It’s written, it’s edited, and it’s ready to go. Just like that, through the magic of the modern-day PR newswires, you’ve just sent the press release you’ve worked on for months to every news outlet worth its weight in mere seconds. Your job here is done, right?

Wrong.

Electronic newswires make it a breeze to get your message out and into the media, but they aren’t enough to achieve real PR impact. In fact, because of their ability to generate multiple media postings in a matter of seconds, newswires can even hide a multitude of PR sins.

But that doesn’t mean we should go back to the days of licking stamps and mailing thousands of releases to reporters who weren’t expecting them in the first place.

So, to get the most from newswires while avoiding their most common pitfalls, here is our advice:

Newswires make your job easier, not obsolete.

Journalists are trained in a specific style, with steadfast rules and an eye for detail. If a journalist sees a press release that doesn’t meet professional journalism standards, then into the trash it goes (which, in fact, is probably where it belongs.)

To make matters worse, not all newswires require releases to reflect professional journalism standards. By nature, they’re designed (and paid) to disseminate news—not write, edit or, in some cases, even vet the material. This leaves the door open for poorly planned, terribly written and un-fact-checked releases to find a home on the Internet.

For the sake of your reputation, start thinking of badly written press releases as bad news for your reputation. Unskilled writing that finds its way onto the internet becomes a public forum for demonstrating mediocrity (at best) and (at worst) public proof of marketing incompetence.

Don’t equate online postings with news coverage.

When you send a release on any of the top newswires, it’s not uncommon to see your masterpiece posted on hundreds of the world’s most respected news sites automatically. At first glance, this gives the impression that your story is making a far-reaching impact.

Not so fast. In fact, the vast majority of automated online postings are never read. Unless your release passes the smell test and the editorial team selects it for placement in addition to the automated online placement, don’t be fooled by what looks like legitimate coverage.

Create and send your own list.

A wire service is a great way to disseminate news to a wide range of people—so great, in fact, that Burns360 uses four different newswires for our clients, depending on which one is the best fit at the time. But remember—a wire service is just the tip of the iceberg. You must always follow it up directly and one-on-one with your own customized list. That’s how you build relationships with the media that really matter to you—the ones you’ll want to work with again and again in the future.

Howard Wolfson, former Deputy Mayor of New York City, was quoted on Hubspot as saying, “The biggest mistake people make when it comes to PR is doing exactly what everyone else does. At the end of the day, reporters live for a great story they can share, and that starts with a unique perspective, a new angle on an old story, or a scoop no one else has.”

I couldn’t say it any better. While newswires are certainly helpful tools to have, it’s up to you to provide reporters with the kind of content that will move the marker. Automated news transmissions have no clout at all if what you’re distributing has nothing of value for your targets to read.

Do you have any newswire success stories? Input for improvements? We’d love to hear from you!