Web Ink Now

When you have more than one blog, mistakes happen

I have two of my own blogs and write for several others. All are on TypePad and I access them through the same application.

This afternoon I was intending to post on my Apollo Artifacts blog information about my new Lunar Module decent stage engine that is currently displayed in my living room.

Whoops! I posted it on Web Ink Now by mistake. It is easy to delete a post, but once it goes out on RSS feeds, there isn't anything you can do about it.

If a weird post about a rocket engine appeared in your feeds, that was my screw up. Sorry!

Sun Microsystems shakes up traditional disclosure by announcing its financial results via the Web and RSS first, then via press release

Yesterday evening after the close of Wall Street trading, Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ: SUNW) reported results for its fourth quarter and full fiscal year, which ended June 30, 2007.

But Sun made the announcement in a new way, releasing the news first via the company IR website and RSS feeds and then ten minutes later through a news release sent to one of the press release distribution services.

While this may seem to be a small and obscure change, it signals that Sun takes Web dissemination of information very seriously. I think it also reveals to interested people (media, analysts, customers, and employees) that if you really want to know what’s going on at Sun, the most timely and comprehensive information is available on the Sun site, Sun RSS feeds, and via Sun employee bloggers.

Wow!

After talking for years about how and why marketers and PR professionals need to think like a publisher and create Web content that people want to consume, Sun provides a great example.

Jonathan Schwartz, chief executive officer and president of Sun Microsystems, announced the move on his blog in a post called Truly Fair Disclosure. Schwartz writes: "We will announce our results to the general public via Sun's IR web site before making that same information available through the third party news services that traditionally distribute such information to paying subscribers."

Neil Hershberg, Senior Vice President, Global Media at Business Wire jumped in with a blog post titled SUN'S SOLAR ECLIPSE: A Return to the Dark Age of Disclosure. Hershberg writes: "Sun’s decision to disclose via the web and RSS feeds, followed by broad wire delivery, is disclosure deja vu–a return to the bad old days before Reg FD made an earnest attempt to level the playing field."

In another twist to what this means for disclosure, Newstex, a company that distributes news and blog feeds to companies and third party information services such as LexisNexis announced that it will deliver the earnings release directly by taking it first via Sun's RSS feeds. Since Newstes also distributes PR Newswire, Larry Schwartz, Newstex President (no relation to Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz) writes on his blog the obvious, that some people will receive the news twice: "Newstex will import Sun's Earning Release via Sun's RSS Feed and then distribute it in real time to our customers who receive the Newstex Press Release newsfeeds. Thus our customers will receive it in real time from Sun and then 10 minutes later from Sun via PR Newswire."

I think Sun's move is a brilliant one. I disagree that it is a move backwards in disclosure for a simple reason: Anybody can have access to Sun's RSS feeds directly (or via services like Newstex) just like anyone can have access to PR Newswire, Business Wire, and the other news release dissemination services. The bad old days of disclosure were when select Wall Street analysts got news first, leaving the average investor in the dark. This is different.

However, I do think it is critical that any company who wishes to follow Sun's lead and deliver important information via the Web and RSS ALWAYS use a news release distribution service in addition. Why? Because in order to get the news into Yahoo Finance, Google News, and many other places that people go for timely news and information you must send the press release to one of the wire services.

So while the Sun case example is certainly an important milestone, I don't think it signals danger to the news release wires. In fact I think the opposite is true. As I've said for years, news release wires are a fantastic way for companies to reach people directly because tens of millions of regular people (who are not journalists) read news releases directly via Google News, Yahoo News, vertical market sites and alerting systems.

+++++

Disclosures:
1. I am on the Newstex board of advisors and provide marketing strategy services to the company.
2. I participated on a Webinar and other marketing-related initiatives with PR Newswire and I have delivered presentations for user groups and done other promotional work for several other press release distribution companies.

