Have press releases gone the way of phone books and QR codes? Or are they still effective for spreading the word about your latest company news? We asked journalists, PR pros and marketing experts to weigh in.

 

You may have heard that the press release is dead. Those of us in the communications industry have been hearing it for years, but the truth is, press releases—short communications that relay news—are very much alive. “Many reporters still prefer to receive press releases because they are the easiest way to understand the who, what, where, when and how of your announcement,” says Michelle Barry, a public relations strategist with Chameleon Collective.

Former news reporter Liz Jeneault, now a vice president of marketing with Faveable, agrees. “I believe in the power of press releases. When I worked as a reporter, I relied on them for story ideas.…They are chock-full of great information, and they’re a great jumping[-off] point for a story, especially on a slow news day.”

While press releases still have their place, it’s important to note that they’re evolving right along with the communications industry. “Press releases don’t have the same effect that they used to,” says Ronjini Joshua, owner and CEO of The Silver Telegram, a PR agency. “They are used more like fact sheets and reference points. They also are a primer for reporters to determine whether they want to create a bigger story out of the news.”

“A press release…should be viewed as one of many tools at the disposal of a company,” says Edward Yang, managing partner at Firecracker PR. “If your goal is to create an online profile with a history of official announcements that are picked up automatically by certain websites, press releases can do that. However, if you’re looking to generate original stories from reporters, the chance of that happening from a press release on a wire service is low.”

“Issuing a release over the wire can be expensive and doesn’t guarantee media coverage,” adds Barry. “The press release is only one small part of a larger strategy.”

So how do you use a press release strategically? The first step is to determine if your news is actually newsworthy. “Many clients want a press release for every new hire and promotion,” says Margaret H. Geiger, the owner of Twelve31 Media, a full-service marketing company. “This [information] may be important to the business internally, but news outlets wouldn’t consider [it] very newsworthy.”

What is likely to catch a reporter’s attention? “Grand openings, big events, nonprofit/charitable contributions and fundraising opportunities, new product launches and notable business acquisitions,” says Geiger.

Writing the Press Release

If you have an announcement that is truly worthy of a press release, there is a right way to go about crafting it. “Most companies organize their press releases using a completely wrong approach,” says Rafe Gomez, co-owner of VC Inc. Marketing, a public relations firm. “By not understanding the essential ‘rules’ that make a press release readable, interesting and usable, these organizations will have tremendous difficulty attaining the valuable benefits that a well-crafted press release can deliver.”

Besides sharing updates that are truly newsworthy, Gomez says companies should present the information clearly and concisely, and avoid hype. “Mirror the flow of a CNBC story rather than a QVC segment,” he says.

“Keep it under 500 words,” adds Barry. “Avoid jargon and buzzwords, and focus on customer benefits. Don’t make overinflated claims that you can’t back up with facts, and when it comes to quotes, ditch the fluff. Remove any quote that starts with ‘We are excited….’ They add no value.”

Besides these tips, be sure to format the release properly (search “how to write a press release” or view examples here). Include hyperlinks where relevant—two or three at most. You can also use images and video if they help tell your story.

Promoting Your News
Once you have a well-written, jargon-free press release, you need to promote it. “In an innovative industry like tech…every press release should be on a company website, on the internet more broadly, on tech blogs, on all your social media channels, and, if it is a major announcement like a funding round, on a paid press release distribution service,” says Andrew Blum, a PR consultant with AJB Communications. “Using a video to serve as a press release announcement is also a good way to go.”

You also need to pitch your news to reporters. (Simply hoping they’ll write a story after seeing your release isn’t a sound strategy.) What is? Doing your homework.

“Building relationships with media and news outlets is extremely important,” says Geiger. “Maintaining an up-to-date media list that is specific to your industry is key since the news world has a high turnover.” You can build these relationships by reading and commenting on industry blogs, following the trade press, connecting with influencers, and following journalists and editors who cover your industry on Twitter and other social media sites.

