iaocblog :: Online News Releases

It's Friday, the last day of my week as discussion leader on the IAOC blog. Thanks to the thoughtful people who have left dozens of comments and trackbacks.

I’ve you’ve missed any of the action, start here. Direct-to-consumer news releases: Do they suck? There is one new post for each day this week.

So today I wanted to highlight an interesting case example. I was important for me to use a very current example, rather than one I've talked about in the past. This week Brian Carroll's new book Lead Generation for the Complex Sale was published. He launched his book with a press release and a blog post. Quickly, Debbie Weil jumped in and now I am writing about it here. I will also review the book next week on my own blog.

What can we learn about Brian's efforts? Well, had he waited for the traditional reviews in magazines and newspapers, he would be waiting in silence because the process of sending review copies out, gaining interest, then the writing and editing process takes weeks (or months). Instead, he jumped started the discussion about his book (and generated sales) on the very day it was available in stores. And it's not just book launches. In my opinion, direct-to-consumer news releases works in all markets.

Any final thoughts?

Comments (2) | Permanent Link

Thursday, June 15

Can you cause a press release to go viral?

by David Meerman Scott on Thu 15 Jun 2006 06:17 AM EDT

One of the most elusive goals of a press release is that the release itself becomes a topic of online conversation. Of course, those of us who write and send releases would love to have mainstream media write about us. But what might be even more difficult is to have bloggers start a conversation about the contents of a press release.

What do you think about the press release as viral marketing fodder? Can we communicators make it happen? Do bloggers care?

To get you thinking, check out today's PRWeb announcement -- a cool experiment with these ideas by offering a $1000 prize to the first blogger who successfully identifies enhancements in the PRWeb service and responds by blogging about it and sending a trackback.

Comments (2) | Permanent Link

Wednesday, June 14

Are Direct-to-Consumer News Releases morphing into News Programs?

by David Meerman Scott on Wed 14 Jun 2006 09:14 AM EDT

I am having fun "hosting" this special week on the International Association of Online Communicators blog. Lots of good dialog is happening. Thanks for your participation.

Steve O’Keefe suggests a new topic Are Direct-to-Consumer News Releases morphing into News Programs?

Steve says: "We are now speaking of news releases that are no longer news releases; they are programming. You exchange something of value for attention -- help with a problem, an entertaining animation, a tip sheet for packing Christmas presents. David, what say you about news releases as news programs? or entertainment?"

Thanks for asking, Steve. I think great content is valuable no matter what the medium: YouTube video clip, a podcast, a Wall Street Journal article and yes, the once lowly press release, all have potential to enlighten and inform.

What do YOU think?

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Tuesday, June 13

Trackbacks in press releases: Gimmicky or great?

by David Meerman Scott on Tue 13 Jun 2006 10:06 AM EDT

I wanted to start a new thread because this topic is a bit different: trackbacks in press releases. One of ... more »

Comments (13) | Permanent Link

Monday, June 12

Direct-to-Consumer News Releases: Do they suck?

by David Meerman Scott on Mon 12 Jun 2006 08:14 AM EDT

That the Web has changed the rules for press releases is not disputed. Press releases are now read by millions of consumers on Google News, Yahoo News, newspaper and magazine sites and countless vertical market sites. Thousands of organizations are submitting press releases to the wire services (PRWeb, BusinessWire, PR Newswire, NewsReleaseWire.com, and others) with the purpose of reaching buyers directly. For these marketers, reaching consumers is the goal and if a journalist happens to see the press release, that's an added benefit.

Since I first posted my free e-book The New Rules of PR on my blog, 75,000 people have downloaded it and hundreds of bloggers, including heavy hitters like Seth Godin have jumped into the discussions. What do you think?

Many PR professionals resist direct-to-consumer PR. They say that it isn't pure. I often hear PR pros say that the purpose of PR is to influence the media and have them tell your story. Yes, but today you can also tell your story directly.

Is it time to step it up and consider the promise Web 2.0 public relations holds? Do we need to alter the way we think about press releases? Or, as Steve Rubel has said, do "direct-to-consumer press releases suck"?

Please join the discussion.

Comments (19) | Permanent Link

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