When News is Not Newsworthy

In preparing a byline feature story recently I found myself scouring the web for new and noteworthy innovations. What I found was a tremendous amount of recycled repackaged promotional messaging – which begs the question – when is news newsworthy?

With the sad realization that basic PR tenets have appeared to escape even some of the most high profile companies today I offer a few suggestions to avoid putting out less than useful information for those that may want to promote your company:

Don’t Fudge the Figures.

While trying to keep your company top-of-mind among journalists and editors is an admirable goal be careful you’re not top-of-mind for all the wrong reasons. A news release or feature story that deals with figures such as sales or attendance at an event being “up” begs the question “compared to what?” Any editor worth their salt is going to ask that question – and not having solid backup for the claim when pressed for specifics compromises your credibility.

Don’t Practice Blatant Repackaging.

As the saying goes you can put lipstick on a pig – but it’s still a pig. One release about your company’s new product launch is really enough. Writing three incarnations of the same new product release with slightly different slants for the same target media group is overkill. (e.g. three releases about the same sports bottle product launch: one written for cyclists in mind another for camping enthusiasts and yet another for urban commuters - all offered up for the same media). Practicing blatant recycling (and posting all three releases to your company’s online newsroom) can be really effective at stunting media's further site navigation for source material. In contrast three separate releases distributed discreetly to three different targeted media segments is fine.

Don’t Use Releases for Promotional Offers.

News releases are really not the place for purely promotional offers such as buy-one-get-one limited time offers. These messages have their own place and are better suited to Twitter a 'special offers' tab on your website and e-blasts to your target audiences. Editors and journalists are more pressed for time than ever with the downsizing of the publishing industry – and generally don’t have the wherewithal (or patience) to sift through promotional messages dressed as news releases. Let's remember that they are called news releases for a reason and need to contain some worthwhile news not hype.

Meet Your Quota Without Compromising Your Reputation.

Instead – why not dig deeper for developments within your industry in order to stay top-of-mind with the media? Identify the appropriate person at your organization to weigh in on a particular industry issue and actively promote that person to media as a resource for editorial development. Whether consumer advocacy industry preservation or the advancement of a philanthropic cause your company supports – all will serve you better than “news” that isn’t newsworthy. Meeting news release quotas without the goods to back each release up isn’t doing your company any favors.

Have an opinion on this topic to share? Leave a comment – we’d love to hear it!