Is the news release a thing of the past? Perhaps not; however, there are many alternatives to the “much loved, abused and murdered” news release. A recent blog post on The Bad Pitch Blog lays out 12 ways to break free from the news release routine. Therefore, I decided to explore the public health community to see if they have employed such tactics. So, here are some of the alternatives to the classic news release via the public health sector.
- Infographic: A visual representation of information, data or knowledge. According the post, research results work well in this format and stand out from the other news pieces.
Example: Screenshot of an infographic about smoking, public health and the human body. (More available at: http://mastersinnursingonline.com/2010/25-incredible-infographics-about-smoking-public-health-and-the-human-body/)
- Advertising (“Shockvertising”): Paid placement can result in complete control of message, including when it appears.
Example: Brandon Knowldon’s aggressive health ads.
- News Story: In order to create momentum, sending out a story with a unique perspective can be very productive.
Example: Screen shot of The Body Odd, a blog that produces unique insights on medical, pharmaceutical and biological news with a touch of humor. This serves as a great example of how to produce content about news issues with a unique approach.
- Bullet Point: Getting your message across in a short but sweet manner is known to be highly effective.
Example: CDC Flu prevention poster.
- Haiku: Creative writing.
Example: Stacy Smallwood a public health professional and poet, performs his new occupational safety poem. Available at:http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/video/OSH_poem.html
- Video File: Recently, more and more news is pitched via Internet in a video format.
Example: Sustainable Tourism Video News Release.
These are just a few of the proposed alternatives to a traditional news release. However, is it important to note that no matter the context of information it should always contain strong, compelling and quality content. Overall, with any news, it is important to research the target audience. Thus, giving you a better idea of how to effectively engage them. Although the post clearly aims to highlight the alternatives to a news release, it is of the utmost importance to acknowledge situations that would benefit from the tried and true news release itself.
Edie Smith
May 25, 2010
This is very interesting and I love the way you presented it .