Public relations practitioners and in-house communicators are fond of pointing out all the press releases they've produced on behalf of a firm or client. But if the press releases don't generate news coverage, what good are they?

Sure, they might turn up on Google, which is always welcome; and the higher-ups get to see their name in print. But that's getting away from your main goal, which is to generate publicity to enhance your reputation and help market your firm. That's what generating real news does.

If your news releases aren't generating news, it may be time to rethink your strategy. A more personalized approach of targeting individual reporters who cover your industry is far more apt to obtain results than blasting out news releases that largely go unread.