It also pays to be persistent. “Media personnel are busy, and some receive hundreds of emails a day,” says Geiger. “To get seen among the clutter, always follow up with a phone call. For bonus points, find their social media handles and reach out via direct message. They’ll appreciate the urgency and determination.”

“You never know what a reporter is looking for, so it’s important to keep sending them press releases,” says Jeneault. “Even if you don’t get a response the first or second time around, you might on the third. When I used to host and executive produce a weekly news program, I remember passing on one woman’s press releases several times until I finally received one that fit what I was looking for. Even though I had ignored her for months, her patience and persistence paid off. I booked two of her clients to appear on my show.”

Note, too, that your time might be better spent courting the trade press rather than the big media outlets. “The wider the market you’re going after, the harder it is to get press,” says Yang. “It is magnitudes harder to get a mention in a national mainstream media outlet versus in an industry-specific magazine. Yet the latter often offer the best opportunities to generate press if you can tailor your message for unique audiences.”

Press Release as SEO Tool
Besides helping you to engage reporters, press releases have a place in your search engine optimization strategy. “Establishing a strong brand position in Google and other search [engines] is important, if not critical, to most companies, and press releases serve as strong SEO and online reputation management tools,” says Eric Fischgrund, the founder of FischTank, a marketing and PR firm. “Releases that are well written, laden with keywords relevant to [your] business, and [that contain] links to important online assets are helpful for online branding.”

“With the rise of social media and digital marketing, press releases now are an invaluable resource for gaining organic backlinks, which are important in digital marketing, especially SEO,” says SEO expert Kenny Trinh, CEO and founder of Netbooknews. Like the other experts we consulted, though, Trinh cautions that focusing on backlinks is not enough. “Press releases will be effective only if the content is useful, newsworthy and done correctly.”

Go Beyond the Press Release
“Companies with a small marketing budget can make a large impact by investing their time and resources in PR,” says Olga Mykhoparkina, chief marketing officer of Chanty. “We’ve extensively used platforms such as HARO, Sourcebottle and JournoRequests. With just a few hours per day, we’ve been able to get massive exposure for our website, as well as a large number of backlinks (30-plus) every month, just by following what journalists are asking for and giving them the right information in time.”

You can also contact reporters directly. “I will only write a press release if the client asks for a formal release they can use on their website for SEO and/or content,” says Patricia Jones, founder of PJones Communications. “If a client wants me to generate news coverage for their product, service or industry, I craft pitch emails customized to the reporter or editor I am writing to. In the first sentence, I tell the reporter why the pitch is of interest to their audience. I don’t waste the reporter’s time, and I don’t waste my client’s resources by writing a lengthy press release that will most likely go to spam or get deleted.”

You’ve seen it before: A once promising employee stops taking initiative. Spends far too much time scrolling through Facebook. Constantly calls out sick, and is nowhere near reaching the goals you agreed on. As a manager, can you turn a disengaged employee around? Should you bother? Read on for advice.

First things first: What is employee engagement?

According to CustomInsight, a leading provider of online HR assessment and development tools, employee engagement is “the extent to which employees feel passionate about their jobs, are committed to the organization, and put discretionary effort into their work.” (Don’t confuse employee engagement with employee satisfaction, which merely indicates whether your employees are happy.)

So how does an employee become engaged—or not? “Studies show work engagement is influenced by three primary psychological states: meaningfulness, safety and availability,” says Zach Mercurio, Ph.D., a faculty member and researcher in the department of psychology at Colorado State University. “Psychological meaningfulness is characterized by an employee’s knowledge and belief that what they do is positive, purposeful and significant. Psychological safety manifests when employees perceive they can speak up about new ideas or concerns without fear of retaliation or [damaging their] reputation. Psychological availability means employees have access to the resources they need to do their job. When these three things occur, engagement usually follows. But there’s a catch. If the demands of the job (i.e., time and tasks) outweigh the resources one has to maintain energy for the job, burnout and disengagement can follow.”

