Dern’s PR Tips

For product news stories in particular, many publications like (and some prefer or even insist on) a quote from an industry analyst (e.g., from Forrester, Gartner, IDC, Yankee, or one of the independents and smaller groups, like ESG), or other third-party expert.

And most PR folks, at agencies and in-house, know this.

Yet, oddly, for a number of the news stories I’ve done lately (I’m currently doing roughly one a day for for InformationWeek SMB), when I’ve asked the names of an analyst or two to call (I only need one, but I can’t count on a given source being available in time), the answer is, “We’re briefing them next week.”

In some cases where I’m being pre-briefed (that is, ahead of the official announcement — under embargo and NDA, of course!), the analyst briefings are scheduled to be done after the announcement is made.

This doesn’t make us journalists happy (assuming we want or need an analyst quote). And the analysts don’t like it, either, since giving these quotes is part of their free (other than the cost of their time) marketing/advertising. Plus, (some) analysts don’t like saying “Huh?” when cold-called for a quote.

So: when possible, call and brief an analyst first.

P.S. I’ll be briefing an industry analyst about this blog post next week.

A recent press release on PR News wire had the headline:

Small Businesses Agree: The Web is Dead

and led with “Wired had it right; the web is dying. [REDACTED]s small business customers have shown a distinct preference for managing their documents in the cloud with downloadable applications – both on the iPad and on their Windows desktops – vs. using their browsers.”

So, a, one company’s “opinion” (or its interpretation of one thing their customers are doing) equals this “fact”? (Here’s another possible interpretation of the data: “Our browser access is badly done.”)

Wired was right?

Using a native client instead of a browser equals “the web is dead”?

Move over, Chicken Little, you’ve got company.

The release continues, “That is why we are proud to announce…”

“Proud”?

P.S. to PR company: Include an email address in your press releases.

P.P.S. If “the web is dead,” why are you having your press releases posted to a web site?

Along with feature articles, case histories, and interviews, at times I do news stories. For example, I’ve been doing about four a week for InformationWeek/SMB as of July 2010.

In general, I start with from a press release. Whenever possible, I follow up with a phone call (brokered usually by a PR person) to a company spokesperson to confirm or sort out the facts, and get some additional quotes or other information. Sometimes I also call an industry analyst, occasionally, if one’s available, a user, for additional quotes.

Many of the press releases have enough information to get me started.

But — depressingly — many don’t.

A surprising, depressing, annoying, appalling and downright unfathomable number of press releases omit facts without which they should never have been sent out, and which nobody who’s been doing PR for more than three months should let be omitted, or at least not without acknowledgement. (I’m talking about releases posted, and sent out, not draft releases.)

Here’s a quick summary of some of the major boneheaded, amateur-hour, not-ready-for-primetime-or-even-late-night, PR 101-level omissions I’ve run into in press releases I’ve been assigned to write news stories from. (Some, I concede, were releases I suggested… having sometimes not noticed at first blush there might be show-slowing or -stopping omissions.)

PRODUCT NAME NOT GIVEN. Yes, that’s right, the release refers to “a new module,” “a project integrating two companies’ products,” et cetera. But the name of the product isn’t given. Sometimes there isn’t a live URL available, either because I’ve gotten the release ahead of its official issue, or because the company hasn’t updated their web site yet. But it should have a name.

NO PRICING. Yes, the price is often not a simple, short thing, but that’s no excuse for saying “Pricing begins at” or “Pricing is based on,” or, at least, “Pricing has not yet been announced.”

NO AVAILABILITY DATE. Again, if nothing else, “Availability to be determined.”

NO DETAILS ON “WHAT’S THE NEWS.” For example, saying “has enhanced” or “has added features to” without actually listing any actual details or specifics.

I kid you not.

And one other: IS THERE NEWS? There’s been at least one or two releases where, even after talking to the vendor, I realize I can’t tell if something new was announced, or they’re simply talking about something that the product already does, which they’ve added a new marketing spin to. That’s fine, if the release makes this clear; it’s not, if I can’t tell.

Most of the announcements I’m working on are specific assignments, so I sort things out. But I suspect that a lot of other reporters simply move on to another announcement instead. Sadly, many other places simply lift information from the release without bothering to check, meaning that readers don’t get a useful article.

So, vendor and agency PR folks: Please, do your homework. These are the easy things, there’s no excuse.

Thanks.