The New Rules for Reaching the Media (Hint: Broadcast media pitches are spam)

As the Web has made communicating with reporters and editors extremely easy, breaking through using the online methods everyone else uses has become increasingly difficult.

These days, you can find the e-mail addresses of reporters in seconds, either through commercial services that sell subscriptions to their databases of thousands of journalists or simply by using a search engine. Unfortunately, way too many PR people are spamming journalists with unsolicited and unrelenting commercial messages in the form of news releases and untargeted broadcast pitches.

I deliver much more on this topic in my upcoming book: The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to use news releases, blogs, podcasts, viral marketing and online media to reach your buyers directly which comes out in June 2007 from Wiley. Pre-order your copy today! (thanks.)

I hate to say it, but for me and among the many other journalists I speak with, the PR profession has become synonymous with spammers. For years, PR people have been shotgun-blasting news releases and blind pitches to hundreds (or even thousands) of journalists at a time—without giving any thought to what each reporter actually covers—just because the media databases we subscribe to make it so darn simple to do. Barraging large groups of journalists with indiscriminate PR materials is not a good strategy to get reporters and editors to pay attention to you.

NON -TARGETED, BROADCAST MEDIA PITCHES ARE SPAM

As I've said on this blog many times, I get dozens of news releases, pitches, and announcements from PR agency staffers and corporate communications people every business day because I write for EContent Magazine (I’m a contributing editor) and other publications on a freelance basis.

Like all journalists, my e-mail address is available in many places: in the articles I write, on my blog, and at magazine Web sites. That easy availability means that my address has also been added to various databases and lists of journalists. Unfortunately, my e-mail address also gets added (without my permission) to many "press lists" that PR agencies and companies compile and maintain; whenever they have a new announcement, no matter what the subject, I'm part of the broadcast message. Ugh.

The PR spam approach simply doesn't work. Worse, it brands your organization as one of the "bad guys."

OK, that’s the depressing news. The good news is that there are effective "New Rules" approaches that work very well to get your messages into the hands (and onto the screens) of reporters so they will be more likely to write about you. Don't forget that reporters are always looking for interesting companies, products, and ideas to write about. They want to find you. If you have great content on your Web site and your online media room, reporters will find you via search engines.

Try to think about ways to reach journalists that aren't just one-way spam. Pay attention to what individual reporters write about by reading their stories (and, better yet, their blogs) and write specific and targeted pitches crafted especially for them. Or start a real relationship with reporters by commenting on their blogs or sending them information that is not just a blatant pitch for your company.

Become part of journalists' network of sources, rather than simply a shill for one company's message. If you or someone in your organization writes a blog in the space that a reporter covers, let them know about it, because what you blog about may become prime fodder for the reporter’s future stories. Don't forget to pitch bloggers. Not only does a mention in a widely read blog reach your buyers, reporters and editors read these blogs for story ideas and to understand early market trends.

THE NEW RULES OF MEDIA RELATIONS

The Web has changed the rules. If you’re still following the traditional PR techniques, I'm sure you're finding that they are ineffective. So to be much more successful, consider The New Rules of Media Relations:

> Non-targeted, broadcast pitches are spam.

> News releases sent to reporters in subject areas they do not cover are spam.

> Reporters who don't know you yet are looking for organizations like yours and products like yours. Make sure they will find you on sites such as Google and Technorati.

> If you blog, reporters who cover the space will find you.

> Pitch bloggers, because being covered in important blogs will get you noticed by mainstream media.

> When was the last news release you sent? Make sure your organization is "busy."

> Journalists want a great online media room!

> Some (but not all) reporters love RSS feeds.

> Personal relationships with reporters are important.

> Don't tell journalists what your product does. Tell them how you solve customer problems.

> Does the reporter have a blog? Read it. Comment on it. Track back to it.

> Before you pitch, read (or listen to or watch) the publication (or radio program or TV show) you’ll be pitching to!

> Once you know what a reporter is interested in, send her an individualized pitch crafted especially for her needs.

