Let the axe fall on press releases soon – Blogging is the new ‘IT’

November 10 th, 2007

by Marsha Maung

Never did like writing press releases but I did it because some people continued to view it as a sustainable part of spreading the message online and also it brought bread on the table. But in all honesty, press releases are hardly honest at all. You know how people say that the only newsworthy material and public worthy statements and feedback comes, not from the company itself, but from others! Press releases are exactly the opposite of that – I mean, COME ON, let’s wake up and look at it closely. Back to the pre-Internet days, yes, writing a press release and sending it out to newspaper editors works because….erm….yeah, that was the only way to get the word out. You see, you get someone to write a nice piece about how amazing and revolutionary a new product is designed by such-and-such company and given xx number of awards and that it is soon change XX number of lives. The press releases often sing its own songs and if you work as a newspaper editor or one of a magazine, you’ll know. Press releases mean nothing to anyone at all!

Now, it’s even worse. Media moguls and Internet gurus are ready to let the axe fall on ‘press release’. It no longer works so why not just let it die an early death? How many people actually looks at or searched for press releases anymore, these days. Most of us are going into blogs or performing a blog search for latest news whereby we can find a rainforest of useful information provided by everyday people like you and me and the four-eyed Internet freak living downstairs from you. It should be affecting people like me, who are genuinely promotes client’s websites with proper search engine marketing techniques but it does. You see, many people are still writing press releases and releasing it out into the search engines and this is something I call the wire pollution! The press releases serve no purpose whatsoever now because no one reads them anymore! The buzz from press releases no longer work, you see. In fact, search engine marketing folks have started giving up on writing press releases which is now deemed as a self-praising form of marketing.

Here’s what I would look at things. OK, press releases are now released into the Internet as opposed to be faxed to the editor’s office these days, right? So, the search engines are capturing all this and listing them down in their search engines. That means anyone can find the press releases, you’re following? But according to stats, more and more people are looking to blogs for new information and would automatically disregard press releases!

When put side by side, the press release can be found by end-users but are written by the company blowing its own horn. Blogs are written by common folks outside of the company and can ALSO be found by end-users. If you were to search for handbags online and you came to two web pages. One, a press release written by XX Company saying that they’re patented handbag design is theft-proof and blah blah blah. And the other web blog page belonging to Jane Doe who says that XYZ handbag is completely theft-free….who are you going to believe?

Nuff said! From the fact alone, we should already know that press release is a dead thing and yet, many people are still saturating the Internet with senseless press releases. One thing before I end this thing….many decades ago, in order to get a press release out, it would cost you a lot of money because you have to hire people who know media insiders to get the press release through. Nowadays, any Tom, Dick and Harry can write his or her own press release and send it out via free online press release engines! In short, not only are press releases not worthy of being read, they’re not worth a single cent either.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marsha Maung is a freelance blog content writer, freelance web content provider who has been in the business for eight years and counting. She resides in Selangor, Malaysia and is known as one of the first few Asian search engine copywriters who kicked butts! For more of her successful tactics of reaching top ranking in search engines, log onto http://www.marshamaung.com for samples and details.