I’ve recently been seeing an increasing number of tech sector press releases issued over a wire service that don’t include a quote attributed to an executive or potential spokesperson.
While acknowledging that every organization has unique objectives when it comes to issuing news, my experience has taught me that many coverage, positioning and visibility opportunities can be lost when news crossing a wire goes without a quote.
The quote is usually the most important key message included in any press release I write, and is typically the message I want to see in print and on news sites over and over again. The quote is also a critical component of press releases I develop as part of executive positioning and online reputation management programs.
I always write press releases so that client messages are front and center. But I also write press releases with a thorough understanding of what journalists and editors need to quickly develop and publish a high-quality story. This is why one of my top goals when writing hard and soft news is to issue content over a wire service that an outlet can immediately publish as a standalone news or feature story.
Some of my best media placements occur when an outlet publishes my content almost word for word. This is because all of the key messages I want to communicate to target audiences are included in the wire distributed content I write – and this content always includes a well-messaged quote. – Russ DeVeau