The New Rules of PR ebook: Revised and updated for 2007

The New Rules of PR – a new and updated edition of the ebook for 2007 with a forward and newsmaker tips by David McInnis, founder & CEO of PRWeb, a Vocus Company.

When I first released my ebook The new rules of PR: How to create a press release strategy for reaching buyers directly by posting it on my site and my blog and sending a press release out about it in mid-January 2006, I thought I might get a few thousand downloads. Imagine my surprise when the ebook was downloaded more than 15,000 times in just the first week!

Since then, I have been happily watching the wave of interest from this effort and am amazed by the metrics:
> When I first put it out, there was precisely one hit on Google for the exact phrase "new rules of pr." The last time I checked there were over 9,000 Google hits because hundreds of bloggers and online media outlets have written about the ebook and thousands of readers have commented on my blog and others.
> As I write this, it is nearly a year since the release of the first edition and more than 150,000 people have downloaded it (so far).
> An expanded hardcover edition The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to use news releases, blogs, podcasts, viral marketing and online media to reach your buyers directly is due out in June 2007 from Wiley (you can pre-order the book on Amazon now).

David McInnis, founder & CEO of PRWeb, a Vocus Company, was among the very first people to download the ebook, write about it on his blog, and help push the viral marketing buzz. David suggested doing a second edition of the ebook and I am pleased that he has not only written a forward for it, but also contributed a series of newsmaker tips. David and the team at PRWeb have pioneered social media tools for press releases such as tagging and trackbacks, so he is the ideal person to put his stamp on this new and improved edition.

Download your complimentary copy of the second edition of The New Rules of PR now.

A press release about the new edition of the ebook went out today. (Hey this is an ebook about using press releases to reach buyers directly, so you should at least check out the press release about it, don’t you think!)

If you read the first edition, welcome back! If you are reading The New Rules of PR for the first time, prepare to learn about a new way to get your organization noticed on the Web.

The Social Media Press Release Live at the Social Media Club

Yesterday was the second monthly meeting of the Social Media Club Boston. You could say it was the Todd and Todd show— Todd Van Hoosear of Topaz Partners hosted the event in his famously engaging style and the guest speaker was Todd Defren, Principal of Shift Communications. I had gotten to know Todd squared over the past few years, so was looking forward to the evening.

The Social Media Club is the place where people come together to discuss the new world of social media. The idea is "if you get it, share it." I've gotten a lot out of the club so a few months ago I kicked in my dollars as a co-founder. Anyone who is involved in social media should join. There are a dozen chapters in three countries—not bad since the club was formed in August 2006. Howard Greenstein was at yesterdays meeting which was held in the Network World conference room. He's one of the driving forces behind the club.

Todd Defren talked about his groundbreaking social media press release. The template was launched in early 2006 to make it easy to for people to remember all the various tags and other features (such as associated photos and audio feeds) of a well executed news release.

A few months ago, I interviewed Defren for my newest book The New Rules of Marketing and PR (coming in June 2007 in hardcover from Wiley). "All news release content will ultimately wind up on the Web," he says. "So why not put it out in such a way that makes it accessible to anybody who can use that content? Both traditional and new media journalists are used to working in a hyperlinked environment and are used to people providing context through social bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us and buttons to add to DIGG. The template makes it easy to remember to do all of those things."

Defren's template is an excellent tool to use as you develop your news releases because it helps you get the most out of all the available features that can make the release more useful and easier to find.

At the club meeting, Defren outlined the goals for the social media press release template:
> Democratize access
> Make news release available to anyone who wants to read it
> Embrace accuracy
> Embrace context through social bookmarking and tagging
> Build community via blog conversations of the release
> Be findable

Basically every news release becomes a mini Web site.

But I would take the template further to say that news releases are NOT just for the press! Buyers are reading news releases and you need to write them to reach buyers. Google News, Yahoo News, vertical market sites and RSS feeds all deliver news releases to consumers. The template helps to identify the things that BUYERS want to see as well and that should be the focus. In my opinion journalists are secondary. Radical? Maybe.

