Most Press Releases Are Virtual Garbage?

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Jun 28, 2010, 07:55 ET

STOWE, Vt., June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Press releases need to be newsworthy. Press releases need an "angle" that catches the eye of a reporter. Every company should be putting out press releases we're told, and if lacking interesting news or an obvious "angle," create one. But why? Why add more unnecessary words to the pile of "stories" and "news" on an editor's desk? Most of it ends up in the trash anyway. In the same vein, why add more unnecessary words, bits and content to the Internet? Unlike our own desktops you can't throw away all the useless information, and it just keeps piling up. Yes, some companies (like Google) will profit by helping sort out the valuable info from the garbage, but why encourage so much garbage and store it for people (at no charge) in the first place?

With all the benefits of technology and the Internet in distributing information far and wide, often businesses don't notice the growing littering problem or the fact that they are contributing to it. Anyone, anywhere can now write an article, a press release, a blog, a Tweet, an update on Facebook, an e-mail ... and publish it instantly (and free) online for the world to see. The quality of the writing and whether anyone is looking for the information doesn't seem to matter. As a business this communication bonanza can be the equivalent of printing up thousands of ad flyers and throwing them out the window of your car as you drive along the highway. Sure, someone might pick one up off the ground and read it but it's still littering, and it's still perceived as garbage.

Jeff Nicholson, marketing director for Websticker.com, often questions the value of what should be published on the Internet: "We are a small business and like every other business we're told we should be constantly Tweeting, writing articles, and distributing press releases. But, we need to consider the value of our time and value of the news and information we want to share. I write a blog and think it is an excellent exercise for me to consistently research, write and think about our field and product, custom stickers. I also think the blog is of value to readers and people interested in more information about marketing with promotional stickers. Sometimes my writing may lead to an article idea, Facebook comment, or even a press release. But writing, publishing, talking, e-mailing and communicating for the sake of just keeping our name out there without any new or valuable information would be counterproductive in the long run and add to the clutter of a cluttered Net."

"I have absolutely nothing I need, or you need me, to Tweet right now," Nicholson admits. "I currently don't have any breaking news or controversial ideas worthy of catching the eye of the press. When I have something of value to say I can do it on my blog or website. In my opinion Facebook has made it so easy to connect and 'like' things that they are diluting the overall value of all communications; they are encouraging more virtual garbage. Facebook and Twitter run the risk that at some point people look around and realize they no longer are more connected with friends, family and communities; they are actually standing in a dumping ground of useless information and having more trouble finding the 'updates' they want or need.

"So, how do you write and distribute information online without adding to the noise and 'garbage?' Write as much and as often as you can and publish the best of it on a blog or website. Use Facebook or similar social network for quicker thoughts, news, and links relevant to your industry. From consistent writing will come ideas for articles worth publishing, press releases of value, and even books. Just don't force writing out onto the Internet through every available channel for the sake of name 'visibility' and search rankings. As has always been the case, create valuable and helpful content to start a relationship and conversation with readers and searchers. Mass producing keyword content that you throw anywhere and everywhere on the Internet is not smart marketing - it's just littering."