Since engagement is not always easy to measure, you might want to rely on more than just observation—your own and others’—to assess a particular employee’s situation. “Employees have different personalities,” says Lilia Stoyanov, CEO of Transformify. “Some may be more enthusiastic and outspoken than others but not necessarily more engaged.” Stoyanov suggests measuring engagement via 360-degree peer reviews and surveys, met deadlines, and the employee’s voluntary enrollment in internal training and other activities that are encouraged by the company.

Addressing disengagement

If you’ve noticed a troubling pattern that lasts more than a few weeks, talk to the employee right away. “Too often we fall into a bad habit of talking about our employees with managers and coworkers when it would be just as easy (and a lot more useful) to talk to them,” says Jason David, CEO of Software Portal. There may be an easy way to remedy the disengagement and pull them back in.”

It’s not uncommon for employees to have weeks that are just off, [so] discussing it with them is a good way to make sure it doesn’t become a trend, adds Alexander Kehoe, co-founder and operations director at Caveni Digital Solutions. “It’s unhelpful to discipline an employee if they are in the middle of something in their personal life that could be hurting their performance. The ebb and flow of productivity are perfectly normal, and getting to the bottom of why an ebb is occurring should be your main concern.”

Chuck Mollor, an executive leadership coach, agile management expert, and founder and CEO of MCG Partners, agrees that talking to your employee is a good first step, but cautions managers not to assume the employee is disengaged. “Leaders who notice a change in an employee should start with a sit-down meeting, informally and privately with the employee, to ask how they are doing. If they respond that everything is fine, it’s your opportunity to offer specific observations describing how they may be showing up in meetings, responding to questions, their recent level of activity, team participation, energy level or performance. The purpose is to not accuse them or make them defensive; this should be a conversation of concern and empathy.”

Ellen Mullarkey, vice president of business development at Messina Staffing, stresses the need for a calm, relaxed environment for the discussion, one “where the employee feels comfortable speaking freely.” Like Kehoe, Mullarkey advises leaving performance out of the first conversation. That way, there won’t be tension, and the employee won’t feel reprimanded, she says.

If you’re unsure how to begin the conversation, Leesa Schipani, SHRM-SCP, a partner with KardasLarson, advises asking the following:

• What motivates you to stay with the organization?
• Why do you want to succeed in your role?
• Which aspects of our culture work for you? Which do not?
• If you were your own manager, how would you manage yourself?
• How can I help you have a more rewarding experience each day?

During the conversation, “you need to be prepared to hear some negative things about the organization and your leadership style,” Schipani cautions.

Robert Moses, founder of The Corporate Con/noisseur, agrees. “When we measure engagement, we do so by asking our employees for their honest feedback. But this only works if you can create an environment of openness and one without fear of retribution. By being open and honest with our staff, we get the same courtesy back,” he says.

Once you’ve identified the root cause of the problem, you can begin to remedy it. “If a personal issue is distracting the employee, he or she should be referred to an HR support function for employees who are facing personal or family issues,” says Irv Goldfinger, managing director at Actualize Consulting. “If the root cause is job related, identify whether it’s the employee’s assignment, the clients that the individual must deal with on a daily basis, an issue with other team members, or challenges with colleagues or a supervisor. Once the cause is identified, a formal program for resolution should be drafted in conjunction with the employee and his or her supervisor.”

Performance improvement plan or termination?
If you discover that your employee is disengaged from the job and not just going through a temporary rough patch, you’ll have to determine whether a performance improvement plan is the logical next step, though the solution may be even simpler. “Depending on the factors driving the lack of engagement, the employee could be assigned to a new project, moved to a different team, etc.,” says Stoyanov.

“Determine whether [the employee] understands the work and finds it useful,” says Rich Franklin, founder and president of KBC Staffing. “Then, figure out if they have a good relationship with their manager and whether they are able to communicate with him or her. Once you have these answers, tailor your solution. Telling someone to become more engaged is probably not going to help. It’s equivalent to telling someone to feel better when they have the flu. You need to be clear that there is a problem and lay out a clear set of guidelines for improvement. It’s important that your employee knows what needs to change and by what date.”

