Is the blog the new press release?  Not entirely, but close. 

In reading one of my favorite industry, insider blogs from Brian Solis, who writes on “PR 2.0,” he summarized what I’ve been preaching for the last two years.  While the press release has not gone away, the way in which we distribute news in them has changed dramatically.  Moreover, the advent of the blog itself is a powerful tool to channel consistent, relevant and fresh messaging to a community of interest (media or not).   Couple that with the diminishing inventory of available editorial content, and it’s a worthwhile consideration for anyone that has regular news to announce.

“One of the easiest solutions to deploy and manage online press releases are also the least discussed and most underestimated. Blogs represent some of the most effective platforms for communicating solutions and offering answers to the community of customers and prospects seeking insight. It’s the most profound forum for actively demonstrating expertise and sharing vision and direction consistently over time. Blogs are also an ideal home for sharing news in a format that tells a story in a more human voice. It shouldn’t read as a typical release however. It should capture the essence of what’s new, unique, and worthy of attention and present it in a format that mirrors the story you would ultimately hope to read elsewhere – complete with all of the shareable media content that also speaks to people, their way.” - PR 2.0 May 18, 2009