it didnt work. I Just do not know where to start...first of all it was crap, and had no hook, and most press releases these days look like a 4 year old who writes articles for a living wrote it for them on a scrap piece of paper.

    You write crap, expect CRAPPY results. Say no more.
    Signature
    Create a $5000 USD a month Business. 1-on-1 Coaching. By 6 figure marketer! - CLICK HERE
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8457041].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author clever7
    It’s really hard to write a good press release, and it has no meaning to write press releases that won't be noticed.

    I gave up trying to write press releases because this is not my style. For some people they work, but they are not for everyone.






    Signature
    Join my Affiliate Program and Sell Original eBooks
    Scientific Dream Interpretation – A Solution to All Problems

    How to Be Extremely Successful in Life
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8457102].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author expresswriters
    Originally Posted by RyanGillam View Post

    That have no value.

    I see so many people nowadays looking to write press releases to announce the launch of their new generic website.

    This IS NOT news and it isn't going to really have any benefit to you, it is a waste of money. Save your money until you can come up with a newsworthy angle for your story that people will WANT to read.
    Ryan,

    Sure PR's that are NOT newsworthy have no value with people, branding, or the search engines. It's simply a waste of time and resources.

    But saying that PRs are 100% useless is a ludicrous statement in of itself.
    Signature
    We are:
    E-commerce online content shop. 60 copywriters hand-picked from all over the globe, working together with a passion for the written word. Content strategists, social media managers, copyeditors. We brainstorm writing, create, produce.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8528075].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author johnmags
    Too often marketers immediately jump on the bandwagon of publishing press releases without knowing what they are for. A press releases is not intended for the general audience but specifically targeted to the press, the news writers, and the journalists, who in turn may write a news article about your press release if they are news-worthy. Thus, the information must be something new and not just a rehash of existing articles. Just a refresher about press release.
    Signature
    Are you looking for a Professional Content Writer
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8528501].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author johnben1444
    Originally Posted by RyanGillam View Post

    That have no value.

    I see so many people nowadays looking to write press releases to announce the launch of their new generic website.

    This IS NOT news and it isn't going to really have any benefit to you, it is a waste of money. Save your money until you can come up with a newsworthy angle for your story that people will WANT to read.
    Agreed! Many people don't know the difference between a press release and website launch.
    Signature
    Grow your social media account, Spotify Streams, YT Views & IG Followers & More
    Software & Mobile APP Developer
    Buy Spotify, Facebook Bot & IG M/S Method
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8528889].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author deborahdawui
    Originally Posted by RyanGillam View Post

    That have no value.

    I see so many people nowadays looking to write press releases to announce the launch of their new generic website.

    This IS NOT news and it isn't going to really have any benefit to you, it is a waste of money. Save your money until you can come up with a newsworthy angle for your story that people will WANT to read.
    Most people write PRs simply to get backlinks. While traffic may not come from the PRs, the backlinks will help the website in SEO. My 2 cents.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8528924].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by expresswriters View Post

      Ryan,

      Sure PR's that are NOT newsworthy have no value with people, branding, or the search engines. It's simply a waste of time and resources.

      But saying that PRs are 100% useless is a ludicrous statement in of itself.
      Julia, one of the quirks about this forum is that some people will use a partial subject line, with the end of the sentence as the first line of the post.

      What Ryan said was "stop writing press releases that have no value", and you seem to agree.

      Originally Posted by deborahdawui View Post

      Most people write PRs simply to get backlinks. While traffic may not come from the PRs, the backlinks will help the website in SEO. My 2 cents.
      And this is why there are so many garbage press releases - the one submitting them doesn't care if a human reads them or not, as long as Papa Google sees the link.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8529373].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author expresswriters
        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        Julia, one of the quirks about this forum is that some people will use a partial subject line, with the end of the sentence as the first line of the post.

        What Ryan said was "stop writing press releases that have no value", and you seem to agree.



        And this is why there are so many garbage press releases - the one submitting them doesn't care if a human reads them or not, as long as Papa Google sees the link.
        John, you are absolutely correct...I was agreeing now that you quote that statement in full
        Signature
        We are:
        E-commerce online content shop. 60 copywriters hand-picked from all over the globe, working together with a passion for the written word. Content strategists, social media managers, copyeditors. We brainstorm writing, create, produce.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8530556].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mervp
    In my actual practice of writing hundreds releases for others, few of the online buyers are even suggesting that it be written about "the launch of a website," so the main criticism of them on this thread is wrong. Most buyers don't even know enough about outdated ideas on SEO or "what's news" to suggest creating a "launch website" for backlinks. They just want their business promoted, even though, in plain reality, most businesses do not have anything substantially newsworthy happening to them most of the time. I focus on changes with the business or its reaction to a current trend, as best as that could be frankly spun, to make a release seem newsworthy.

    The real theory behind the SEO value of releases was that 'news' pages trumped other kinds of info ranked by Google, and so would leapfrog over generic webpages to the top of the rankings. The even bigger point was that news trumps SEO---keywords and links were subordinate to the direct traffic that could be derived from a truly newsworthy notice. Press releases were thought to be direct follow-through traffic vehicles, not SEO/ranking vehicles. The ranking bump was thought to be incidental, but not required, to make the release worthwhile for traffic purposes.

    As for news editors, what they do is not decide between "news" and "non-news" releases, they decide between "somewhat news" versus "MOST newsworthy" releases received during a news cycle, and go with the latter. A so called 'fake news' or weak release received during a slow cycle might get broader distribution anyway, than a "high quality" release received during a busy cycle. IT'S NOT CUT AND DRY, as this thread has tried to convey.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8530789].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mrgoe
    Originally Posted by RyanGillam View Post

    That have no value.

    I see so many people nowadays looking to write press releases to announce the launch of their new generic website.

    This IS NOT news and it isn't going to really have any benefit to you, it is a waste of money. Save your money until you can come up with a newsworthy angle for your story that people will WANT to read.
    It`s about link diversity when it comes to press release if you don`t aim for any news to be announced...
    Signature
    Worked as a senior editor on ThePricer.org, experienced in financial topics
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8530792].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author blankinship
    Writing and publishing press releases will breathtakingly enhance the picture and standing of your organization on the web, however you will survey if press releases are as significant as other marketing channels. Putting resources into an on-going administration might be overwhelming for small to medium sized firms who are accustomed to running comparative activities in-house however with the learning and underpin of the right supplier, you can spare your time and cash by deciding to outsource the work to the experts.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9200981].message }}

Trending Topics