I can't find Cardi B's press release
(or why I hate press releases)
I will cut right to the chase: I hate press releases. Anyone who has worked with me over the past few years know how much I dislike and will avoid doing them. As a marketer in 2021, the number of ways in which a message can be delivered effectively is huge, and press releases are very low on that list when it comes to effectiveness and efficiency.
Before I get a lot of pushback here (or someone puts out a press release defending the press release) I want to make it clear that I absolutely love communications, media, and public relations as tools for marketing. Social media, earned media, influenced media, and many other channels are core components of my marketing mix.
Even press releases have their place: when required by regulations, to memorialize specific events for future reference, or to reach certain very specific audiences.
The problem with the press release, however, is it is often one of the first things asked for by colleagues outside marketing.
If you could do a press release, please, that would be great.
Here are the press releases our competitors did, so do one like this.
I need you to put out a press release on this right away so we can win this deal/change perception/etc.
These requests come from smart and successful people, often customer-facing or field-based, who have valid needs. They want the company to be noticed, the brand to be known, product innovations and introductions to be highlighted. All valid.
Requests are often accompanied by “it isn’t a lot of work” to just put out a release. Let’s just all agree that unless you are a marketing communications professional you don’t know how little or much work it actually requires.
Those asking for a press release are also often people who pay very close attention to the market and competitors: receiving regular alerts on competitive announcements, signed up for every industry newsletter, trolling competitive websites regularly. This creates a degree of sensitivity to information that is often far different than the typical customer. As I like to remind others: we may think about our business 24/7 but we are lucky if our prospects give us 30 seconds of thought a day.
The press release is an example of what I term performative marketing (not to be confused with performance marketing). The release itself is often meaningless verbiage, written to be legally neutral and also somehow universally inclusive of audiences. It is the act of doing the release that people think is important. In truth, the act of doing the release is relatively trivial. Most press releases are here and gone within a day — the volume of news today is such that even the most consequential of events is washed away after a few days. Press releases go out to essentially everyone, putting the burden of targeting on the recipient rather than on the sender.
We don’t want to do marketing that is here and gone, do we? We want to do marketing that targets the right audience with the right message, and makes that message meaningful and persistent. We want to do marketing that can be specific, convincing, and impactful; not a bland narrative quoting an executive speaking generic homilies.
The press release is not the tip of the marketing spear (to use a popular concept) nor the trailing reinforcements — it is a tactic. It is not the important performative act people think it is (put out a press release!) but a simple message for a specific channel/purpose.
Why can’t I find the press release from Cardi B? Why would there be one? She has 82mm fans on Instagram, where she teased the release and then announced it. Over 2.5mm of them liked her post and millions of them probably amplified it. Hundreds of media outlets picked up the story as well.
Why should any company do a press release? The critics will say because the company doesn’t have 82mm fans. Most companies don’t need 82mm fans. In the B2B software business — the business I am in - our audience is targeted and well-defined. We have 9k followers on LinkedIn and would love to have 90k. Our audience thrives on good content (a new white paper or webcast should be just like a new song release) and will amplify that content. We have nearly a thousand employees around the globe, all of whom can amplify our voice through multiple social channels. This is true for my company as it is for any company.
The press release accomplishes almost nothing when it stands alone. The press release shouldn’t even be discussed until the overarching strategy is understood and the full marketing plan is built. The media environment today is not looking for press releases, it is looking for differentiation, value, and content that can be amplified. Companies need to have products and services desired by the market and the ability to deliver those products and services in a reliable way at a reasonable cost.
Next time someone asks for a press release, step back and make sure all the foundational elements are in place first and then demonstrate how you will reach the market in far more meaningful and impactful ways.
BTW, the new song from Cardi B drops Friday.