Press Release Spam

[Dave Baldwin]

Four people now have asked me the same question. "Why haven't you done a press release for your book?" My answer: press releases are for news, not for ads. This is a pet peeve of mine. Every time someone submits a thinly veiled solicitation disguised as news, it devalues the good press releases.

I already know what a lot of people would say in response to this comment - "well, everybody else is doing it!" This sort of peer pressure may be a golden asset to the tobacco companies, but it doesn't work on me.

Some questions I ask myself about whether something is really press-release-worthy: would I be interested to read about this, even if I wasn't in the target market for what this person is selling? Would I tell my friends about this, even if I knew that THEY weren't in the target market to buy it? Would I be grateful to my friends for telling me about this, even if I weren't going to do anything in particular with the information? Would I want to be the first one to find out about this, just so I could have the cheap thrill of knowing about it before my friends do?

If the answer to all of the above questions is "no," I would say it's not news.

I'm interested to hear someone else's opinion on this - where do you draw the line between legitimate news and junk that belongs on Craig's List?

[Deidre Hughey]

I'm really happy to hear it, Dave! Let people know what you've accomplished!

[Dave Baldwin]

Thanks everybody for the education on this. I've decided to go ahead and submit some press releases. Apparently the norms for using this medium aren't as restrictive as I'd assumed.

[Tim Moore]

Dave: You have some very good advice on this page. These are people I trust too. Re-read the posts again. You have done something very special but the world will not just come walking down your street knocking on every door to see if someone in your house has written a book. You have to help me learn about your talent so I can appreciate it.

Are some poor press releases that are nothing but an ad? Yep, I see them every day as the publisher of Carolina Business Connection and I filter them out. But good press releases help me decide where to spend my resourses - my time, energy, and money. It is OK to let me know what you have done or plan to do.

[Michelle Courtney Gower]

I've sent you a PM on this Dave, but let me start by saying to read Anora's and Deidre's responses over and over and over again.

[Leslie Flowers, Change Agent]

Small addition here: If any point of view is based in any way on cost ($), we are being run by our paradigms -- the ones that do not serve us. Money is a tool -- nothing more. Look at purpose and impact of the venture and do what is required to reach that end, regardless of cost.

[Dave Baldwin]

@Anora - very useful. I have a tendency to get into "X is right, Y is wrong" mentality when it comes to marketing. I should keep that in mind and be on guard against it, especially since my opinion as the marketer isn't the one that matters.

@Deidre - I'm surprised to hear you take this position, so it's given me pause to reconsider my own position. But thank you for directly engaging the questions I threw out - the answers also surprised me. The underlying theme I hear in what you're saying: by not putting out a press release, I might as well be announcing to the world that my book isn't worth talking about. That concerns me, especially if a lot of people see it that way.

I may well do a press release now. Not 100% sure yet. But thanks everyone!

[Deidre Hughey]

I think that publishing a book is news. If it wasn't something that people should know about, then why did you write it?

Here are some of your questions:
Would I be interested to read about this, even if I wasn't in the target market for what this person is selling? In this day and age, we very used to scanning, we pay attention to what attracts us and skip what doesn't. If I was in your target market, or if I knew someone in your target market, I would be interested in reading about it.

Would I tell my friends about this, even if I knew that THEY weren't in the target market to buy it? I can't answer that for you, but for myself, if I had just finished a book (something that a small percentage of the population actually accomplish), you bet your bippy, every friend, family member and neighbor would know whether they were in my target market or not.

Would I be grateful to my friends for telling me about this, even if I weren't going to do anything in particular with the information? This question confused me a little...I'm going to reinterpret it this way: if someone wrote a book and a friend told me about the book having been written even though I wasn't interested in the subject matter. Honestly, that sounds like conversations I have with friends all the time! We're always sharing books with one another though we don't have the same tastes or interests in every single book. But if a friend is excited about a particular book, I always want to hear because they found value in the information...that's valuable to me.

Would I want to be the first one to find out about this, just so I could have the cheap thrill of knowing about it before my friends do? I would if I found value in the information held within the book. Again, I ask, if your book isn't of value, why did you write it?

In my opinion, Dave, and I could be very off-base, but I think you're devaluing your accomplishment and you need to let others decide if it's valuable to them. It's not up to you to decide that for them. Be proud of what you've accomplished!! Shout from the roof tops! As soon as you lose your voice from the shouting, then, come down and get to work!

[Jim McNeely]

Dave I have to agree with Anora, you have great avenue to get your message out. you have accomplished something great, and people need to know about it. The fact that it is an accomplishment makes it news worthy. Go tell it on the mountain or maybe we should tell it for you.

[Anora McGaha]

Dave,

While having clear lines drawn about what is OK and what isn't OK for you has clear advantages, people know where you stand, you know where you stand; it also has disadvantages, the position taken can keep one locked in a tight spot, unable to exercise the tremendous flexibility that our world now allows.

A concept I was taught while I was studying Tibetan Buddhist teachings was about "skillful means". It is the notion that there is not an almighty right and wrong, but that the world is more complex than that, and situations require much more discernment than black and white thinking. Instead, with sharp and clear thinking one can discern what mix of methods are worth applying to accomplish something.

Thinking can only get one so far. Sometimes it is a logical game that can tie us in knots. Sometimes, if there is a vehicle, like free press release sites, then just get out there and use it. Just because famous people may attract more attention, doesn't mean that someone out there isn 't looking for what you're writing... having it in press release form may allow someone to write a story about how many NC authors have written books and self-published, or how many people have written about the Pied Piper as a metaphor, etc...

We set our own lines. And we allow people to set lines that define us. If I waited for someone to call me a "writer" I might never be a writer by their (whoever they are) definition. Instead, I call myself a writer. I decide what I want to issue in press release form... and if I'm starting a new business, writing a new book, available to give talks... if I consider it news worthy, then it is. Others will either agree or not, but I'm not letting someone else decide for me.