I hate bad press releases just as much as anyone.
โThe press release is dead,โ you say. Well, calm down, killer.
Today and tomorยญrow, busiยญnesses will still have to issue offiยญcial stateยญments to the genยญerยญal pubยญlic. The pracยญtice of sendยญing out press releases isnโt going away anyยญtime soon.
However, I agree that quite a few bad pubยญlic relaยญtions pracยญtices for press releases existโโโand they drive me crazy, too.
Here we go:
Bad Press Release Practices
โPublic relaยญtions pracยญtiยญtionยญers should assess their impact on sociยญety and strive for coรถperยญatยญive relaยญtionยญships with journยญalยญists to enhance a free and open exchange of ideas.โ
Source: Public Relations Review 1Cutlip, S. (1980). Foundation lecยญture: Public relaยญtions in American Society. Public Relations Review, 6, 3โโโ17. https://โdoiโ.org/โ1โ0โ.โ1โ0โ1โ6โ/โSโ0โ3โ6โ3โ-โ8โ1โ1โ1โ(โ8โ0โ)โ8โ0โ032โโโ4
Bad Practice: Spray-and-Pray
Thereโs nothยญing wrong with creยญatยญing a not-so-interยญestยญing press release and adding it to your online newsยญroom. Even though it might not be attractยญive to anyยญone outยญside the organยญizยญaยญtion, these press releases add to your brandโs timeline and proยญgress, like mileยญstone markers.
However, if this is the type of press release youโve creยญated, why not just upload it to your online newsยญroom and be done with it? Do you have to send it to every journยญalยญist on your list even though you know beforeยญhand that they wonโt be interยญested in pickยญing it up?
Promoting these types of press releases costs real time and money, and they also tend to irritยญate the recipยญiยญents. The spray-and-pray tacยญtic is potenยญtially causยญing more harm than anyยญthing else. 2Publicly traded comยญpanยญies in most counยญtries are obliged by the law to disยญtribยญute any new informยญaยญtion via press releases to variยญous news outยญlets.
Bad Practice: The Platitude Sickness
Platitude Sickness: Trigger List
I hate corยญporยญate platยญitยญudes everyยญwhere I see them. I swear, a kitยญten dies every time.
โA platยญitยญude is a trite, meanยญingยญless, or proยญsaยญic stateยญment, genยญerยญally dirยญecยญted at quelling social, emoยญtionยญal, or cogยญnitยญive unease. The word derives from plat, the French word for โflat.โ Platitudes are geared towards presentยญing a shalยญlow, uniยญfyยญing wisยญdom over a difยญfiยญcult topยญic. However, they are too overยญused and genยญerยญal to be anyยญthing more than undirยญecยญted stateยญments with an ultiยญmately little meanยญingยญful conยญtriยญbuยญtion towards a soluยญtion.โ
Source: Wikipedia 3Platitude. (2023, December 9). In Wikipedia. https://โenโ.wikiโpeโdiaโ.org/โwโiโkโiโ/โPโlโaโtโiโtโude
Hereโs my โtrigยญger listโ of platitudes:
Getting rid of corยญporยญate platยญitยญudes is an uphill battle. They are such a waste of editยญorยญiยญal space and only lead straight to mediocrity.
Join the resistance!
Learn more: The Platitude Sickness: The Trash of Corporate Writing
Bad Practice: Corporate Cringe
Corporate Cringe
Many corยญporยญate texts are writยญten in poor taste. Unlike many othยญer creยญatยญive proยญfesยญsions, corยญporยญate comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions have someยญhow forยญgotยญten that havยญing great taste is an actuยญal skill.
I someยญtimes wonยญder if corยญporยญate comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions sufยญfer from an industry-wide shortยญage of good taste.
Here are some typยญicยญal examples of corยญporยญate cringe:
By being aware of these pitยญfalls, organยญisaยญtions can refine comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion strategies to ensure more authenยญtยญic and effectยญive engageยญment with their stakeยญholdยญers, influยญenยญcers, and pubยญlics.