So I think the social media press release needs one more component—search terms. Communicators should be thinking of the search terms that their buyers use and add them as appropriate to the release. Todd, consider adding a new box in your template that reminds people to identify search terms. Remember, a news release is for reaching all of your constituents directly, not just the media and many people find a release on the search engines.

Really Simple Marketing: The importance of RSS feeds in your online media room

Smart organizations are using RSS (Really Simple Syndication) to easily update prospects, customers, investors, and the media, but too few organizations are using this really simple marketing technique for sharing valuable information.

Because they are essentially subscription mechanisms to regularly updated content, many organizations have the RSS subscription page as part of the online media room and use it as a primary way to deliver news release content. RSS feeds are great when offered as part of online media rooms; this pushes content directly to the media (and other interested people).

Companies such as Microsoft and IBM syndicate information via RSS feeds to reach specific external audiences such as the media, Wall Street analysts, customers, partners, distributors, and resellers. Intel offers a suite of feeds that includes Intel Products, Intel Press Room, Intel Investor Relations, Software at Intel, Networking and Communications, Intel Reseller Center, and IT@Intel. It also offers country-specific RSS feeds from Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and others.

How cool is it that interested people subscribe to just-right corporate information from Intel in the same way that they subscribe to media feeds from major newspaper and magazine sites and those of independent bloggers? This is just another example of how the main currency of online marketing is excellent content delivered in the way that people demand.

The online media room is a place where many people congregate, not just journalists. It is one place on your organization’s Web site that you can control, without interference, approval processes, and IT support, so it presents a terrific opportunity for marketing and PR people to get content out into the marketplace. On the Web, success equals content. And one of the easiest ways to get content into the market is via an online media room with RSS feeds.

The Online Media Room: Your front door for buyers (yes, buyers!)

The online media room (sometimes called a press room or press page) is the part of your organization's Web site that you create specifically for the media. In some organizations this page is simply a list of news releases with contact information for the organization's PR person. But many companies and nonprofits have elaborate online media rooms with a great deal of information available in many different formats: audio, video, photos, news releases, background information, financial data, and much more. A close cousin to the online media room is the online Investor Relations room that many public companies maintain.

I want you to consider something that is vitally important: all kinds of people visit your online media room, not just journalists.

Stop and really let that soak in for a moment.

Your buyers are snooping around your organization by visiting the media pages on your Web site. Your current customers, partners, investors, suppliers, and employees all visit those pages. Why is that? Based on casual research I've done (I often speak with people who are responsible for their organizations' online media rooms about visitor statistics), I'm convinced that when people want to know what’s current about an organization, they go to an online media room.

Visitors expect that the main pages of a Web site are basically static (i.e., they do not update often), but they also expect that the news releases and media-targeted pages on a site will reveal the very latest about a company. For many companies, the news release section is one of the most frequently visited parts of the Web site. Check out your own Web site statistics; you may be amazed at how many visitors are already reading your news releases and other media pages online.

So I want you to do something that many traditional PR people think is nuts. I want you to design your online media room for your buyers. By building a media room that targets buyers, you will not only enhance those pages as a powerful marketing tool, you will also make a better media site for journalists.

For instance, you can create different links to targeted releases for different buyer personas (maybe by vertical market or some other demographic factor appropriate to your organization). You might also organize releases by product, by geography, or by market served. Most organizations simply list news releases in reverse-chronological order (the newest release is at the top of the page, and ones from last year are hidden away somewhere). While this is fine for the main news release page, you need to have additional navigation links so people can browse the releases.

I've reviewed hundreds of online media rooms, and the best ones are built with buyers in mind. This approach may sound a bit radical, but believe me, it works.

Press release distribution business consolidation should benefit marketers

As I continue to say to anyone who will listen (or read) press releases are one of the best ways companies can reach buyers directly.

We all have choice when it comes to press release distribution.

