NewsCactus Blog

In 2006 the social media press release template was released by Todd Defren of Shift Communications (see the release announcement here). It basically served as a wake-up call for public relations practitioners, calling for the traditional press release to be reconsidered and reborn.

The template introduced a new tool to the public relations toolkit.

Many fought the presumption that the press release was dead and needed to be re-worked, opting for tradition over progression.

Still today, public relations firms, companies and organizations continue to distribute press releases to share their latest news.

In this blog post let’s discuss two concepts:

1. the press release, and
2. the social media release.

The Press Release

The press release is not dead. As stated above, it’s very much an active part of many organizations’ communications outreach.

However, the concept of creating a statement and distributing it to news media with the goal of having that news shared in traditional news channels most likely is dead.

For starters, traditional news channels as the only game in town are a thing of the past. Since the social media press release template was introduced in 2006 we’ve seen shifts in the media business at an accelerated, unprecedented pace.

Also, journalists, like the rest of us, are bombarded with so many messages that the likelihood of one of them choosing to write a story based on a release they receive is minimal at best.

The press release is more aptly described as a news release. It’s a story told by an organization. A story they feel is important and newsworthy. Its audience extends way beyond journalists to every kind of constituent.

The Internet has paved the way for organizations to reach nearly all key publics online.

Today, the old concept of a press release is more about telling your organization’s story online, in a way that’s informative and engaging. Organizations may even opt to include entertainment in the way they share stories. Some have called this communitainment.

In short, each organization should think more of itself as a publisher of its own news instead of relying on traditional media outlets to tell their story.

The Social Media Release

Studies show that news shared in a social media release format receive more attention than traditional releases (check out the 2010 RealWire study).

Why is it that the social media release format lends itself to more engagement, awareness and activity?

It’s because of the way the story is shared. It’s presented in bite-sized tidbits of information. The core story is supported by brief statements of fact, links to additional resources and plenty of multimedia from audio to pictures and video.

A key difference is the ability for the reader to share the content through their own online social channels, as in Facebook, Twitter, etc.

The same trend in corporate websites, from static online brochures to more current, dynamic, content management driven sites, is what we’ve seen in how news is shared online.

Today, the concept of the social media release is less about adding bells and whistles to a traditional release and more about webifying the release.

A Social Media Newsroom

This is where the concept of an online newsroom is vital.

A microsite that serves as an organization’s home base for sharing its news — that includes all sorts of media, contact information for key spokespeople, brief statements of fact and links to plenty of additional resources for the story — is likely more important than distributing traditional releases on a news wire.

Why?

Because as organizations tell their own story, as they self-publish in every way a traditional publisher would — either in print or broadcast forms — they reach influencers and every key constituent in ways that previously were impossible. Plus, they do so in their own voice, without the filter of a journalist.

The social media press release is a stepping stone for public relations, marketing and communication professionals. It brought us out of the old way of writing press releases to the concept of sharing them online in ways that are easier to digest.

Now, successful organizations will find it even more beneficial to devote an entire website to content that used to be sent only through press release channels.

That website is a social media equipped online newsroom that truly webifies press releases.