The definition of a news release has expanded. The press release is no longer exclusively a media relations tool; now, with the Internet's search capabilities, consider it a direct-to-consumer online page of Web content.
Press releases or news releases as they are sometimes called, changed forever in September 2002, with the launch of Google News. From then on, all major public relations wire services - BusinessWire, PR Newswire, Market Wire, et al - became searchable online. Yahoo! News and AOL News soon launched their own news search portals. Today, each has more site traffic than the New York Times' website. Imagine that!
This sea change for news releases (and the PR industry) means that consumers now access releases simultaneously with journalists. This has important connotations for news release content, style and format.
Press releases are no longer one-dimensional. Rather, they encourage a dialogue between an organization and its audience and engage an entire online community in an integrated conversation. Integrate new media tools into your overall communication recommendations; don't add them on like shiny ornaments on a Christmas tree – until it looks gaudy and just plain ugly.
4 comments:
The internet allows for press releases to be feedback on immediately. What a great way to gauge the public response.
It's good that this happened, this way we don't have to realy on only certain sources for news.
It's because of the media relations tools now. The world become transparent.
The power of press is great but the integrity is questionable when a company is required to purchase advertising space prior to be given press space in the newspapers.
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