Clever Communications - Voluntary Action Media Unit

Death of the press release?
As the press release has got easier to
distribute, so its power has waned.
Now that spreadsheet lists can be
bought online and a press release
multi e-mailed at the press of a
button, journalists receive hundreds
in their inbox every day and most
remain unread.
Claire Hallam has recently moved
from the Royal College of Nursing to the
Prostate Cancer Research Centre:
‘The press release can work well when
you work for a major player in the field and
you provide juicy quotes which journalists
can lift into an article. Now I work for a
small charity I find my press releases rarely
get picked up or responded to.’
Occasionally charity press releases hit
the big time, generating mass coverage.
But the media is becoming more
diversified, and outlets increasingly want
to run exclusive stories. If a magazine or
programme wants to run exclusives, the
generic press release gives out all the
wrong signals. Vivienne Parry, a features
writer, hates releases:
‘They are full of detail I don’t want, light
on stuff I might want and stuffed with
ridiculous quotes from chief executives
that I can’t use. Charities should shun
the press release and go for one-to-one
communication.’
Ros Freeborn of Jeans for Genes
agrees: ‘I use press releases only when
there is hard news or when there’s a strong
Penelope Gibbs, askCHARITY
local story and I’ve pretty much written the
article for the local paper. Other than that, I
think you have to face up to the slog of the
direct approach and nurturing contacts.’
So will the press release die, killed by its
own popularity? Not yet – journalists still
often want something on paper to remind
them of the story. But many organisations
will cease to rely on it as a means of getting
coverage, preferring to offer stories or case
studies direct to individual journalists.
Top tips on press releases:
• Make the headline/subject line arresting –
it may be all they read
• Avoid attachments – include all extra
material on a weblink
• No press release should be longer than
one A4 sheet
• Include all your contact details including a
mobile phone number
• Avoid embargoes – many journalists are
irritated by them
• With follow-up calls, engage the journalist
in a conversation about the story
• Make sure your contacts list is up-to-date
• Use the wires so that all news desks
have access
Penelope Gibbs is one
of the founders of
www.askCHARITY.org.uk.
She now runs a campaign
to reduce child and youth
imprisonment for the Prison Reform Trust.
www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk
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