"The New Press Release"

Are Press Releases Becoming a Thing of The Past?

Press releases have evolved because the SEC has allowed news releases to be produced on social media. This means that businesses can use things like Facebook and Twitter to announce important advances in their company. 

The report states that "The SEC issued guidance ni 2008 clarifying that websites can serve as an effective means for disseminating information to investors if they've been are aware that's where to look for it."

Issuing this type of release can go one of two ways. It can benefit companies and their investors, or it could decrease the revenues of many companies due to lack of professionalism. In this society, people are numb to the amount of social media that is thrown at them on a daily basis. 

Many people wonder if this is the "new press release" or just another type. It is true that using social media is not for everyone; however, in order to appeal to their young customers, companies are being forced to learn about this new market trend. 

Social media has the potential to be threatening to a company's image; however, if used the right way, it can actually get the message out quickly and to a multitude of people while still being professional. 

Another controversial topic when it comes to press releases is paid vs. unpaid press releases. This is huge because many professionals are struggling with what is ethical in the field of public relations due to these emerging trends. 

Google has gotten some flack because they claim that the links in a press release do not affect the ranking on their search site; however, there has been evidence that says otherwise.

When Google's Matt Cutts said that, "links in press releases do not pass value," this had several people testing the statement. They found that when a company puts multiple links in their press release it can actually add to their ranking on a search engine. 

This could just be a coincidence or an actual fact, but there is not enough information to prove that Google ranks their searches due to the amount of links in a press release.  

Although these theories may be true, it does not take away from the fact that press releases are an important part of a companies image. They are used in numerous situations and almost always benefit either the investor, customer, or company. 

The SEC's report that allows businesses to broadcast their information over social media is a great thing that will change the amount of ways that a press release can be distributed.