Press Release 2.0?

There's been a lot of online discussion recently about the future and relevance of the press release in a connected world. Whereas some PR exponents have made intelligent suggestions like this, many non-PR bloggers have said that they're redundant and, by implication, that we the recipients of information will decide what is the "truth".

No argument from me about that last point, but I don't believe that it denies the marketer the right to try to craft a pitch that informs and educates (especially since such releases should be so crafted in the knowledge that they will be fully and swiftly dissected in the blogosphere). I thus see a future for press releases and, in light of the cynicism with which they're rightly treated today, that future might even become a rennaissance if their creators follow some simple dos and don'ts. The focus should be on,

Message Enhancement not Message Imposition.

Information not Hype.

Continuum not Interruption.

Responsiveness not Announcement.

It will take some nerve to stick to those guidelines - especially if you've failed to follow the golden rule of creating a product/service that is exceptional, but I don't believe you have any choice.