Recent research from Cision, a media intelligence and PR solutions company that owns PR Newswire, found one of the biggest hurdles reporters face is maintaining credibility as a trusted news source and combating accusations of “fake news.”
While the majority of journalists say they appreciate receiving press releases and find them useful for coming up with story ideas, just over half would cut off contact with a PR professional for sending a pitch that sounds like a marketing brochure.
“If you need to call your story ‘delightful’ or ‘thrilling,’ it probably isn’t either,” said Nicola Dodd, managing director of PR at Ogilvy U.K.
If the main point of a press release is to generate earned media, then, yes, relentless exaggeration is a problem.
Why is this happening?
People are busy. There’s more to read and watch on a smartphone than anyone ever could consume in one lifetime. Competition to get someone to stop and listen is fierce. Whether it’s a press release or panel discussion at Advertising Week, amplified words meant to break through the noise are bouncing around everywhere.
Plus, newsrooms across the country are understaffed and under pressure. Calling a new product “groundbreaking” or “revolutionary” might have, at one point, made a reporter pause before moving onto the next email.
“Brands are fighting an uphill battle to get coverage these days,” said Sarah O’Grady, svp, marketing at Cision. “It’s not enough anymore to just announce news in a measured way.”
Another contributing factor to the rise of sensationalism is social media. Platforms and their algorithms tend to reward people who push things to the extreme. Strong emotions attract big audiences.
“Social media is driven by hyperbolic language, both optimistic and inflammatory,” said O’Grady.
PR professionals are vying for attention in this environment, too, so they likely sense a need to adapt or be ignored.
Survey data from PR Newswire shows 83% of PR professionals use social media to promote their press releases. That’s a larger percentage than the 69% who say they resort to more traditional forms of distribution, such as PR Newswire, to help spread their message.
Generative AI might also play a role. Around a quarter of PR professionals report using the tool to craft press releases, according to PR Newswire. If left unedited, one of these announcements might contain more cliches and platitudes pulled from the internet than ideal.