I was speaking with Ben Guttmann, author of the book Simply Put for an upcoming PR, Done & Doner podcast episode. He mentioned a recent article in AdWeek: Press Releases are Way too Hyperbolic, by Paul Hiebert.
I read the story. The article seemed well-researched and accurate, which pained me. While much has changed in PR, certain things stay more or less the same. Press releases, and news wire services, and PR hype, as examples.
So, let me make this bold statement. Press releases will be around for a long, long time. Further, they will likely still be hypey five years and even a decade from now, despite this fine article.
It doesn’t have to be that way. First, if you are writing boring or hypey press releases, you probably won’t get too far with journalists. And formal announcements should not be the only game or even the main focus of an effective PR prgram.
It’s not just the Press Release, it’s a Sign of the (AI) TImes
While it seems that PR hype continues to be a problem, this kind of language is not limited to press releases, or just spewed by PR people.
If you work in tech or other areas these days, you’ll notice that the tone of communications has gotten breathless and hypey over the past couple of years. Blame the AI boom and corresponding arms race. Many vendors are rushing out announcements to stay ahead of the pack, trumpeting vaporware.
There’s an abundance of tech and bold claims. This hype is a cheap attention-grab, an effort to rise above the noise; kind of like comedians that add swear words to their routines to get easy laughs.
In some ways, more hype in our discourse may not be about AI but written by AI, which generates sometimes verbose and flowery prose (see this post from Ben Guttmann’s blog: ChatGPT is full of Hot Air). Lazy marketers sadly take the easy route by using GenAI text without much editing.
We are all So Damned Happy and Cutting Edge
Paul wrote in his AdWeek piece about the overusage of clichés like “thrilled”, and “cutting edge”. Yes, this has always been true and I don’t doubt Paul’s research, whch he did by analyzing wire service PRs.
Sadly, again many in our industry continue to rely on empty hype words and trite cheeriness. While this likely won’t change much, you can give your PR program an upgrade by writing in a more interesting, clear and compelling ways.
How to do this? Read Ben’s book for starters.
Is It a Problem?
Accorudng to Paul’s article:
While the majority of journalists say they appreciate receiving press releases…
Paul Hiebert, AdWeek
just over half would cut off contact with a PR professional for sending a pitch that sounds like a marketing brochure.
So, yes, I’d say it is a problem.
What Can be Done?
“Yet another method, though difficult, is to refuse to publish a news announcement if there’s no news to share,” the writer advises. I think the problem here is equating press releases with a PR program; and as the only ways to convey updates and share your news, commentary and stories.
There are other ways. The old saying: The Medium is the Message applies here. The press do like to get updates, and packaging the info into a PR says that it is news.
Use them when they make sense; but don’t be afraid to shake up the formula and try other tactics to accomplish your communications goals.
Generating Excitement Without Hype
Through my years in PR, I’d sometimes get feedback from clients: “punch up that press release. Make it more exciting.”
What they generally mean is add more shameless promotion AKA chest beating AKA hype. After all, if the client is excited abouit their news, why isn’t the PR team? And why are they sending us a draft that reads like a news article vs. a sales sheet?
Bingo! The more the news resembles a real article, delivered in a credibe and rational way, the better the chance that the media will take it seriously (and hopefully do something with it).
Does this mean you shouldn’t even try to generate excitement, show enthusiasm for the news? That is the needle we need to thread, and there are ways to do this short of empty hype.
The article mentions one idea:
Don’t make a claim; substantiate one. If you’re saying we have a revolutionary chip, wouldn’t it be better to say we’ve just introduced a new chip that’s 80% faster than anything else on the market?
Anthony D’Angelo, Newhouse School of Public Comm.s at Syracuse U.
In other words, trot out hard numbers, defensible superlatives vs. qualitative claims.
Other ways? How’s about third party validation via customer, partner or analyst quotes? It’s always better to have someone else sing your praises.
I wrote a blog post about how to punch up your news without using hype. Check it out for additional tips.
Thanks for reading, please share any thoughts or comments on the topic.