“If the employee has quality characteristics and a decent attitude, and is coachable, it’s in everyone’s best interest to put a mutually agreeable plan [in place] for specific areas of growth,” says Tracy Washington, a Certified Leadership Engagement Consultant and author of Relationship Leadership: How to Strengthen Relationships to Build More Trusting and Effective Teams.

A performance improvement plan doesn’t always make sense, though. “You don’t want to put an employee on a performance improvement plan when they clearly don’t want to work for your organization,” says Schipani. “At that point, help them transition out.”

“There are times when termination is appropriate, in cases of sabotage, lack of team collaboration, or [an employee who] is toxic to the culture,” adds Washington.

“There’s a difference between being disengaged (apathetic) and actively disengaged (destructive),” adds Bryan Zawikowski, vice president and general manager at executive search firm Lucas Group. “Actively disengaged people will sabotage your business and your team. They look for ways to undermine you and destroy the organization. Don’t try to fix these people. Terminate them immediately. There is hope for disengaged associates, but don’t let it fester. Deal with it privately and directly. Explain that you have noticed the behavior change—be specific—and ask them why. Don’t let them get away with a simple apology. Once you find out what’s driving the disengagement, you can take appropriate action to get it turned around.”

“If you feel the employee has the potential to turn it around, have an open, honest and courageous dialogue,” says Mollor. “They need to understand the gap between where they are and where they need to be. If an employee does not demonstrate they can do their job effectively or improve performance after feedback, coaching and development, or they do not consistently demonstrate the appropriate values and behaviors of your organization and culture, then terminate them. The longer you procrastinate, the longer your morale and overall team performance may suffer.”

What about your A-players?
Speaking of morale, you need to consider how the actions of a disengaged employee and your reaction (or lack thereof) are affecting your top performers, who may be annoyed that they’re required to compensate for their teammate’s lack of effort. “Sometimes all it takes to smooth over ruffled feathers is to let them know that you aren’t oblivious,” says David.

You can keep your A-players motivated by giving them complicated assignments and sponsoring their continuing education, says Stoyanov. “By default, A-players are bright people eager to learn and develop.” Financial incentives are also key. “Performance bonuses are a great way to encourage good performance and differentiate the A-players from those who aren’t pulling their weight,” she says.

You can also stress to your top performers that not everyone is cut from the same cloth. “Remind your A-players that the world is not created equal and not everyone is on the same level as they are,” says Mollor.

“If [top performers] come to you with complaints, assure them that you’re addressing the problem,” says Mullarkey. “Talk to them, and use their input to steer your course of action. You shouldn’t share any information with them about their coworker’s improvement plan, as it’s not their business, but you should let them know that you take their input to heart and that you’re working on rectifying the issue.”

Zawikowski puts it a little more bluntly: “A-players who are fully engaged recognize those lower on the engagement ladder and need to see their leader doing something about it or they won’t stay around.”

Adds Washington, “A leader must demonstrate the ability to confront the under-performing employee in a timely manner or risk losing their credibility and the respect of the team.”

Create a culture of engagement

Perhaps the best way to combat disengagement is to try to prevent it in the first place. You can accomplish this by making sure your employees know what the company is working toward and how they contribute—and why it all matters. “The root cause of disengagement is misalignment between the individual’s values and the corporation’s core values,” says Sergei Brovkin, an executive coach and facilitator with Collectiver. “If the employee’s core values are misaligned with the company values, whether declared or implicit, make the person available to the job market. Letting go is not a bad thing if a person is a good specialist: he or she will find a more engaging job elsewhere. Keeping a toxic person (and that’s what disengaged people really are) in the company because of some special talents is usually a bad idea, especially if the company is small.”

