The Important Of Press Release
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TABLE OF CONTENT
Part A
The importance of Press Releases
Press Release
Part B
Advertisement
References
PART A:
THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESS RELEASES
Though human beings have witnessed the dramatic development of the media that enables people to gather information everywhere via cell phones or digital devices, the newspaper unquestionably remains an important source of news for almost all people. Readers, through newspapers, can find information about upcoming events or new products that warrant their attention. In order to provide readers with such useful information, apart from hiring a team of excellent journalists, editors also use an equally important source: the press release.
So what is a Press Release?
According to en.wikipedia.org, a press release (or news release) is “a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something” that is considered to be newsworthy. Normally, it is mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to assignment editors at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, or television stations. Those who issue the press release do not have to pay for the space in newspapers or broadcasting time.
A news release is different from a news article. A news article is a compilation of facts developed by journalists published in the news media, “Whereas a press release is designed to be sent to journalists in order to encourage them to develop articles on the subject”.
Advantages of Press Releases
A well-written release can dramatically increase sales, expose companies to the masses, and greatly enhance the image of businesses or products. It brings companies or organisations various advantages compared to advertising.
a. No cost to pay
In todays business world, companies have to pay millions of dollars if they want to advertise their products or services in a famous and prestigious newspaper or television show. It may not come as a big surprise that an ad on television lasting just a few seconds can cost thousands of dollars. On the contrary, press releases allow organisations to reach a vast audience via news sources without any fee for publication. Therefore, using press releases means saving a vast amount of money to invest elsewhere.
b. Positive impact on the audience
Press releases can create a great impact on the audience, and usually it is positive. This results from the fact that the information from the press release reaches the audience through the mass media, not the organisation itself. Then, if the audience members are loyal readers of a newspaper, or loyal viewers of a TV channel, they are likely to have good impressions on the news. Press releases package information in an accessible manner for news sources to convey to their audiences. It also creates a favorable image of a company or an organisation in the eyes of an audience, especially when the press releases are publicised by well-known newspapers, such as The New York Times, or television shows, such as CNN, etc.
c. Credibility
A press release differs from an ad in that a news release is first sent to the publications without any payment. It means that the writer of the press release does not control the message in the newspaper, but rather the editors do. This results in the impartiality of the information; thus, the news is reliable. In contrast, advertisers control the message because they have to pay a large sum of money to have it appear in newspapers or television shows. It is common knowledge that advertisers often use exaggerated words to talk about their products or services. As a result, the audience trusts information given by the mass media whereas they do not believe advertisements much. Undoubtedly, press releases hope to inspire news articles that bring more credibility to the companys information.
d. Effective method to deal with bad information
When a company faces bad press or public criticism, dealing with it is a thorny question. If the company does not handle the problem properly, it may have to pay a high price, losing customers confidence and suffering loss or even bankruptcy. In such a situation, the company should use a press release to clarify the information immediately. The press release appearing in well-known newspapers will help the company recapture customers confidence and avoid unexpected consequences. This can be proved in the way Pepsi tackled a particular crisis. The crisis began when a man claimed that he had found a syringe inside a can of Diet Pepsi. Then, men and women across America made similar claims of finding foreign objects in their Pepsi cans. Confident that insertion of such things into cans on the closely controlled bottling lines was virtually impossible, company officials chose to defend the product. They made a press release stating that the product was safe and they would pursue legal action against anyone making false claims about the integrity of the companys products. The press release contributed in large part to making the rumor shortly die down.
e. Support for marketing
A press release can be used to support directly an organisations marketing objectives. It can effectively help develop new prospects for new markets, such as people who inquire after seeing or hearing a product release in the news media. In addition, it can generate sales leads, usually through articles in the trade press about new products and services, paving the way for sales calls. As for minor products that do not have large advertising budgets, using press releases instead of advertisements is the best choice.
Six hints for a successful press release
With various advantages, especially free of charge, press releases are being used by almost all companies and organisations. It makes the editors desk full of news items everyday. However, giving space to all of them is obviously impossible. The editor will only choose