The Traditional Press Release Is Dead!
by B.L. Ochman

Our New Medium Needs A New Message
The Internet is the medium of instant communication, constant change, rocket speed. So why hasn't the message changed with the medium? Why is the format for electronic press releases the same as that of print?

What's next for online publicity?

A new format for a new medium.

This article pre-supposes that those writing press releases understand what constitutes news...that the content of releases are worthy of news coverage. In question here is how to transmit a message to fit the new medium.

Online, Time Is Everything
While the release on an 8½ by 11 inch page can be scanned with a glance, the electronic form of the same release requires scrolling. Says BusinessWeek marketing reporter Ellen Neuborne, "I hate having to scroll past contact information and the obligatory company description just to get to the subject of the release. Who has time to do that all day?"

Companies spend anywhere from $150 to $1,000 to have news distribution services send out each electronic press release. The results? Their headlines are listed by time of transmission along with hundreds of others sent that day on Business Wire, PR News Wire and other distribution services.

Artículo completo en What's next online.