Everyone loves a press, or media (with props to Tod), release. It is frequently the first tool that bloggers and Podcasters use in an attempt to create a local buzz for their online activities. The question is, do they really help?

Media organizations are flooded with news releases on a daily basis. Some releases are newsworthy, most are not. More importantly, a good percentage of these releases come from established businesses and organizations that have local interests.

Before you create your release, ask yourself if the release is of interest to the public or just of interest to you. If there is no story to latch on to in your media release it will be a pointless exercise.

“News release literally means that you should be releasing news, not just information, but real news.”, says Terry Fallis of the Inside PR Podcast.  Trade media will often pick up news releases about new blogs relevant to their audiences, but in most cases, it would be a very slow news day for the Globe and Mail to care.

If you become a media pest by repeatedly sending releases that have nothing to them, you can bet that you will be in the recycle bin when you have something worth reporting on.