Editor’s Message to PRs

Editor’s Message to Public Relations

In these past three years, I have read and published 15,187 press releases. Consequently, as journalist and editor of StorageNewsletter.com, I think that I am in a good position to know what I need and what I dislike into these texts.

I need you and you need me. A lot of you have subscribed to our daily newsletter not only – I hope – to just verify that your press releases has been published and to justify your job to your customers.

That’s the reason I offer you my opinion about your writing. I agree that generally your English is better than mine as I began to study this language lately, at university, not in high school or college. The problem is not here but in some words or expressions that you are using too frequently in your phrases, about all of you. I hate them and I’m tired to remove them – when I have enough time. You will find them below.

About all the journalists in the world – and not only in storage or in IT – will give you the same advices. Will you follow them? I dream that you will but I’m sure that you will not as:

• you and your customers love these ecstatic words, and
• you have learned to use them for press releases in your college and universities.

Would it be possible – at least once – to send me a press release, just one, without all these garbages?

I know that I’m asking something impossible. But I do it.

DON’T USE ANYMORE THESE WORDS
AND EXPRESSIONS IN YOUR PRESS RELEASES:

• all-new (new is sufficient)
• announced the release – or the launch – of a new (announced is sufficient)
• available now or immediately (available is sufficient)
• best-in-class, better than the competition (if competitors not revealed)
• brand new (new is sufficient)
• breakthrough
• comprehensive
• cutting-edge
• dramatically
• easy-to-use (if not demonstrated)
• enjoy
• exceptional
• excited, exciting (be quiet)
• ! – exclamation mark
• dramatic
• drastically
• enthusiasm
• exponentially
• delighted
• first ever (first is sufficient)
• first worldwide (if not true)
• flagship
• full support (support is sufficient)
• fully supporting (supporting is sufficient)
• greatly
• happy
• high performance (if not proved)
• highest
• highly anticipated
• ideal
• immediately available (available is sufficient)
• impressive
• in fact
• industry’s first (if not true)
• innovating or innovator
• introduced/launched a new (of course it’s new as it is introduced or launched)
• irreplaceable
• leading or leader
• more than or up to [figure] (give the exact number)
• most
• most popular (or prove it with numbers)
• never seen
• newest, new enhancements (new is sufficient)
• no compromise
• on-premise
• outstanding
• perfect
• phenomenal
• pleased
• premier
• premium
• pricing will depend on configuration (of course)
• proven (if not proved)
• proud
• publicly released (released is sufficient)
• revolution
• rock solid (solid is sufficient)
• ROI (if not proved)
• saving (if price not published)
• setting a new standard
• significant, significantly
• state of the art
• successful
• tight integration (integration is sufficient)
• top-of-line
• truly
• trusted
• ultra
• unique, unmatched, unparalleled, unprecedented
• up-to-date
• well-known (if not known)
• wide range (range is sufficient)
• win-win
• without doubt
• world-class

Now that you are at the end of this article, just count how many of these items are included in your next press release.

I also add few advices:

• no capital letters on words that do not need them;
• at the end of a quote: .” (or) ,” [and not] “. (or) ”,;
• always add in the press release the complete name (with Inc., Corp., etc) of the company with its Web site, the price, the date of availability, a picture (with low resolution for me), the Web link to complete specs, and of course the date, email and phone contacts (of you but also of your customer);
• no more than 3,000 characters or 500 words by press release;
• email us your press releases few days before to prepare them for publication, we will respect the embargo.