Eliminating blah-speak from PR

A lot of press releases would be far more interesting if they actually said what they meant to say in plain English rather than wrapping it up in some kind of corporate gobbledegook. There seems to be an irresistible trend toward wordiness, as if this somehow lends credibility. The problem is that so many of those words are just plain meaningless.

Like ‘utilise’. What is wrong with the word ‘use’? Utilise seems to be inserted just because it sounds more important. “The company is utilising the best processed wood pulp based tissue products for its personal hygiene facilities.” Or “we’ve got loo roll.” If a company has nothing to say then it’s not going to be improved by blah-speak.

Another pet hate is quotations from spokespeople that don’t actually say anything. The quotation is the one opportunity in the release to say something distinctive and memorable. So why are there so many crap quotes which just regurgitate junk such as … “it is testament to the strength of our leading solutions that we are forging ahead in partnership ..zzzz..zzz” sorry did I fall asleep there?

Leading and solution are other tricky words which crop up too often. Anybody and everybody appears to be a solutions provider. Even the milkman is a dairy solutions provider. Leading is rarely qualified by anything meaningful.

Lazy press releases seem to look like templates for blah-speak these days. If you’re looking to promote your product or service and don’t want to pay a professional agency to do your PR for you, then why not simply use the template below. Just insert the name of your company, product and the industry and you’re ready to go!

Company X unveils Product Z

Company X, the leading solutions provider for the Y industry, has today announced the arrival of its latest offering, Product Z. Designed to fulfil the needs of the industry, the new product has enhanced functionality for even greater benefits.

“We are delighted to present our latest solution to the market,” commented XYZ at the firm. “It is testament to the strength of our ability to develop the right solution at the right time. This cutting edge solution will ensure we continue to maintain our market leading position.”

Product Z has been developed utilising advanced technologies to leverage maximum performance, and meets the needs of its customers for high quality products.