When most people think of media relations, they think of press releases. To be sure, writing and distributing them is one of the most important parts of the job. But press releases may be the most overused tool in the media professional’s arsenal to the detriment of other tools that might have greater results.
When I worked in broadcast news for ABC News and CNN, the fax machines virtually never stopped. We got press releases by the dozen, and by the end of each day, we had a ream of press releases. They each had something in common. They each went unread.
To break through the clutter, you’d be wise to occasionally skip the press release and send a personalized note to a reporter instead. This works particularly well when offering a reporter an