Communications

There is a current debate within the marketing world regarding traditional PR strategies versus New Media strategies (blogs, podcasts, SEO, RSS, Wikis, etc.). Some are calling for PR professionals to abandon traditional strategies and tactics and rely solely upon New Media vehicles. Ironically, most of those calling for change are not PR professionals, but rather web/interactive consultants. These New Media advocates are convinced that traditional PR is dead and that PR practitioners must change PR completely in order to survive. However, I, like most PR associates, completely disagree. PR that focuses on these New Media communication vehicles is sometimes called PR 2.0, positioning traditional PR as somehow archaic. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
New Media strategies are touted for their ability to speak directly to the consumer or end-user. Some argue that press releases should be written directly to this audience. However; this argument is flawed. Press releases should still be written with the journalist as the intended reader. Ask yourself, when was the last time you searched out a press release online to research an item before buying it?
Here’s a personal example: I recently purchased RIM’s Blackberry 8700.  As a consumer, I didn’t search out RIM’s press releases. I looked for reviews in traditional media outlets that included the Wall Street Journal and CNET. I knew the product had been tried and tested by these reviewers. Seeing that the reviews were positive, I purchased the mobile device.
The point of this example—it’s all about credibility. The third-party endorsement and perceived expertise of the traditional media is still a powerful force in driving consumer action. If RIM would have solely relied on a PR 2.0 strategy for its product announcement, I would have likely “bumped into” the Blackberry 8700 press release, but I would have missed out on the third-party validation provided by trusted media outlets.
When done correctly, press releases do exactly what they’re designed to do. A press release’s core function is to inform and influence a journalist to write favorable about the material issue. Press releases also document a company’s progress and can act as an official company statement. Also, some technology companies, Novell for example, will issue statements containing technology updates to their user base, but they are very careful not to call them press releases because of the legal implications.
Traditional PR, using conventional media (print, broadcast, radio, online news, etc.), is not going away. If that were the case, then why are there more magazines, TV stations and radio stations that ever before? Not all PR is focused on the technology industry where the audience is tech savvy. According to a recent survey, only 39 percent of Internet users read blogs and only eight percent of Internet users keep a blog (Pew Internet & American Life Project). Also, PR being done on the local level would have to use local and regional media to reach that audience. For these audiences, a blog or podcast would be much less effective.
That being said, New Media absolutely has its place in PR. Traditional PR focuses on pushing content to targeted journalists. Incorporating New Media tactics will pull journalists to you. It’s very difficult to push a blog or RSS feed to a journalist. Thus, savvy PR pros who understand this are incorporating these new tactics, leveraging a push and pull strategy that is extremely effective in creating awareness for an organization.
Blogs and podcasts are great ways for companies to establish a brand, put a human face on their organization, build industry leadership and reach opinion leaders and the media. RSS news feeds can offer visitors to a company’s website or online news centers a way to get relevant information. Every time new content goes up on the site, visitors who have subscribed to the feed are alerted and brought back to the site to read the new content.
All PR materials, especially press releases, should be optimized for search engines. This significantly increases the potential to attract the media, industry influencers, investors or partners who are researching a company via the Internet. These new tools are just that—tools. When combined with traditional PR tools, they make the overall PR toolbox that much stronger. What does that mean for companies? Greater awareness, mindshare and thought leadership, which ultimately leads to increased revenue.