#AskJon: When is a press release necessary? [VIDEO]

Yes, the press release. The thing that people think they need — and maybe they really don’t need it as much as they think they do anymore.

So, our advice on the press release is, do one but don’t lead with it. You’re still leading with the pitch and the press release is back-up.

The press release still gives really good background information on the news of the day, how people spell their names, what their titles are and who the media can contact. But, you don’t want to send a press release out without the context of the pitch.

Where the press release is really needed, is if you need to put a stake in the ground for legal reasons. So, if you need — if you’re a publicly traded company, or you’re a type of company that really wants to put stakes in the ground, yes, you do need a press release. Especially for things that are financial events. That’s how companies like BusinessWire are staying in business.

But, for most general stories, a pitch suffices and a press release is where you put all the good information, so when people say, in the media say, “can you give me the background information,” that’s where that information lives.