Black Hat has reminded me why it’s important to ditch wire services for proper PR
I’m back home after an energizing week at Black Hat—an event that was a whirlwind of weird human lamps, exciting start-up competitions, and some jaw-dropping funding announcements.
But as I caught up on the media stories of the week, I also hit a wall of wire service news release placements. Or what I like to call noise. It only distracts audiences and demeans brands, which, in fact, have a good story to tell.
So, I’m making a plea to stop using wire services. Instead, let’s focus on what truly counts—building strong journalist relationships that lead to meaningful media coverage.
What is a wire service?
A wire service is a news release distribution platform. You upload your release (for a fee), and it’s blasted to a bunch of journalists. Sounds useful, right? Maybe not. We need to look at the service they provide in the context of what successful PR looks like.
The true purpose of media relations
The real goal of media relations is to help journalists understand the cybersecurity industry, spotlight the most important trends, and highlight noteworthy developments. In return, journalists communicate these crucial facts to their readers. It’s a symbiotic relationship where vendors and their spokespeople gain recognition and credibility, getting quoted as valuable sources of knowledge.
But how do wire services measure up?
1) They’re useless for securing coverage where it matters
Have you ever seen a journalist pick up a wired release, write a story, and publish it in a top-tier publication? Probably not. While wire services might spread your release far and wide, the best you can hope for is a handful of random websites reprinting your release. These sites aren’t where your target audience is hanging out, so the value of this is minimal.
2) You don’t need wire services to reach journalists
Your goal isn’t to blast your message to thousands of consumer outlets; you are a cybersecurity vendor operating in a focused B2B context. Chances are, you’ve got a shortlist of 50 or fewer media outlets that really matter. With a clear target list, you can reach out directly to journalists. Good PR is about fostering relationships—not spamming inboxes. Wire services just get in the way.
3) Wire services could hurt your SEO
The best you can hope for from a wire service is that your release is reprinted across low-authority sites, all with the same copy-pasted text. Google’s algorithms can spot inauthentic content and identifies ‘fake’ backlinks, which could hurt your search rankings.
4) They’re spammy for journalists
Sending out a one-size-fits-all news release isn’t the best way to get a story out. Instead of relying on a blunt, mass-distribution tool, take the time to understand what each journalist is interested in and tailor your pitch. Remember, PR is about building relationships, not broadcasting. Wire services encourage lazy habits that we should ditch.
If not wires, then what?
Like all of us, journalists thrive in one-on-one exchanges where ideas and thoughts can be shared freely to create deeper personal connections. So, start with a well-researched, highly focused, list of journalists who are shaping the industry.
Then work out how to be useful to them. They will only communicate with you if you are helping them with their priorities. Only then will they learn to trust you and turn to you for commentary and advice in the years ahead.
Building a campaign around the priorities of journalists whilst also meeting your marketing and business objectives is not easy. If that sounds like something that you just do not have the hours in the day to perfect, then talk to us at Code Red.
If you’d like to discuss how we can help improve your media presence, please book a call or email me at: robin.campbell-burt@coderedcomms.com.