Reference to: Die! Press Release! Die! Die! Die!

Today when Todd Defren from SHIFT Communications was talking about the social media press release he referenced a blog post called Die! Press Release! Die! Die! Die! by Tom Foremski, saying it was written at a tipping point for public relations and helped spark the creation of the social media press release.

The title made me laugh and Mr. Defren's comments about the post inspired me to go find the post, just to see what it said. You can find it here, at the Silicon Valley Watcher site. The post touches on what many people are and were annoyed with about traditional press releases - it seems like a lot of fluff and 'spin' that we as public relations professionals try to avoid. It also offers some of the ideas that were incorporated into the social media press release.

Anyway - it was a funny title with interesting content and I wanted to share. Enjoy!

FB pitching gone bad

Hurt as it might, Todd Defren points out what not to do in a pitch by looking at one from his own company - this is a good, quick learning guide for pitching in general (not just within Facebook).

Many posit if you can't say it in 5 seconds, you can't sell it. Keep that in mind when constructing pitches - for any medium.

Here are some other great resources for pitch construction:

• Blogger relations 101 lists 5 tips for engagement
• PR lessons of a clueless pitch explains the why & how
• Kevin Dugan gives pitch advice and a quiz, but questions whether you should even do it!
• Another list with a focus on ethics
• Steve Rubel goes through his own "what not to do"

Take away: Study up before you engage so you don't get hit with the pitch.

Image by Claire Laurence from Wildcat online article.