Press Release turns 100

I had the opportunity to attend a 100-year celebration of sorts this week. We were celebrating the “100th anniversary of Ivy Lee's first press release”. In honor of this milestone, Business Wire sponsored a panel discussion to “explore why PR is once again on the rise, while traditional advertising and marketing are under attack in today's shifting media marketplace.”

For many companies and organizations, the Press Release serves as the primary vehicle of communication to the public-at-large. We were treated to a nostalgic look from the past to present day, as well as some insight into what might be seen in the future as everyone grabs for more attention and visibility.

The guest speakers (panelists) included: Prof. Dulcie Straughan, Ph.D., Head of PR in the School of Journalism & Mass Communication at UNC Chapel Hill,  Shawn Ramsey, President and Founder of Crossroads PR, and Jennifer Sherron, NC PRSA Vice President, Manager for Corporate Communications of R.H. Donnelley.

I especially enjoyed Prof. Straughan’s ‘stroll down memory lane’ as she brought forward the history of how this valuable tool in the communications arsenal came to be so important then, as it is now. She painted a vivid picture in our minds of the “Progressive Era” (1890-1913), where in some ways it didn’t sound much different than today. Mass media at the time was primarily newspapers and magazines.

The advent of the Press Release (at that time, a News Release) introduced the notion of “build a relationship with the media.” In fact, the first generation of News Release presented information as “news”, ready for publication. Prof. Straughan reminded us that it’s important to know what is “news” (in a Press Release) and to follow the ‘inverted pyramid’ of putting the most important information first, and then ‘everything else’.

Shawn Ramsey spoke of today’s needs and how we should “build a relationship with (our) target media”. She stressed the importance that today’s work requires communication across a broad, multi-point “broadcast” of news and information; these distribution points are conducive to a ‘viral’ effect of sharing information. Coverage is ‘near real-time’ and has an immediate impact. With so much ‘bandwidth’ of coverage, the Press Release needs to be understood by both the journalist and the reader. The Press Release is just one of many tools to be used in a bigger Public Relations effort (campaign). Shawn recommended the book, “The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR”.

Jennifer Sherron explained the need for relevance and human-interest aspects in writing (our materials). This will help in building support for a broad audience appeal. We will see ‘news’ and the need for ‘communication’ internally within companies and organizations continue to rise. Today’s “Corporate Communications” needs bring forth ‘transparency’ (in information) as a key component to effective communication. Corporate ‘Intranets’ are essential tools for communication in the future. Jennifer introduced us to the need to address ‘social networking’, too.

This is not the first panel discussion event I have attended sponsored by Business Wire (in my case, the Charlotte, NC office). Much like those before it, they do an excellent job of offering timely topics presented by seasoned professionals. Of recent memory is one on the need for multi-media in communications, as well as another on the importance blogging may have on your overall communications efforts (and Public Relations). I would encourage you to look for similar events in your local area. Professional member organizations like the PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) can be helpful in finding like events, or activities.