Thank you, Steve.

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me the news release was dead, I’d be retired and living in the Virgin Atlantic lounge at Heathrow by now, having someone bring me a glass of bubbly before my Thai foot massage and after my nap in the swinging egg chair.

The media still plays an outsized role in influence shaping — look no further than our president’s tweets for evidence — and to cut them out of a campaign seems short-sighted, or at least flavor-of-the-day-ish. Yes to the principles you outline. Yes to writing releases for readers, not just journalists.

But the release obsolete? No way.

Send me a dollar. I need a foot massage.

Good suggestions, Chris!

This also helps to keep the press release short as you are not tempted to add too much background information, which would defeat the purpose of a short, crisp email release.

Its somewhat easier playing the “expert card” when on the agency side by gently reminding the client they’re paying for your expertise and really do have their best interests at heart. I once mentioned to a tech client that I didn’t tell him how to design circuits and he got it. The most challenging approach was writing the news release two ways and testing it with a couple of friendly Journalists (resorting to higher authority), who sided with our recommendations. ‘Suggest not trying that very often. I’ve sometimes felt like asking clients if they argue with their legal counsel, physician or accountant?
Teaching PR to your client and/or management team members is never-ending and often arduous. Just when you get them well-trained, they leave and you start all over.
Working inside a company as a PR staffer or manager can put you at a greater disadvantage since you’re often dealing with people further up the corporate totem pole (CEO, vp’s, directors) who are used to getting their way and/or not taking advice from “underlings” even though they allegedly hired you for your expertise in the first place.
Frankly, if a PR client is consistently not taking advise, its probably time to look for a replacement. This is addressed in two chapters in my new book, “Savvy Tech PR” – https://www.amazon.com/dp/1457552523 and elsewhere.
An applicable joke: What’s the difference between an engineer and a doctor? Engineers THINK they know everything. Doctors KNOW they know everything. :)

Agreed, Ford! What are your approaches to help reluctant clients see the light?