Press Releases Are Dead. Here’s What Smart Brands Are Doing Instead.

Your company has spent a large amount of its annual budget developing a breakthrough sustainable product or a revolutionary new service. Your marketing team blasted out a press release announcing it and... crickets.

No calls. No clicks. Not even a polite “nice job.”

What went wrong?

I'm sorry to tell you this, but press releases are formulaic, self-serving, and full of fake quotes. Editors see them and hit delete without even reading.

But don’t panic. There is a better way.

Hard truth: If you're paying a PR firm or marketing agency to write press releases for your company, you’re burning $$$ on something no one wants.

Think Like an Editor (Because They’re Your Gatekeepers)

Before founding Huzzah Marketing, I worked as a trade magazine editor. And here’s what I can tell you from 15 years of experience in the publishing world: Editors want stories, not spin.

If you want to get published (and read), write something that educates and inspires your industry peers — not something that just hypes your latest product.

Instead of a Press Release, Write This

Let’s say you’ve developed a new eco-friendly coating. Instead of announcing it with a press release, write an article like this:

Headline: 5 Eco-Friendly Coatings That Are Changing Packaging — and When to Use Each

Inside the article you include:

• A breakdown of the top 4–5 coatings (including yours)

• Honest pros and cons for each one

• Which types of manufacturers benefit from which coating

• Use-case scenarios

• Even links to competitors’ products (yes, really)

Sounds counterintuitive? Maybe. But it works… and here's why.

Miracle on 34th Street

It’s Miracle on 34th Street marketing.

Remember when Kris Kringle told customers to buy from their rival store Gimball's if Macy’s didn’t have what they needed? And the customers were so appreciative that they became loyal Macy's fans from that point forward?

This is the same idea. In your article you will be positioning your brand as a helpful industry guide. The results?

• Editors will love you because you made their job easier.

• Your prospects will keep the article as a resource.

• Your sales team will use it as a warm-up tool at sales meetings.

• SEO will be boosted by publishing it (and/or a link to the article) on your site.

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If you want support crafting articles that trade editors will actually publish — and that your potential buyers or users will actually read — reach out. Kim@HuzzahLLC.com.