Do We Still Need a Press Release?

I still remember the early days of my career as a public relations consultant when I had to wait for approval from my clients on the press release for an upcoming announcement. 

I hate the waiting.  

But you might wonder why it is so important to have a press release in the first place.  

Put it this way. If you think that a press release is a written document containing an event recap, then you are wrong! It is all the important information that you, as the public relations professional, want to showcase to your public.  

If you are handling a phone launch event, your press release will include information on the product’s unique specifications and how this will impact the market. Alternatively, if you represent a humanitarian organization during a disaster, your press release should include the action taken to help alleviate those affected.  

Public? Do you mean everyone? Not exactly. In the simplest terms, the public is your audience, and you can differentiate your audiences into primary and secondary public.  Primary is those who are closely impacted by your actions. Using the same example above, the primary public for the productrelease is the tech media and the tech-geek! 

Think about the distribution channel. Make sure that your material goes to the right audience. In the age of instant text messages, e-mail might not be the best option. WhatsApp or Telegram might be the preferred tools for journalists to receive the material.  

Ensure there are no typos and verify all the information on the release. We don’t want the reader to see how incompetent you are. Use a grammar checker. There are plenty, and they are free to use.  

It’s important to build a genuine relationship with the media to ensure that the information we provide fits their requirements. Be mindful that sending the release will not guarantee coverage. Careful planning and identifying relevant media outlets that will have interest in your materials is crucial.