Communication is critical, too. “Poor communication impacts employee engagement by making team members feel removed from decisions and devoid of any sense of ownership,” says Carlos Castelán, managing director of The Navio Group. “In many ways, poor communication, or a lack of communication, is worse than conflict because it signals to someone that they’re not valued enough to be included. Poor communication can lead to role ambiguity as well as heightened stress because of a lack of feedback, which ultimately leads to talent drain or other symptoms of low engagement.”

Create a culture of truth-telling, says Jim Haudan, co-founder and chairman of Root Inc., and Rich Berens, Root’s CEO. The co-authors of What Are Your Blind Spots? also caution managers not to assume people will share their real opinions. “Often, people don’t think it’s safe to share their thoughts with leaders, and so they whisper in the halls and commiserate during happy hours. This is an engagement killer. Welcome honesty, ask for real feedback and work together to make adjustments so everyone feels a part of the decision-making and is on board with the plan. That’s how you create true engagement.”

“It has become increasingly important for employers to find ways to engage and show appreciation for their team members, particularly against the backdrop of one of the hottest job markets in recent memory,” says Castelán. He says businesses can show appreciation through an empathetic approach in their culture and recognizing employees for a job well done. “Critical to being empathetic is updating work policies that reflect the changing nature of work such as flexible work schedules and, for example, allowing work from home. Building a work culture that reflects an understanding of the realities of the modern age is important to attracting the best talent.”

“On the recognition side, providing regular feedback to employees—particularly stars—and then showing gratitude via recognition is important,” Castelán says. “Recognition should be done in a way that’s memorable or unique versus a blanket approach like a generic plaque. Employees want to feel unique and valued, so thinking through recognition that is personalized is important.”

How do you create a culture of engagement at your company? Join the conversation on @CT_Innovate.

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 A Five-Step Plan for Turning Around an Employee Who’s Disengaged

1. Address the underlying issue. At the heart of disengagement is an underlying issue that is allowing the employee to feel this way. We look to have open, transparent conversations with all employees to address their satisfaction and engagement with what we do.
2. Formulate a plan. The next step is to work directly with the employee to set up a plan of action. Find topics and projects that truly interest the employee. We push to have the disengaged employee become an active member in projects they are passionate about.
3. Remove barriers to unhappiness. All disengaged employees are unhappy about something, so we look to see what external stressors are influencing the employee’s mood. Whether it’s their commute, their feelings of being overworked or a personal issue, we try to work with them to ease those external influences.
4. Encourage happiness. It sounds cheesy, but we push our employees to engage in happy, relaxing activities. Whether it’s a 30-minute walk outside or a weekly lunch provided by the company, we try to give all our employees something to look forward to.
5. Show direct impact. The last, but most important, step is to show impact. Disengaged employees may not [recognize] the impact of their work, so we show them how their work and actions influence the larger picture and provide value to our users.

—Robert Moses, founder of The Corporate Con/noisseur

How to Write a Killer Survey

 

Customer feedback is critical, and surveys are a great way to get it. But how do you craft a survey that will deliver the actionable results you’re after? Experts offer their best advice.

 

THE DIGITAL MARKETER SAYS…

“Make it accessible. We live in a survey-polluted world. Every time you visit a shop or receive a service, chances are you’ll receive a survey about it. It’s great that you have a voice, but with the high volume of surveys people receive, surveys have become more of a nuisance than a privilege. That’s why it is insanely important to make the survey extremely accessible to the consumer. Don’t make the consumer go to a bunch of sites, create an account and fill out a hefty survey. Try to cut down as many steps as possible.

“Make it polished. As silly as it seems, make sure your survey looks polished. A survey is an extension of your brand. Consumers should feel impressed no matter what stage of your marketing funnel they’re in.”

—Ciara Hautau, lead digital marketing strategist, Fueled

THE UX (User Experience) DESIGNER SAYS…

“The biggest reason people don’t complete surveys is that they’re too long. Unless you are reimbursing [respondents] for their time, you want to keep the survey short, with a maximum complete time of five minutes. Show them how much progress they have made so they can see how much is left. It’s frustrating going through the steps of a survey and never knowing how many [questions] are left.

