"Why are we still writing press releases" is a 2014 conference presentation exploring the relevance and changing landscape of published news articles in higher education public relations efforts.

1. Why are we still
writing press
releases?
Gregory E. Kie
@GKie

2. The news
industry is
changing
dramatically

3. Are we changing
with it?

4. A Facebook post probably reaches your
target audience more effectively

5. We can learn a lot from the changing
landscape of The New York Times.

8. We are writing in a style that died along
with blast faxes

9. “90 percent of everything is
crap.” - Sturgeon’s Law

10. “If you throw enough crap
against the wall, some of it
is bound to stick.”
-Something I
learned at
#SUNYCUAD

11. Too much crap brings about
a bigger problem:
Lack of Discovery

12. So why are we still writing
press releases?

13. Answer: My supervisor, vice
president or college president
told me to.

14. Lesson: Avoid Marketing Language

15. “For our purposes, marketing
language, exaggeration and
aggrandizement are of little value
and require work to remove
them.” –Craig Frielich,
northcountrynow.com

17. Never discount local outlets
It’s easier to republish a news
article once it’s been recognized.
Upsell your news based on
previous coverage.

18. Case Study - Kevin Manne
@k3v2

19. “It went bonkers.”

20. “Don’t write the story for us or use
cute lead-ins. Provide the
information in a concise way and
let us decide.” – Paul Riede,
Syracuse Media Group

21. We should write NEWS
releases, not PRESS
releases.

22. We should NOT pepper
every media outlet with
every release

23. Social media cannot be an
afterthought, it should be
integrated into the press
release strategy.

24. Watch what you put out on the
wire. Does a story about two staff
members sponsoring a bowling
tournament need national
attention?

25. Remember the inverted pyramid

26. Use readMedia’s Merit to send
targeted student news releases

27. Above all, know your audience.
Then write for them.

28. Always include a picture

29. “When you can write the
type of press release that is
aligned with the news
media’s own goals and
needs, they'll not only print
the release but thank you
for it.” – Colin Matthews,
CEO, readMedia