Press Releases

  For the diligent members of the marketing and PR workforce, the digital era has caused the lines between their formerly distinct roles to blur. On Wednesday, March 6, PR Newswire CEO Ninan Chacko spoke before Beijing members of the American Chamber of Commerce as part of the organization’s Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations Forum (MAP) to try and elucidate the changes within and challenges posed to two industries that increasingly overlap. Also presenting: Thomas Mattia, Chairman of the Daniel J. Edelman China Group, June Jin, chief marketing officer and…

Engaging readers with concise, consistent, accurate copy There are two false presumptions that prevail when first learning to write press releases: that it will be really easy, or really difficult. Approaching the task with either of these extremes in mind will undermine writers from the get-go, because in fact, the truth lies somewhere in between. With a little preparation and a basic understanding of both your company’s needs and the requirements of your newswire, crafting an effective press release can be speedy and painless. On the other hand, skipping that…

A: There have been many discussions over recent years about the death of the press release, and while I’ll be the first to admit that the press release has evolved during this time, it certainly hasn’t died. The press release is indeed alive and kicking, and if you are one of the few who truly believe that your organisation can live without sending press releases, here’s what you’re missing:   1. Press Releases can be the Foundation of Your Content Marketing Content marketing is about driving profitable consumer actions. In…

  In 1911, Arthur Brisbane was quoted in an article on publicity and journalism saying that pictures speak a thousand words. Fast forward more than 100 years, and while this remains true and more pertinent than ever for PR and communications professionals, the simple truth is that not enough people are taking any notice. As you can see from my #Infographic of the Week, the journalists of this world clearly love images and videos, but the reality for PR and communications folks is that they don’t see it. And, I…

2012 has already seen a steady increase in the number of Chinese press releases my team is handling; up from the 12,000 or so seen in 2011. Now, I’m obviously delighted to see our traffic continue to increase, especially given the impressive growth in releases that we see from internationally-based companies looking to generate exposure in China; however, there is a strikingly important observation that I would like to share with everyone – writing a great English headline doesn’t automatically translate into a great Chinese headline. This observation is a…