News Releases as News

There were several interesting findings in a study recently released by Outsell Inc.  We were most intrigued by the following :

Press releases online (especially in such sites such as Google News, YahooNews and MSN News, which is where most executives find and read them) have overtaken trade journals and their respective sites as the top information source for knowledge workers.

That brings a number of key points to mind:

• Press releases remain important, and it may be argued they are more important than ever. Before, if a reporter tossed a release in the trash, not much of anyone saw it. Today, more people may read a release on Google than read the story written from the release in many publications.
• The way people are getting their news continues to change. Perusing a trade magazine was commonplace in the 1980s. Today, people look for what they want, read that and move on.
• More than ever, the ability to tell your company's story in a compelling way is critical. For many years, advertising ruled branded communications. But as it becomes harder and harder for advertising to break through -- and easier and easier for consumers to skip or avoid -- an intellectual connection with the customer may be what makes the sale.

A campaign of well-thought-out, well-written and interesting news releases -- which are, after all, stories -- can separate your company from the pack in a cost-effective manner. If you're not using this vehicle, you're missing an important element in your communication program.