PR hacks that continue to blast fax and scattergun press releases without targeting the message are starting to make the profession look like a bunch of absolute morons. Enough already. We all know that the technique doesn’t work, so why do we persist in its practice? This weeks Bad Pitch Blog makes my point.

Okay, let’s think about this. Journalists have complained about inappropriately pitched press releases for forever (yes, I think since the first caveman returned from the dregs to find that mistaken pitch for New Fire on his cave wall). And before RSS, Blogs, Email, Internet, et. al., we pretty much had to rely on mailing or faxing press releases. And then we got flack for it.

Marvels of marvels, today we have other ways to get our message out: notably all of the “opt-in” ways to reach the opinion leaders and messengers. Bloggers reach more journalists just through aggregators and subscriptions than from all of those goofy press release announcements.

Not to mention once a journalist comes to you through a blog, aggregator or another opt-in source, they want to know more about you: they ask you for information. And a relationship is formed. And isn’t that our main function: building relationships?

Let’s put the press release tool to better use. Post your releases on your website and let journalists find them. Begin talking about issues and relevant information in your blogs, newsgroups and mailing lists. Link to your press release in your posts. Give journalists, bloggers and readers a reason to talk about you, your company or your cause.

Avoid spamming like your profession depends on it, because it does.