Common Sense PR

PR Critique: Hyperbole Undercuts your Credibility

by Eric Eggertson on March 18th, 2008

An audacious statement helps you stand out from the crowd.

A bombastic statement makes you stand out for the wrong reasons.

PerfectBusiness.com isn’t content to offer useful services for those starting a business. Instead, it stands on a soapbox and shouts to the world:

“New Web Site Aims to Boost U.S. Economy by Driving Startups”

All that’s missing is ALL CAPS and many exclamation marks!!!! If you want your announcements to have the credibility of spam, this is the way to do it. Does anybody believe one small website is going to boost the U.S. economy?

Despite the overstated headline, the launch campaign isn’t dreadful. With lots of experience in online and offline promotions, the company founders Mark Verge and Dan Bliss (pictured, right) seem to know how to generate buzz.

Their pitch doesn’t remotely appeal to me, but I’m not their target. They’re appealing to someone who hears opportunity, when all I hear is hype. They’re going for the dreamer who responds to infomercials. That’s not me.

The company obviously knows its way around search engine optimization and marketing. And they have created a series of entrepreneur interviews, served up on YouTube, MySpace and no doubt other venues, for viewing and sharing, so they get props for enabling devotees to spread the word.

Technorati Tags: business, communications, entrepreneurs, infomercials, youtube, myspace, viral, video, news release, public relations, pitch, hyperbole, spam

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POSTED IN: Audiences, Buzz, Marketing, PR, Promotions, Social Media