The Press Release: Is there still a need?

First, communication waves were changed forever via the Printing Press then again when the telephone made it’s appearance. Before anybody knew what hit them, we suddenly lived in a world of .com’s and www’s. In 2013, college students are more likely to get news via Facebook or Twitter than through an actual newspaper. The press release has been around since the early 1900s, but is there still a need?

Absolutely! Sometimes, it’s good to stick to a classic. The main purpose of a Public Relations department is to increase awareness.  Now we just have more tools to get the job done. Reaching out to the press is always a good first step when reaching out to your target audience to get your message across.

Don’t underestimate the media. Sure, in this day and age, not everybody subscribes to the news. But, the news is adapting along with technology & many networks reach their audience through a vast array of media outlets. Most broadcast news stations utilize print, web, social media, or even texts & applications that update instantly for cell phones & tablets. Reaching out to the media via press release is still a quick way to gain awareness by getting the information out to the general public.

So what has changed? The most important thing to remember, is that your audience now receives their news in a variety of formats. The concept of writing a press release with the intention of it just being slapped on a newspaper has ended. Consider such factors such as SEO for news posted on a website, or hashtags for an upcoming event, etc. You may even want to include ideas for social media posts that a network could use. In addition you could set up an electronic press kit. Not only is there still a need. The possibilities are endless.