I find it fascinating that 2006 four significant press release distribution services have been rolled up into new ownership structures. My take is that this is good for marketers and communicators because the consolidation will make the wires more competitive, putting downward pressure on fees and forcing upgrades to service an innovation.

These deals also means that the middle tier of press release distribution services are no longer "independent". We’ve now got consolidation into several big services or big pocket owners. These deals and the valuations placed on the companies also tell me that press release distribution is a good business and my take is that it will only get better under new ownership. There are still a slew of small press release distribution services out there.

Here’s a recap of the deals:

October 2, 2006 -- PR Newswire acquires U.S. Newswire
Yesterday, PR Newswire, a top press release distribution service for corporations (owned by United Business Media) acquired U.S. Newswire from Medialink Worldwide. U.S. Newswire became the first news release distribution vehicle dedicated solely to servicing the needs of public information officers within governmental agencies, public interest groups, not-for-profit organizations, civic groups, unions, colleges and universities, cultural organizations, research organizations, political organizations and foreign embassies.
My take: One of the two biggest corporate press release distribution services teaming up with a major public and non-profit distribution service extends the reach of PRNewswire in a good way.

August 7, 2006 Vocus acquires PRWeb
Direct to consumer news release pioneer PRWeb teams up with media communications leader Vocus. I find it fascinating that Vocus, a company with strength in the media relations aspect of communications services is bringing a direct to consumer news service into the fold.
My take: This deal confirms what many of us have been saying on this and other blogs about the lines between communicating with the media and communicating directly with buyers (The New Rules of PR) is blurring.

June 12, 2006 NASDAQ acquires PrimeZone Media Network
PrimeZone Media Network, a privately held, Los Angeles-based firm specializing in press release newswire and multimedia services was acquired by the NASDAQ Stock Exchange. PrimeZone's comprehensive suite of information distribution and multimedia services becomes a part of the NASDAQ Investor Relations and Corporate Communications suite.
My take: For NASDAQ listed companies, issuing releases through PrimeZone means there is a one-stop shop for PR and IR and when compbined with other recent NASDAQ acquisitions such as Shareholder.com, the lives of communications people at NASDAQ listed companies should be made easier.

April 3, 2006 - CCNMatthews acquired Market Wire
CCNMatthews is one of Canada's leading newswires and Market Wire is a full-service distributor of company press releases and material news in the US. In April, the companies announced that CCNMatthews was acquiring 100% of Market Wire to join forces to form the full-service newswire with largest media distribution footprint in North America.
My take: This deal is interesting because it brings together big players in the U.S. and Canada into one service making it easy to distribute releases to the media and buyers in North America at once.

January 17, 2006 Berkshire Hathaway acquires BusinessWire
Berkshire Hathaway, of course, is controlled by legendary investor Warren Buffett. In making the announcement, Buffett said: "In making this acquisition of Business Wire, we have followed our blueprint of buying profitable companies that are industry leaders, yet have significant growth potential. We quickly realized that Business Wire was a gem of a company. I expect Business Wire to continue to do what it has always done and I'll be there if I can help in any way."
My take: If Warren Buffett sees value in a press release distribution service, it must be a good business for the long term.

Bottom line: You have a choice in how you distribute press releases. The important things to consider before you send a release through any service are:
1. What reach does the service have into the ways that buyers search for news such as Google News, Yahoo News, vertical portals and online news sites?
2. What reach does the service have into the media that you want to target?
3. What value added social media tools such as tagging via Technorati, DIGG, and del.icio.us does the service provide?

Compare the various services and the pricing levels and choose accordingly. "We've always sent releases through XYZ wire" is not a good reason to continue to use that service.

The New Rules of PR at CCNMatthews and Market Wire

Yesterday I had the pleasure of being a guest speaker at the CCNMatthews and Market Wire sales and marketing conference.

