A local company (name withheld) distributed a press release today indicating that it was a sponsor of an annual event that took place one month ago. Here are the first two paragraphs:
Madison Opera recently staged the 12th annual “Opera in the Park” for the city of Madison. This free annual event is a grand musical celebration that presents highlights from the upcoming Madison Opera season, opera classics and Broadway show tunes. “Opera in the Park” is performed at Garner Park, a Madison city park that features a natural hillside amphitheater. The event is an accessible and inviting experience for everyone from first-time opera goers to long-time opera enthusiasts.
XYZ Company has been a major sponsor of “Opera in the Park” since its inception in 2001. Sustaining financial contributions are given to help make the event possible each year. Donated equipment rentals and many hours of audio expertise perfect the awe-inspiring sound and romantic atmosphere that “Opera in the Park” audiences love.
What is the news value of this press release? I can’t imagine any editor, reporter or blogger would read beyond the headline, let alone decide to do a story on this. Plus, as a sponsor, this company already received recognition.
I caution clients to avoid distributing press releases unless there is obvious and significant news value. Otherwise, all you’re doing is conditioning the media outlet to ignore you, and that will hurt you when you do have something important to say.
If you have to pat yourself on the back, like this company did, then do so in a blog post for your company website and add some personal thoughts. That’s where this “story” belongs.
Finally, don’t get me started on how bad the lede is.
I admit, I used to have employees send me their billable hours via email, then I would aggregate their time into Excel spreadsheets. It was an inefficient process, to say the least.