In today’s high-tech, fast-paced world, the low-tech power of print remains a primary source of news and information for many Americans. Newspapers and magazines may not be as flashy as their media counterparts, television, radio and the Internet but they do have certain advantages:
♦ Staying power: print has a long shelf life. Articles are often clipped and preserved for years. The longer a publication hangs around, the more people see it.
♦ In-depth coverage: the print medium will cover your topic more thoroughly than any other. In print, you can tackle tough topics, and even address subtopics in shorter, accompanying articles. Print articles can include a lot of details that are difficult to convey in broadcast. Readers can also reread an article if they didn’t understand something the first time.
♦ No performance is involved: while it is still important to have your facts straight in a print interview, you aren’t on camera or on the air, so you have more leeway explain your topic.
♦ Targeted: the number of publications designed for specific audiences makes it easy to target specific groups.
When given the opportunity, you should still include print in your public relations campaign strategy.
