The press release just wants to be loved, and many in the PR profession will just not let go.
The press release is square. It is corporate. It is not fun, does not play well with others nor is it Web 2.0 “cool”. So let’s dress up the release and give it a makeover.
And thus was born the SMR (social media release).
Some very creative thinking has gone into this and I offer kudos for those who invented it and are driving continued innovation (see this Emergence Media blog link that describes SMR evolution, and references Todd Defrens / SHIFT’s, Edelman’s, Solis’ et al work).
However, despite some recent traction (see my last post) I must say I am still not convinced that we should be spending lots of cycles (read: emotional and billable energy) on the whole idea. It smacks too much of novelty, of PR trying to justify its continued existence.
It focuses too much attention on the wrapper and not the information.
Even with its 2.0 baubles and bangles it screams “party line” and “now a word from our sponsors” because it is still a press release if by any other name.
It is ephemeral – not built from existing constructs nor designed to be a persistent Web destination like a blog, Wiki or general website. So I question whether it can serve as an effective locus for discussion and continued engagement.
It turns the press release into a home science research project which requires a user’s manual and extensive work in setting up, making it harder to be nimble in communicating.
Look, we as communications professionals should be using the right tools for the right audiences. And we need to make sure these tools are in synch with the times.
Online audiences tend to be allergic to marketing and formality. The press release is is by definition the party line. And fast, informal, and transparent (meaning tied to some genuine voice and not a faceless corporate entity) are the calling cards of the new era in communications.
On the other hand, some believe that if info is not packaged as a press release it is not news. Some – e.g. investors and industry watchers – do want to stay tuned to the latest happenings at companies and in industry, and if the press release is an accepted (if tired) construct for this, so be it.
Note that I am not tying myself up in knots like others do alternately attacking the release, apologizing for the poor and cliched writing often found in releases, or using these points to justify the invention of a new style of release.
There is nothing inherently wrong with the press release as it was intended – a wrapper for information aimed at, yes, audiences.
If the press release lives on in its traditional form or is reborn as an SMR, the same people will grouse about them, tear them apart and criticize the format and content.
So, when it comes to communicating with traditional media I say continue to hone the release format but don’t focus on the format. Make sure your content can be easily found and indexed by the search engines. Sure, include links, why not, and Digg buttons and bookmarks. Call it an SMR if you want and if you think it will give your agency or campaign extra juice.
When it comes to the wild and woolly blogosphere, you are best advised to communicate in your own voice. Use blogs and wikis and keep it real. Engage in a focused, targeted and one-on-one way whenever possible.
Focus your PR time and attention on being as agile as we find we need to be these days, active in listening and engaging – itself no easy task.
Yeah, I know it is not either / or – you can in theory have your SMR cake and eat up other means of communicating as well.
But embellishing the press release – an artifact that is becoming less and less useful as a carrier for weighty and deep info – interferes with the Fast part.
Continued focus on the SMR as being emblematic of where PR is going does not build on PR’s main strengths compared with other forms of marketing and communications, like advertising.
We have always been about content, about conversations, issues and engagement.
We should not be so focused on broadcasting info with glitzy Web 2.0 billboards (sure, we can handle that) but rather on communicating using the preferred tools and tenor of the day (Marty Weintraub said “Blogs are the New PR” in his post PR Power Blogging Zen), on speaking in a genuine voice tied to an individual, informality, transparency, and most of all engaging, taking the time to discover and get into and understand where your target audiences are, and what they are saying.