“Consider offering an incentive, such as a prize draw for gift vouchers. You don’t have to offer huge sums of money. Fifty dollars can be enough to increase completed survey rates by 10 percent.”

THE BUSINESS CONSULTANT (WITH A MASTER’S DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY) SAYS…

“Most businesses use Likert-type surveys—those that ask if you agree, disagree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, etc.—without knowing what these are or how to do them properly. Please stop doing this. [You] get bad data, and [the results] don’t say what people think they say.

“True Likert surveys need five to eight questions to answer one topic. If you aren’t going to ask that many questions, I recommend at least two, with only three options for answers: agree, disagree, undecided.

“Likert’s brilliance was that he realized most people avoid demonstrating strong opinions. These are socially unacceptable. So people tend to mark the middle, which is why Likert put ‘undecided’ in the middle. This answer removed people’s [response] since they had no opinion. Next, some people will fudge and just mark all the answers to the far right (strongly agree) or far left (strongly disagree). Having a positive and negative version of a question (‘I enjoy shopping at Wal-mart’ plus ‘I do not enjoy shopping at Wal-mart’) removes noise because they cancel each other out. That left Likert with real responses.

“If you only use two questions, you really only need agree/undecided/disagree. This is why Netflix only has a thumbs up and thumbs down. Thumbs up is positive (agree), and thumbs down is negative (disagree). When you don’t rate a film on Netflix, it counts as undecided. Netflix only factors in the movies you rate positively and negatively. That’s all you really need for a customer survey. Amazon’s five-star reviews are an example of Likert in action too. Amazon uses these to help decide what to sell you, so think about that the next time you write a review!

“If you want to develop a product or service, solve a problem. And survey for problems. What bothers people? What do they hate doing? What are they doing now that your product will do cheaper?

“As for length, shoot for no more than 20–30 Likert-type questions. People will spend more time and do a better job on surveys if they are paid, due to a sense of fairness. You also get more honest responses if they put their name on the form versus doing it anonymously, unless the topic is embarrassing. Avoid open-ended questions, and if you have them, you need five or fewer.”

“Finally, listen to your customer support people. They know what people do and don’t like about your product. Customer service call center databases have some of the best open-ended discussions a company can get their hands on. The reasons people call will help optimize products and can create efficiencies elsewhere. Along those same lines, you get more valuable feedback from fan clubs than you get from focus groups. So start a fan club, don’t hire a focus group. Fan clubs love your product and want it to be better. They are more invested than focus groups.”

—Anthony Babbitt, MS, MCSE, business consultant

THE BUSINESS STRATEGIST SAYS…

“When it comes to creating customer surveys, the key is to learn what the customers’ pain point is. Ask, What problem are you trying to solve? Keep this question open ended. By allowing customers to use their own words, you not only gain insights into how they see the problem (as opposed to your assumption of the problem), you also get verbiage you can reuse in your marketing to create an emotional connection. Another key question (that should also be open ended) is what their dream solution to this problem is. This gives you an insight into what your customer is looking for.

“When writing the survey:

1. Use qualifiers. Not everyone you are speaking to or who is willing to answer your survey is your ideal customer. Using conditional logic, the first few questions should ask information that confirms that you are speaking to your ideal customer.
2. Think about UX design. This is often an overlooked piece and can contribute to how many responses you get. The survey doesn’t need to be a beautiful piece of art, but it should be easy to use.
3. Unless you only have a handful of questions, don’t put all your questions on one page. This can be overwhelming to the user and may limit the number of people who are willing to fill out your survey.
4. Only ask the critical questions. This is not the time to ask every question that you want an answer to. Ideally your survey should take less than four minutes to fill out. If it takes any longer, not only will the number of responses go down, but the quality will too.

“Software and tools don’t need to be complicated. A free tool such as Google Forms works just fine. To help the business later on, capture emails in this process.”
—Kat Rosati, business strategist, Apparel Booster