April 25, 2007 in Media Relations, Public Relations by sbaradell@ideagrove.com
Eight Telltale Signs That Your Press Release Is Bullshit

Most working journalists have to deal with hundreds, if not thousands, of press releases that cross the transom every year. That’s more than they’re going to read, of course. And of the ones they “read,” all but a few are destined to receive a half-hearted skimming, followed by a click of the delete button.

In the world of Web 2.0, some PR agencies have tried to address this issue with newfangled formats. But ultimately it’s not about the format, it’s about the content. And I can tell you from experience as both a reporter and a public relations consultant, there are eight ways I can usually tell that a press release is bullshit.

Read about them at MarketingProfs.

 
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April 19, 2007 in Public Relations by sbaradell@ideagrove.com
PR.com’s New Distribution Enhancements Ensure That the Same Person Receives Your Announcement 11 Times!

Wow, that IS cool.

 
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March 30, 2006 in Media Orchard, Public Relations by sbaradell@ideagrove.com
A Book Recommendation for Tom Foremski


Ten years ago, Stuart Ewen’s book PR! A Social History of Spin was published. Ewen offers a stridently leftist take on the PR industry (he doesn’t like us), but it’s also a fascinating read.

One of my favorite parts is seeing what the newspaper editors of the early 20th century had to say about Ivy Lee [pictured], who is now considered, along with Edward Bernays, one of the “fathers” of the public relations industry. Describing one of Lee’s campaigns,

The Toledo Blade reported that “throughout the Colorado troubles, pamphlets, circulars and letters fairly rained down upon the newspapers. It was a flood, a deluge. If it converted or influenced anyone, we have not heard of it.

“A broad reading of the American press indicated that the stuff went into the waste baskets throughout the country just as it did here. It swelled the postal receipts and added to the tonnage of houses that buy waste paper. But as for education, there was no result at all.”

Fast forward to 2006 and the editor of the Silicon Valley Blade:

Press releases are created by committees, edited by lawyers, and then sent out at great expense through Businesswire or PRnewswire to reach the digital and physical trash bins of tens of thousands of journalists.

This madness has to end. It is wasted time and effort by hundreds of thousands of professionals.

Thanks for continuing to play such a “disruptive role in mainstream PR,” Tom. What’s your next big idea — the steam locomotive?

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November 2, 2005 in Media Orchard, Politics, Public Relations by sbaradell@ideagrove.com
E&P: Bloggers Not Interested in White House Press Passes

Here’s a surprisingly ho-hum postscript to the Jeff Gannon soap opera. From Editor & Publisher‘s Joe Strupp:

Since the Gannon/Guckert saga first erupted last winter, the wave of Web writers has not appeared. White House press regulars say few online types have been crashing the daily press party.

“Things are pretty much what they’ve always been,” [White House Press Secretary Scott] McClellan told me in mid-October, noting that [Eric] Brewer appears to be the only recent online-only participant. “From my own perception, it is not something I’ve noticed.” Adds [Knight Ridder reporter Ron] Hutcheson, “I am not aware of anyone from the blog community or online who is there.”

Mark Smith, an Associated Press reporter and current White House Correspondents Association president, agreed that the takeover by bloggers never materialized. “I was frankly expecting a deluge of people, but it hasn’t happened,” he said.

Smith added that the lack of interest may stem from the fact that the press briefings are not all that interesting, and can be seen on C-SPAN, with transcripts on the Web: “Maybe bloggers have better things to do, after the novelty has worn off.”

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