CCNMatthews is one of Canada's leading newswires and Market Wire is a full-service distributor of company press releases and material news in the US. In April, the companies announced that CCNMatthews was acquiring 100% of Market Wire to join forces to form the full-service newswire with largest media distribution footprint in North America.

This conference was the first time that the entire sales and marketing teams and executives of the companies had come together and I thank them for inviting me to present my ideas on The New Rules of Marketing and PR and the use of news releases to reach buyers directly.

Executives I spoke with share my excitement about the tremendous future of the news release as a critically important vehicle to reach buyers directly. We agreed that news distribution services providing valuable features for reaching buyers such as Search Engine Optimization, social media tools, and RSS feeds have a bright a future. There was a definite buzz in the room as the entire sales and marketing team looked to the year ahead.

PR professionals and marketers have a choice with press release distribution services. The competition is healthy and benefits everyone—organizations issuing releases, the media that follow them, and consumers who are looking for products to solve problems.

Guess what? Press releases have never been exclusively for the press

My first job in the mid-1980s was on a Wall Street trading desk. Every day, I would come to work and watch the Dow Jones Telerate and Reuters screens as they displayed specialized financial data, economic information, and stock prices. The screens also displayed news feeds, and within these news feeds were press releases. For decades, financial markets professionals have had access to company press releases distributed through BusinessWire, PRNewswire, Market Wire and other electronic press release distribution services. And they weren't just for publicly traded corporations; any company’s release would appear in trading rooms within seconds.

I distinctly remember traders intently watching the newswires for any signs of market-moving events. Often the headline of a press release would cause frenzy: "Did you see? IBM is acquiring a software company!" "It's on the wire; Boeing just got a 20-plane order from Singapore Airlines!" For years, markets often moved and stock prices rose and fell based on the raw press release content issued directly by companies, not on the news stories written minutes or hours later by reporters from newswire outlets like Reuters and Dow Jones (and later Bloomberg).

Press releases have also been available to professionals working within corporations, government agencies, and law firms, all of which have had access to raw press releases through services like NewsEdge and Factiva. These services have been delivering press releases to all kinds of professionals for competitive intelligence, research, discovery, and other purposes for decades.

Of course, since about 1995, the wide availability of the web has meant that press releases have been available for free to anyone with an Internet connection and Web browser.

Millions of people read press releases directly, unfiltered by the media. You need to be speaking directly to them!

As I tell this story to PR pros, I hear cries of "Hang on! We disagree! The role of public relations and the purpose of the press release as a tool are about communicating with the media." For an example of this thinking, look to Steve Rubel, one of the most influential PR bloggers in the world. He responded to my ideas about press releases by writing a post on his blog titled Direct to Consumer Press Releases Suck.

OK, let's take a look at traditional PR folks' objection. According to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), "Public Relations is the professional discipline that ethically fosters mutually beneficial relationships among social entities." In 1988, the governing body of the PRSA – its Assembly – formally adopted a definition of public relations that has become the most accepted and widely used. "Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other." 
 Nowhere does this description mention the media. PR is about reaching your audience. PR is not just about the media.

I think many PR professionals have a fear of the unknown. They don't understand how to communicate directly with consumers and want to live in the past, when there was no choice but to use the media as a mouthpiece. I also think there's a widely held view about the "purity" of the press release as a tool for the press. PR professionals don't want to know that tens of millions of people have the power to read their releases directly. It's easier to imagine a closed audience of a dozen reporters. But this argument is based on fear, not the facts; there is no good reason why organizations shouldn't communicate directly to their audiences, without a media filter, via releases.

Obviously, the first word of the term "press release" throws off some people, particularly PR professionals. I moderated a virtual debate for the International Association of Online Communicators (IAOC) that touched on this issue. Via the IAOC blog and this blog, many people commented on direct-to-consumer releases. The consensus of the dozens of professional communicators who weighed in was to call releases aimed at consumers "news releases."

Sounds good to me, so in the book I am currently writing and on this blog, I'll now refer to direct-to-consumer releases as "news releases." Thanks for your input on this!