More examples: https://โwwwโ.redโditโ.com/โrโ/โcโoโrโpโoโrโaโtโeโcโrโiโnโge/
A Difficult Conversation
Perhaps weโre drownยญing ourselves in corยญporยญate cringe since weโve nevยญer had this conversation.
Having worked as a corยญporยญate comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions adviser since 2005, Iโve told CEOs that their strategies are plain wrong. Iโve told marยญketers that theyโre hurtยญing their brand from short-sightedยญness. Iโve told comยญmuยญnicยญatยญors that theyโve spent huge budgets on unneยญcesยญsary activities.
Why? Because cliยญents pay me to be a truth-sayยญer.
Writing, howยญever, isโฆ a touchy subject.
Tell a head of comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions that their corยญporยญate comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion is cringe, and youโre out faster than their minยญions can slam the door behind you.
Telling anyยญone their writยญing sounds borยญing is roughโโโeven for meโโโbut it must be done.
If you drench corยญporยญate comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion with platยญitยญudes and uninยญspired, stale, and corny hyperยญboles, it does make a difference.
We might adequately plan, execute, and measยญure our activยญitยญies, but that wonโt matยญter if our comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion activยญitยญies sound corny.
Good Taste is a RareโโโBut ImportantโโโSkill
Unlike many othยญer creยญatยญive proยญfesยญsions, corยญporยญate comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions often seem obliยญviยญous to the importยญance of being โฆ tasteยญful. Our industryโs ignorยญance of what conยญstiยญtutes good taste is pecuยญliยญar because we ought to know better.
We are comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtion proยญfesยญsionยญals, after all.
Tonality isnโt just for copyยญwriters.
Look and feel isnโt just for art dirยญectยญors.
Great taste is a PR skill, too.
But thereโs a way out of this poorly lit tunยญnel of mediocrity. Weโre in a posยญiยญtion to mitยญigยญate cringe-worthy corยญporยญate messaging:
If youโre blessed with a colยญleague with a sense of taste, let them have their say. Donโt allow ego and hierยญarchy to get in the way of good communication.
Never settle, nevยญer give up.
Join the fight against corยญporยญate cringe.
Learn more: Corporate Cringe
Bad Practice: Weak Call-to-Actions
Imagine someone seeยญing a link to your press release on LinkedInโโโit could hapยญpen. Then, imaยญgine how that perยญson decides to read your press releases through to the end. Such an indiยญviduยญal is actยญively interยญested in what you have to say, which makes this perยญson highly valuable.
But hereโs whatโs drivยญing me crazy: People who read your press releases from beginยญning to end are essenยญtial. So, what call-to-action (CTA) are you offerยญing these VIPs?
โFor more informยญaยญtion, please contact โฆโ
I swear a kitยญten dies every time here, too.
Include a clear call to action at the end of your press releases. Tell your readยญers why they should get in touch and explain whatโs in it for them if they do.
Anyone who reads your press releases all through deserves it!
THANKS FOR READING.
Need PR help? Hire me here.
Annotations
1 | Cutlip, S. (1980). Foundation lecยญture: Public relaยญtions in American Society. Public Relations Review, 6, 3โโโ17. https://โdoiโ.org/โ1โ0โ.โ1โ0โ1โ6โ/โSโ0โ3โ6โ3โ-โ8โ1โ1โ1โ(โ8โ0โ)โ8โ0โ032โโโ4 |
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2 | Publicly traded comยญpanยญies in most counยญtries are obliged by the law to disยญtribยญute any new informยญaยญtion via press releases to variยญous news outlets. |
3 | Platitude. (2023, December 9). In Wikipedia. https://โenโ.wikiโpeโdiaโ.org/โwโiโkโiโ/โPโlโaโtโiโtโude |