Why press releases aren't just for the press

David Meerman Scott has written a post on how "savvy marketing professionals use press releases to reach buyers directly." He's providing a complimentary e-book on the subject.

It seems like a good idea to me. Most journalists I speak to say that press releases are a waste of time. And nowadays, a lot of press releases are put out just to satisfy financial regulations.

Purists may hark back to a time when press releases were a valuable means of providing reporters with information and companies only put them out when they had something newsworthy to say. Those days - on the whole - are long gone. We all need to adjust to that change.

If press releases can also be used to positively influence another audience (this time, customers or prospective customers), then go for it. At the end of the day, that's what PR, marketing and advertising is all about.

Steve Rubel disagrees - not because it won't work but because a) it's not blogging and b) because press releases are only supposed to be for the press.

Thanks to Seth Godin for the original link.