"I’ve always said that boilerplate is fine if you’re from Purdue; anywhere else it’s just empty words."
OK, that read's a bit out of context without the link to a news release in which the boilerplate is longer than the (soft) news. It's longer by nearly 100 words with a 261-word boilerplate shouting over a 169-word news release.
Less Really is More
Much like the oft-abused news release format, Freud could have a field day with the overcompensation that leads to boilerplate abuse. We've written about this tiny detail before. This summer tip release does just fine all by itself. For the first time ever, we're a big fan of shrinkage. Perhaps it should spend some time in the pool to correct the issue?
The boilerplate is the last graph in the news release for a reason. It's the least important. Yet some seem to spend the most time on it. I know from experience that the more you sweat over each word in a boilerplate, the more it starts to read like inside baseball. It reads like brand poetry to marketing, legal and the CEO. But, to quote Bob Roseth, it's just empty words.
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I agree Kevin. When my boss and I took over the PR department 7 years ago, we noticed that our company was sending out press releases with 3 boilerplates! One each for the company, division and product. All way too long. Now we have a single boilerplate that's 2 sentences long. Not only does it simplify the communication but it saves you money on wire services.
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. I now have a client that insists on a half page boilerplate no matter what I tell them - I'm starting to worry about duplicate content hurting SEO if that's possible!! The main thing to include is what you do and a website for more information. The rest is superfluous.
ReplyDeleteIn complete agreement with you!! One of my clients has several boilerplates--up to four on some releases. I can't seem to make them understand that no one reads them!
ReplyDeleteIf folks spent as much time writing good, solid headlines and properly SEOed opening paragraphs, they would get more coverage!
Boilerplates aren't the way to get on a journalist's good side. It's the headline and first big punches that'll get you published. The last bit is the last thing they'll care about. The good ol' Inverted Pyramid.
ReplyDeleteForget the boilerplate. Write a proper news story, and you'll be fine.
ReplyDelete