The obituary of the press release has been written time and time again, and with good reason. The days of lengthy, superlative-filled releases written by a company for the company should be over. Consumers of information - media and B2B/B2C consumers - want information that is useful and helpful to aid them in their journalistic endeavors or guide them towards a more informed purchasing decision. Join PR Newswire and AZTC to learn about: Changes in how content is found and consumed online The major shift towards "content marketing" and the use of thought leadership as a marketing & advertising channel How is the press release evolving, and how can it be used to support marketing, advertising, and public relations pros? What are the benefits of syndication? Five tips for crafting an evolved release or "content advisory" Who Should Attend Marketers, advertising, content, public relations, corporate communicators, or anyone responsible for promoting an organization.

1. Helping vs. Telling.
The press release’s next chapter.
Malcolm Atherton
linkedin.com/in/malcolmatherton | 480-414-0666
malcolm.atherton@prnewswire.com

4. How is content found and consumed online?

5. Assume that everyone is a consumer of information.
95%
Source: PR Week
89%
Source: 2012 Digital Influence Index |
Fleishman-Hillard & Harris Interactive

8. 19.4B*
Source: Comscore, February 2014

9. Thanks! http://www.executiveboard.com/exbd/sales-service/the-end-of-solution-sales/index.page?hs=sns

10. Thanks! http://www.icrossing.com/research/the-importance-of-page-one-visibility.php

11. Thanks, www.useit.com!

12. 8 of 10.
Source: Copyblogger

13. 10-15 seconds.
Source: Time.com & useit.com

14. 60,000x faster.

16. Journalists are
expected to produce
more with less, while
still:
• Telling stories in
multiple ways
(photos, video, inf
ographic, etc.)
• Publishing in more
channels
(print, web, blog,
social, etc.)
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
From 2001-
2011, the
number of
news outlets
DECREASED BY
ROUGHLY 10%1
During that
same
time, the
number of
employed
journalists
DROPPED BY
NEARLY 50%1

18. “Content marketing” and the use of thought
leadership as a marketing and advertising (and PR)
channel.

19. Content marketing is the marketing and business process for creating and
distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a
clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of
driving profitable customer action. – Content Marketing Institute.
Give people text, graphics, and videos that are useful to them so that they’ll
do something useful for you. – Malcolm

21. CMI, 2014 Content Marketing Benchmarks

22. http://blogs.forrester.com/ryan_skinner/13-10-03-great_content_is_not_enough

23. What are the benefits of distribution?

24. How is the press release evolving?

26. If a story is not about the hearer he (or
she) will not listen… A great lasting story
is about everyone or it will not last. The
strange and the foreign is not interesting-
only the deeply personal and familiar.
John Steinbeck, East of Eden.

29. Amplification
Questions &
Queries
Newsjacking
& Seasonality
Traditional

32. Be willing to be uncomfortable.

34. Know what interests your
audience.
Answer audience questions.
Address audience concerns
and/or frustrations.
Share industry trends & data.
Clarify buying decisions.
And most importantly, be human.
Encourage action.
Be entertaining.
Tell interesting stories.
Optimize your content
for your audience.
Add photos to your stories.
Include online videos.
Utilize social media platforms.

36. Know your audience.

38. Endodontist
Root Canal
Dentist

39. Know your anatomy.

40. Headline
Body
Multimedia

41. 2 of 10
• 50/50
• Google: 61-64 characters
• Headlines should be:*
– short
– clear
– front-loaded with the
important stuff
– understandable out of context
– predictable
*Jakob Nielsen, www.useit.com, April 2009

42. Man, that press release has a smoking body.

45. Incorporate multimedia.

47. Source: 2013 “The State of Multimedia Use in PR” Survey conducted by PR Newswire & PR News
of communications professionals surveyed
plan to increase visual storytelling.76%
Photos and video provide the most
engagement in social channels
Visual storytelling
boosts brand awareness
and:
• Increases engagement
• Drives interactions
• Goes viral

48. Source: 2013 PR Newswire Web Analytics
Releases with “multiple media”
resulted in nearly 10 times more
views than text-only.

49. Know what metrics matter to you.

50. EXCERPT FROM FORBES ARTICLE, CVS BRILLIANTLY ENCOURAGED PEOPLE TO SHARE ITS TOBACCO STORY:
“Blogs need pictures. People on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram want pictures, too.
CVS provided this multimedia news release with videos clips and
downloadable, high-resolution infographics and photographs to support the
stories.”
If they care…. They’ll share!
• Text: To the point.
• Video of the CEO statement
• B-roll footage of CVS stores
• Photos of CVS executives
• Infographics with stats
supporting the decision
Source: Forbes, “CVS Brilliantly Encouraged People to Share Its Tobacco Story,” February 2014

52. With content tailored to what customers
want or need, they end up spending more
time engaged with that content
… developing a relationship with
the brand and remaining engaged
with the products
AND

53. Thank you for your time!!!
Malcolm Atherton
480.414.0666
Malcolm.atherton@prnewswire.com
@malcolmatherton
www.Linkedin.com/in/malcolmatherton