Oracle simplifies press releases

Software giant experiments with “just the facts” format

The death of the press release has been predicted for a few years now, but it looks like the patient may have a longer lease on life than we thought (even as the media outlets we send them to are dying a slow and tortured death). About 5,600 press releases are distributed by PR Newswire each week; Business Wire distributes about 7,000 a week.

What is changing, however, is that some organizations have been brave enough to break out of the traditional press release mold.

Software giant Oracle is cutting through the press-release clutter with its variation on the social media press release, and is winning fans both internally and externally for the new format. Oracle’s press releases feature bulleted lists of news facts and quotes instead of the usual narrative approach—it’s basically a shorter, easier-to-read version of the traditional release.