Duncan Riley, whom I greatly admire and respect, offered a very enlightening response to a recent question posed concerning the distribution of Social Media Releases on Gooruze, a new social network dedicated to helping marketing, advertising, search, and PR professionals learn, share and grow together. Disclosure, Duncan and I are among the eight founding “gooruze.”

His points are very important and worth sharing as they will make us “think” about how, when, where, and why to use social media releases, if at all.

As much as I respect and understand where Brian is coming from, I can’t help but think that Social Media Release is a non-term. The whole point of social media is that it doesn’t conform to traditional rules, and media releases are one of these things; social in this case representing of and from the people. There’s still a strong place for media releases – and people should always send them to me, particularly first – but you can’t use media releases in a medium that has no center, and is decentralized as part of its very nature. The key is getting in the back door: you wouldn’t send a press release to Digg, but you can get on Digg by using more traditional PR methods by contacting the right person at the right blog.

My reply:

Duncan, your views accurately capture the challenges associated with this new format. Well said.

I agree that the SMR is not so much a non-term, but definitely a misunderstood tool, which I’m sure, took off well beyond the original aspirations of SMR creator Todd Defren. Perhaps it’s propelled by the fact that people want so desperately to save or leapfrog the press release, that they are pinning their hopes on this new format.

I can’t agree with you more…Social Media doesn’t conform to traditional rules and is driven by and for the people. This is such an important point because there are many people who believe that the SMR is the only way to engage in conversations, when we all know, that only direct participation is the only way to engage.

Perhaps I need to do a better job in contributing to the value of SMRs.

In the past, I’ve written SMRs to complement media/blogger relations, traditional press releases, as well as corporate blog posts. I’ve placed them online using a social platform, such as WordPress, and placed them inside of a socially-enabled press room – also built on WordPress, as an extension to a company Web site. In these cases, they’ve had some pretty interesting and encouraging results.

I haven’t yet though, used Social Media Releases to distribute news to bloggers and journalists. I don’t see the need to replace relationships with “new” tools, and I hope that others don’t forget the importance of one-on-one conversations to share news.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the momentum for the Social Media Release is picking up inertia and I am spending quite a bit of free time (whatever I have these days) adding to the collective voices out there to help clarify what they are, what they aren’t, and also how they may help.

The SMR started as a way of putting together the information that writers need, in one place, collecting the building blocks of any good news story, including news facts, images, video, RSS feeds, links to supporting market information, links to social networks and bookmarks, and also suggested tags, all without the usual BS or spin.

Somewhere along the way, perhaps just over a year ago, some of us discussed the possibility of renaming the Social Media Release as the New Media Release as to not confuse people between the tools to reach people versus the networks where conversations take place with or without PR. But since the Social Media Release brand has legs that only seem to be gaining momentum, I’m committed to helping guide their use and benefits on a path of relevance.

You’re exactly right, “You can’t use media releases in a medium that has no center, and is decentralized as part of its very nature.”

I couldn’t have said it any better.

SMRs or New Media Releases were never intended to become the hub, but they were designed to provide information and hopefully, also spark conversations by placing information in places where the content could be discovered – directly and indirectly. Most importantly, they were not intended to cure the ills of many traditional press releases nor are they designed to replace them. They do however, represent an opportunity to distribute information in a usable way, while also presenting the information within social networks to enable people to disseminate, discuss, share, and also provide perspective.

The landscape for good press releases is broadening and is forcing PR to think about new ways to write and distribute them thanks to search engines and meme tracking services ala Techmeme. 51% of IT professionals for example, claim to get their news directly from the press releases that show up in Yahoo Business or Google News over traditional industry rags. And, depending on the day, PRNewswire and Businesswire are now ranked within the top 50 sources in Techmeme’s Leaderboard. It’s all very interesting to say the least. It is also very revealing.

What I’ve learned is that it’s now more important than ever to package news in a useful and meaningful format using the channels where the people you want to reach go for their information.

However, none of this alleviates the need to share news with the people who can help carry information to the people you want to ultimately reach. In the realm of blogger and media relations, relationships are the foundation for distributing information. And in this case, press releases are merely an option – as long as the news and appropriate information is shared in a way that meets the needs of each blogger/reporter.

