Covering industry news, naturally I read a lot of press releases. Sometimes they’re sent directly to me or our news team as a whole, sometimes I find them online through PR wires, and sometimes I will find them on the companies’ websites.
It is usually when I am actively seeking news on a certain company that I find their press pages, where their latest press releases (are supposed to) reside. I have noticed a lot however, that the latest releases are not always available on these pages. Sometimes I will have seen a release via email or a wire service, but that very same release will be absent from the company’s press page.
It makes the company’s press center an unreliable source for up-to-date information. Companies don’t always announce all of their news via press release, and often use company blogs instead, which is fine, but if you’re going to have a press center, shouldn’t you at least keep it up to date with the releases that have actually been constructed?
Another thing I notice is that many company press pages also do not have RSS feeds set up. Some offer different kinds of press alerts, but otherwise, they are relying on people to frequently check back to see what is happening. Google does it right. They announce a lot of their news via their wide range of blogs (which is a great strategy in itself), and while their press release section doesn’t get nearly as many updates, they offer a feed so that users know when it has been updated. They also provide links to other press-related resources where their latest info can be obtained.
I realize that the wire services are probably the higher priorities because of the distribution element they possess. Lots of places pick up on releases from sites like BusinessWire or PR Newswire, etc.
Still, the source itself should have the information. There is more than one way reporters, bloggers, and other writers find news to cover, and if they are interested enough in what your company is up to, shouldn’t you feel obligated to make that information readily available? It’s all about marketing your brand right?
This may come off like a rant, but it’s really intended to be more of a wake-up call to businesses who are not giving the proper attention to their own press. I think businesses often get too caught up in the news going out (which certainly is important), that they forget to consider that attention might be going in as well. It’s something to think about.
