When I blogged about Peter Shankman’s prediction of the death of the press release I had no idea it would become one of my top posts for 2008. It garnered a lot of discussion. So much so, that I had to ask Peter to respond to some of the comments left on the post and write a second one with his feedback.
The line that drew the most criticism was this: “If your clients can’t send their message in 140 characters or less, it needs to change.”
The post also prompted this post on the blog, Getting Ink, written by Sally Whittle, a freelance journalist based in the UK. She called Peter’s declaration “uber-wank.”
I wasn’t quite sure what that meant at first, and I’m still not sure I understand completely, but I do know that it is far from a compliment.
Her issue really isn’t with Peter though, but a man by the name of Dennis Howlett who wrote in a post titled PR is so over , that after 17 years he would no longer accept pitches that exceed 140 characters.
In fact, he created this automated response for anyone sending him pitches via email. “I’ve stopped accepting email pitches. Please follow me on Twitter and pitch in 140 characters or less.”
Well, Whittle was not happy about that. She refers to Howlett and all others who insist on twitter pitches as arrogant “hacks.”
Many of the comments share the same sentiment. Not that insisting on twitter pitches only makes one a “hack” but that by limiting the delivery method to one that most people are not familiar with or interested in using will have an adverse affect. One that decreases the ability to consider information on its merits.
Do you agree? Is this the move of “hacks” or those simply in tune with the future?
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January 2, 2009 at 6:18 am
Peter Shankman
Did she really call me an uber-wank? What a bitch!
January 2, 2009 at 8:26 am
Roger
In this day of information overload it behooves us all to strive for economy of words. And yes, usually less is more.
That said, can every great idea be articulated in 140 characters or less. Maybe, maybe not. Is there something magical about that limit. It’s not like the speed of light is it? Some inviolable law of the universe? What if the pitch for a brilliant idea just could not be done for less than 141 characters? Would Peter Shankman blindly reject it. The world might be all the poorer in that case.
So let’s not focus on absolutist dictates, nor on the technology used to disseminate creativity, but on the creative process itself. It’s what makes us human after all!
January 2, 2009 at 9:05 am
Are we taking the 140 character limit to the extreme? « Online … | thecommunitysecrets
[...] Go here to see the original: Are we taking the 140 character limit to the extreme? « Online … [...]
January 2, 2009 at 9:17 am
Peter Shankman
Roger, I never said pitch in 140 ONLY. I said that the world is getting to the point where an attention span longer than that is becoming increasingly rare.
January 2, 2009 at 9:37 am
Angela Connor
Right. @Roger, that was Dennis Howlett who wrote that on his blog. I am going to reach out to him and see if he’ll join the conversation. He is @dahowlett on Twitter and hails from Spain.
January 2, 2009 at 9:57 am
Joe Zlomek
Shankman’s philosophy on pitching story ideas – “If your clients can’t send their message in 140 characters or less, it needs to change” – isn’t new. Fabled Broadway impresario Joseph Papp espoused the same notion to playwrights back in the 1970s.
“Only clear ideas are salable,” Papp once said. He contended that if an author couldn’t describe a play in five words written on the back of a matchbook cover, then the concept wasn’t going to be easily grasped by, or sold to, the theater-going public.
Pitching an idea is one thing. A press release must do more than just promote; it must explain, usually to uneducated reporters and editors who will re-write and interpret news for their own audiences, how an idea relates to and should be understood by those news consumers. The well-written press release which achieves that goal isn’t dead. Instead, it’s more needed than ever.
January 2, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Murray Izenwasser
Both sides are actually right. And both sides are actually wrong. In today’s fully multi-channel world it’s all about reaching your audience in the way they expect to reached. From the specific PR perspective, for some it would be from a standard, faxed press release; for others, from one submitted via email; or from an online service; and now, it seems, via a 140 word or less tweet on Twitter.
If you choose to only create PR in one of these methods, then that is your choice. You will be limiting yourself to a sub-section of the market, however.
It goes back to goals: are you trying to get something placed in one specific publication, whether online or traditional – then you need to figure out how that decision maker wants to be pitched, and pitch that way.
However, if you are attempting to hit a broad audience and potentially drive traffic to an online destination, build some buzz, maybe some sort of viral effect, and take advantage of SEO, then you really need to hit on all channels, and create pitches/releases that take advantage of each in the best way for each.
January 4, 2009 at 11:09 am
Andrea Hill
There used to be the 30 second elevator pitch, now it’s down to 140 characters. I think it’s a logical progression, and in line with what we’re all starting to expect from each other, so why should PR be any different?
Books have always caught our interest primarily with their title, and secondarily with their cover. If you need 200 words to explain “the point”, then that point isn’t very sharp.
The word moves fast, there is simply too much information out there. We need a way to filter, and requiring people to refine their message and really be succinct is one way to do it.
January 4, 2009 at 11:26 am
Gerard McLean
Maybe the words need to change slightly to say:
“If you can’t pique interest in 140 characters, it needs to change.”
Your company, product, message, etc. should be worked like a carnival (trade show) booth. “Want to see a two-headed naked woman? Step right up.” or “Physical therapy for horses, want to hear more?” (The second was a real pitch in 47 characters for an electronic device that provided FES to a equine back and legs….. oh, have I already lost you?)
Pitch in 140. Sell only when you have attention. If you can’t pitch in 140, your idea is way to complicated. And, for God’s sake, make each link click to a photo of something. That counts for at least 140 characters without actually using any.
January 4, 2009 at 11:33 am
Wardell
Short and concise is always best, but while 140 characters may be great for Twitter it simply not effective for everything. 140 characters is simply a blurb of info or an attention grabber, one would be hard pressed to sell or convince me of anything with just 140 characters.
January 4, 2009 at 2:45 pm
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January 5, 2009 at 1:34 am
Interesting blogs posts from the first week of January, 209 | Digital Likeness
[...] Community Strategist blog by Angela Connor. Her posts Your Tombstone in 140 Characters or Less and Are we taking the 140 character limit to the extreme have caused me to really think about the impact of microblogging on how we communicate. Rather than [...]
May 18, 2009 at 7:33 pm
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June 25, 2009 at 11:12 am
Spud Hilton
As someone who receives 200+ press releases a day I can tell you this: Yes, a press release should give all the details, but if you don’t grab me with the first 140 characters (give or take), the rest of the release is meaningingless. So I guess the practical middleground is to write a tweet at the top and then all the details. Don’t be affraid to leave the client’s name until the second graph, because if you waste your characters telling me anything other than THE POINT, you’re sunk. Example: “Chairman and founder Johan Schnockflugenwerst of vacuum-flush sanitation reverse engineering company Flushinflugen, a leader in the industry, announced today …” There’s not a single character I need in that example and, sadly, this is what I get day after day.
June 25, 2009 at 11:53 am
Angela Connor
Great advice Spud and thanks for taking the time to post a comment. When I was a TV assignment manager, I felt the same way. All of the unnecessary crap at the beginning got so annoying and I resented the fact that I had to get to paragraph three sometimes just to find the actual point. The recylcing bin became my best friend. Again, great advice. Start with a tweet. Love it.
-Angela