Social Media is about people. A Social Media Release simply can’t be the only solution for bridging conversations between people and companies though. It can however, present information through social channels which “can” empower people to do more with the content that they discover. But at the very least, SMRs are forcing PR people how to do things better, differently, and hopefully, more effectively.

Additional reading:

The Future of the Social Media Release is in Your Hands – Use it responsibly

Connect on Twitter, Jaiku, Pownce or Facebook.

In the first post of this series, I asked for your help in laying the press release to rest – as it exists today. Unfortunately, today’s release has evolved into a collection of posturing, hyperbole, and canned quotes that have very little impact on the ability to generate significant news coverage.

One of the most important takeaways of the last article was that a significant percentage of customers are reading press releases directly through search engines as well as Google and Yahoo news.

Wire services have opened up the door for company information to reach not only media, but also people directly through search and aggregated news platforms. Blog platforms have created a new channel for that same information to also reach customers through blog search engines and ultimately other blogs that may also link to the content. And, social networks have made it possible for information to be shared directly with peers in the communities where they go to discover and share news and relevant data.

If you really stop and think about it, press releases nowadays can tell a story in so many ways to so many different people. Traditional press and analysts are now only part of the equation, and depending on the industry, it may very well be only 25-50% of total readers, and in some cases it’s only 10%.

People are now relying on news releases as a direct source of information, so let’s take this opportunity to tell the story that matters to them. It’s about deconstructing 100 years of tradition and rebuilding something that actually works in today’s attention economy.

Who ever said that we only need one press release?

If it’s anything we should have learned from the eye opener (or more accurately the rude awakening) that is Social Media, there is no longer an audience for our messages. Markets are comprised of groups of disparate (The Long Tail), yet connected people who look for value and benefits in different ways. Therefore, a good story requires personalization. Oh, and journalists and analysts are people too, so if we humanize the process of writing releases, we might enhance the ability for readers to connect with the information.

At this point, there’s no need to debate over the value of search engine (SEO), social media (SMO) optimized or new media press releases. Let’s just write the stories we want our customers, media and bloggers to see, using the tools and channels that will reach and help them most effectively. And, this can also include company blog posts!

When it comes to evaluating release formats and the process of drafting a release, we first need to hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete to reboot how we approach a blank .doc file to prevent the usual spewing of BS onto a blank slate.

As I’ve said earlier, one press release no longer cuts it (I repeat, there is no longer one audience for a press release), marketing and hype are out, and transparency has cut the reins of message control.

Step back and approach it with a fresh perspective. Create a release that provides a story for those seeking information as well as the building blocks that will also help a reporter or blogger write a better article/post.

Here’s an example:

I can assure you, contrary to executive belief, adding spin to press releases as a method for instilling enthusiasm and demonstrating leadership to readers is ineffective, a turn-off and, it may actually incite backlash and public ridicule.

At the end of the day, press releases are about people and therefore should be written as if you were trying to help or inform them, not sell them.

Next up: Examining the differences between traditional, SEO, Social Media, new media, and blog posts.

Connect on Twitter, Jaiku, Pownce or Facebook.

blogger

The press release is on life support and I’m rallying a team of supporters to euthanize it – not to put it out of its misery, but to keep it from contributing to the misery of reporters, analysts, bloggers and the people who read them.

The process of writing and distributing a press release can be excruciatingly painful and is almost laughable when you read the final product.

Company X Launches World’s First, Industry-leading, Innovative Thingamabob that will Change Our Lives for the Better

Fantasy Land, Sept. XX, 2007 — So and so, a leader in such and such, today announced the world’s most groundbreaking, revolutionary, and never-before-seen widget and will change the lives of everyone who use it. Not only is it versatile and ubiquitous, but it scales across the marketing bell curve and in to the long tail. It is a disruptive game changing solution that forces a paradigm shift and, yes, it’s just that simple to use.

“We are excited and thrilled and happy and delighted that our new widget will change your life,” said a company executive who didn’t say this quote, but instead simply signed off on it since their PR person wrote it for them. “There really is nothing out there like it. We have no competition. This is something everyone needs; they just don’t know it yet.”

