Ivy Lee invented the PR staple in 1906
The press release was born on Oct. 28, 1906.
That’s the day Ivy Lee released a statement to the press on behalf of Pennsylvania Railroad about a train wreck that killed 50 people. The New York Times printed the article in full.
Given that the press release is more than 100 years old, what old-fashioned, fill-in-the-blanks PR 101 conventions can you release today?
NOT Your Father’s News Release
PR professionals have been married to the traditional news release format since Ivy Lee created the release more than 100 years ago. Why, then, do we need a new approach?
With 2,500 releases going out each day — that’s one every 35 seconds — the impact of your traditional news release ain’t what it used to be. In fact, fewer than 50% of all traditional news releases ever get covered, according to PR Newswire’s own research.Learn to put your PR pieces among the 50% that actually get the word at NOT Your Father’s News Release — our 2-day PR-writing workshop on Sept. 24-25, 2020, in Kansas City. You’ll learn to think like a reporter, write killer bites, and find out what goes into an effective release — from headline to boilerplate.
Save up to $100 with our group discounts.
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