Just another word or two about this topic, which I blogged about last week (Techmeme Leaderboard and the Power of the Press Release).
To reiterate, the Techmeme Leaderboard should be of great interest to tech PR professionals because it provides a list of the sources that have been the most consistent drivers of online discussion on Techmeme. These are ostensibly the digital influencers on tech topics.
In considering this further, a couple of thoughts came to mind.
First, it is interesting to note that the major press release distribution firms are represented on the list – namely PR Newswire and Businesswire – yet the “new age” services that purport to do a better job of SEO and distribution of press releases in general and social media releases (SMR) in particular are not.
It could be that the SMR format is too new, or perhaps these new services – for all their benefits – simply do not have the online reach of the major services. Of course the nature of the news matters, and it could just be that not enough companies are using these new services and formats to package and deliver their news yet.
Also, it has become fashionable to shout from the rooftops that the press release is dead. I have taken my share of shots, although I have not gone as far as Foremski and others and have simply said the press release will become less relevant over time.
Yet as we see from the Leaderboard and elsewhere, institutions have staying power and familiarity and force of habit are powerful influences.
