Web Marketing

Publishing News: Press Releases vs. Blog Posts

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Press release

With the rise of social media and the popularity of blogs, many companies are turning towards techniques beyond press releases to issue news statements and save money. While the reasons can vary, there are a few major concerns that govern the transition to blog based news in favor of the old standby – a well written press release. Determining which method is better is the real task facing the news driven company marketing or public relations representative.

Using a Press Release to Publish News

Press Releases are designed to cover small amount of news in a lean and well designed format. The standard publication of a press release provides all of the information that a reader needs to absorb the news and make an educated decision about a product or service. However, press releases are also often expensive to produce and distribute.

In most cases, they require a professional press release writer and paid submission to a variety of publishing sites. One conservative estimate listed a press release’s total publication cost to be in excess of $1,000. While this might seem like a high price to pay, press releases are also one of the most effective ways to get information to your readers.

Using a Blog Post to Publish News

While it may not have the power and distribution capabilities of a press release, a blog post is typically cheaper to produce and can reach a targeted audience composed of regular blog readers and web site members as well as SEO driven traffic. However, unlike press release, blog posts are bound by rules regarding duplicate content. If you choose to publish news in a blog post, you will not be able to publish the same post elsewhere without diminishing its value from a search engine point of view.

Blog posts can also be published within minutes of a news worthy event. So, in the event that news needs to published quickly, a blog post might be the best option for releasing information. On the other hand, a press release can take a period of several days to distribute before it appears on the market. In addition, there is no guarantee that the press release will immediately reach your valuable pool of dedicated readers.

Finding a Happy Medium Between the Two

One way to solve the problem of choosing between a press release and blog post is to use both depending on the situation. For example, if there is a time sensitive news release that could alter day to day activities, a blog post could be the best option to publish news. However, if a news story needs to remain active for a long period of time and reach a larger reader base than the existing members of a web site, a press release could be the best option.

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17 comments

Yasser Khan July 30, 2010 - 6:36 am
This is good reading from a bare basics stand-point, though I believe you could write separate articles on 'How to write a killer Press Release on the cheap' for those who want to develop skills in that arena, or 'Blogging for PR 101' etc. That might increase your value!
Alex Sysoef July 30, 2010 - 12:11 pm
Corry, I actually don't see why "VS" - I think both should be used and they compliment each other quite nicely
Colleen July 30, 2010 - 5:41 pm
I like a blog post versus a press release. I think the syndication of the blog post surpass that of a press release. However, do both is optimum for their link value.
ZK July 31, 2010 - 12:17 am
I ve done a few press releases they seem to be picked up by a large distribution network compared to the blog post unless of course your blog is a high traffic blog... If you want to build authority then doing a guest post on a high traffic blog is your best bet
Car Rental August 1, 2010 - 2:21 pm
I think both would be necessary in future and every news would be on blogs & twitter as well as on press releases.
Ben August 1, 2010 - 8:46 pm
Press Release is the big picture of your website product, services etc and people nowadays wants to read the main essence and having preview on your Press Release is something worth while reading besides this is a news type article. Blog conveys to you reader about you and your product.
Property Marbella August 2, 2010 - 12:05 am
Hi Corry Press Releases is absolut the best way to get new reader or clients to your business, but it is so hard to get them published.
eCommerce Web Solution August 2, 2010 - 12:41 am
You are right, depending on the situation we may distribute our news in the form of blog post or as a Press release. Generally, people distribute press release when new product or service has been launched.
Dany Event Planning August 2, 2010 - 3:48 am
Just because Yahoo has its headquarters in Sunnyvale, does that mean it's the capital of the world?
Shaukat Ameen August 2, 2010 - 11:42 am
They both bring you different benefits. On your blog, you may already have a good readership. However, posting a Press Release will allow you to send your message to a different audience who may not know you already. It's a great way of announcing something new, like a new product, design, offer, etc. and attracting new visitors/buyers.
YourName@YourKeywords August 2, 2010 - 10:20 pm
I do agree with using both. I have been distributing press releases successfully for years. I have found one key is to submit them consistently with at least one going out every couple of months if the time and budget permits. I have also found that distributing to the local newspapers, television and radio station can give you added benefit. My wife did up a press release a couple years ago about children with epilepsy. She submitted it through PRWeb.com. It did very well. She also mailed a copy of the release to our local paper and they did a front page story. It took very little extra work, some photocopying, a letter to the editor, an envelope and a stamp. James
smart metering August 3, 2010 - 2:22 am
Well, this is simply seen that both are good on their side. Press release is a very good for publishing the story regarding the products or services to the media and blog post is a way where one can get good readers for getting the insight of product or services.
used tires August 3, 2010 - 11:13 pm
I think at the end of the day they both have their pros and cons, I think in the past from my understanding Press Releases carried alot of weight especially when others picked it up, and you got alot of backlinks to your site. But nowadays I am not sure if it still has that same affect. Definitely though at the minimum you want to get those blog posts at the minimum. Till then, Jean
Dany Event Planning August 4, 2010 - 1:16 am
Whenever I confirm a friend request, that action is published in the news feeds, meaning my other friends can see that event when they log into their account. How do I change settings to prevent that from publishing? Thanks
Software Development Company August 23, 2010 - 5:11 am
Good post about publish news in blog post and press release. Yes, generally press release sites use of launch new product and services. Thanks for information about it.
OpenCRM February 3, 2011 - 5:31 am
An interesting article and an issue I have been wrestling with recently - despite the article being half a year old it's still a relevant theme. For archival and longevity purposes I am tending towards the blog side of things. Although most news items do not get deleted from the web, they quickly become yesterday's news and do not become points of referral. A blog posting retires with dignity into an archive and then forms part of a greater knowledge and reference base, in my opinion. A cheap to run blog article will then potentially have a far greater impact than an expensive press release if the timing goes even slightly wrong.
Outsourced Product Development December 12, 2011 - 6:30 am
Yes I think press release and blog post is good as SEO point of view. You can not say to choose one from it because both are really important depend on the situation.
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