Common Problems with Press Releases

Shortcomings that writers need to know (and PIOs should fix)

Press releases can be great sources of information for a story, helping a writer add context and even quotes. They are never by themselves the source for a strong story. But they can be one of the puzzle pieces you draw on to put a complete story together.

There are some things you need to know, however.

First off, press releases are by nature little more than summaries of something new (and yes, it should be something new). They rarely if ever include everything a writer needs to know to put together a good story. Their purpose is not to do your research for you, but to give you a single perspective from which to begin your research. If you draw only from a press release, your story will be not just underdeveloped but likely a lot like any other story written by any other writer doing just what you are doing. Dig deeper! Bring context into the mix, do some research, see what others are saying, interview experts — there are many ways to gather information for a story, of course, and press releases should never be more than one source among several for a story.

That fundamental in mind, let’s look at how press releases can actually mislead.

The people who create press releases—often called public information officers (PIOs)—are, by and large, talented, well-meaning individuals (I know many of them in the health and science realm, a high-percentage of whom have formal journalistic training and experience). But press releases are, first and foremost, marketing tools for the companies and organizations that send them out. Writers therefore need to understand how to draw useful information from a press release, what to watch out for so as not to be misled, and when to entirely steer clear.

The best press releases—whether from the office of a politician laying out policies, an institution touting a scientific discovery, or a company promoting a product or reporting their financial results—stick to facts and reasoned viewpoints. That may sound obvious, but it’s a key to ferreting out the good from the bad. If a press release sounds reasonable, that’s a good start. If it sounds outlandish, run. In fact, when any claim in a press release seems dubious or inflated, writers are wise to become instantly skeptical about everything in the release.

The shortcomings of press releases are not always obvious or egregious, however.

Here are some common issues for writers to watch out for (and for PIOs to avoid doing).

Spam. When the press release is purely promotional, as is often the case with products and politics, just ignore. Don’t take the bait. If you didn’t sign up to receive anything from the sender, and you can’t find an obvious and simple unsubscribe link, feel free to mark it as spam, because that’s what it is.

Pure marketing: Even if a press release comes from a company or organization you subscribe to or want to hear from, always keep a sharp eye out for pure marketing material versus real, bona fide, useful (and new) information. Watch out for surveys that are non-scientific and self-serving, as one example. As a writer, your job is to be the filter.

Those are the more obvious red flags. These other five potential shortcomings are more subtle…