# # #

OK, so I think you get the picture.

The funny thing is that releases like this pollute the wires and search engines and one can only imagine how many revisions and contributors it took from the marketing and executive teams to ensure that every buzz word and useless piece of jargon made the final cut. The end product will usually say nothing about what it is, who it’s for, why it’s different and why it’s valuable and beneficial to the people to whom it’s targeted. Yet, everyone needs to get their hands on it as some form of self righteousness, demonstration of value, or simply job security.

But why doesn’t everyone already know this isn’t the best way to do things? The press release is 100 years old!

I recently joined a Bulldog Reporter panel to discuss “smart” press releases and the art of creating SEO (search engine optimization) and Social Media Releases and the differences and advantages of each over traditional releases.

As the conference rolled along, I found myself thinking that before we jumped into this important topic, we should have started with the basics of what makes a release worthy of attention – regardless of SEO optimization or Social Media optimization (SMO).

As you may or may not know, I’ve been a proponent of reforming press releases since I was able to integrate HTML and multimedia into them back in the mid-to-late 90s. Do you want to know the first thing I learned?

No matter how tricked-out your press release is with “extras,” if it is still full of garbage, then we’re only placing our trash in a fancier container.

This isn’t anything new however. Journalists have been complaining about the press release even before I was in the game, which for the record, has been for a long, long time.

What’s important in these remarkable times, however, is that whether it’s good or bad, technology has globalized and democratized information, allowing press releases to reach journalists and customers directly – without ever having to send a pitch or make a call.

According to Outsell, Inc. in November 2006, 51% of information technologists (IT) source their news from press releases found on Yahoo or Google News over traditional trade journals. While this is technology, I can assure you that this stat is probably equally significant across a variety of major industries. What this means is that press releases are no longer limited to journalists, bloggers, and analysts, but also read by customers directly in order to help them make important decisions.

So in the face of this revelation, why are we, PR, still insistent and stubborn about not changing? Why do we still firmly plant our feet, and our heads, in the sand and expect greatness, when in fact all we deserve is expulsion from the conversations that are taking place out there with or without us. Or are we simply afraid to speak up for fear it might cost us our jobs.

Maybe it’s just like the bad driver syndrome. It’s up to everyone else to learn how to drive because we are flawless. Still using the driving analogy, I can guarantee that defensive drivers are the least likely to crash when compared to reactionary drivers that mosey along highways with blinders on.

So if the path to writing better, more meaningful, and relevant press releases is a 12 step program, the first step is to move from denial and accept that as is, most releases should be euthanized. In the social economy, attention economy, conversation economy, or whatever you wish to call it, people, and the groups they represent, are now part of the equation, which completely change the game for all of us.

Stay tuned for Part Two of a multi-part series.

Update: The story is on techmeme as WebProNews re-packages the story.

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Next up:

Removing “audience” from the equation

The need for multiple versions of the press release

PR in the Long Tail

SEO vs. Social Media vs. Smart Releases

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History Lesson (backgrounder):

As a recap, the Social Media Release has been pushed by many influencers for just over one year now, including Tom Foremski’s public outcry for the death of crappy press releases; Todd Defren who offered the first template and remains an authoritative champion; Chris Heuer who helped lead an effort to propose a standard for their construction and distribution; Stowe Boyd who reminds disingenuous, lazy or opportunistic PR people that they’re not invited to participate in Social Media (and rightfully so); Shel Holtz (along with Chris Heuer and me) who hosted the original NMRcast, and continues to demonstrate the value of new releases; Shannon Whitley’s work to help PR “get it;” and the many others who continue to carry the flag forward.

And to all of you who continue to experiment with and discuss SMRs.

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Additional Resources:

Social Media Releases: Everything You Ever Wanted to (or Should) Know

YouTube Killed the Video News Release Star

How to Write an SMR Template (and what it looks like on the wire)

Social Media Killed the Press Release Star

How to Write a Social Media Press Release, Why, and What It All Means

How to Write a Social Media Press Release – Part II

Don’t Kill the Press Release, Shoot the Messenger

PR in the Long Tail

SocialMediaRelease.org

Society for New Communications Research

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