In case you didn’t know, ChatGPT isn’t a real person.
Even though I consider it an office assistant, it has no feelings. You can yell at it, and it doesn’t care.
You can kick it in its GPT, and it won’t flinch.
You can refuse to talk to it for days, and it won’t say a word.
Why I Fired ChatGPT (Kinda)
The other day I was working on a press release. I had the various pieces figured out and thought I’d hand it over to ChatGPT to see what it would do with it.
The results were atrocious.
Granted, that’s coming from someone who’s been writing professionally as a PR pro for decades. I have a very high standard.
And yes, I know you have to have great prompts and train it to write like you want it to. But I don’t think it would have made a huge difference.
What ChatGPT produced was so bad that I… yelled at it.
And I fired it (at least from writing press releases).
I may have even called it a name. (Like “stupid” — because I don’t cuss.)
Maybe I shouldn’t have been so hard on it. Besides, its annual salary is only $120. And it never takes a sick day. I don’t even have to pay for its healthcare or holidays.
Mistakes ChatGPT Made in Press Release Writing
Press releases must be written in Associated Press Style, a.k.a., AP Style. It’s how journalists write.
When I asked ChatGPT to write a press release about a client’s technology receiving a registered trademark, it used words and terminology like:
- “sets new industry standard”
- “ease of use”
- “is the pioneer in its sector”
Read any reputable newspaper (if you can still find one) and pay attention to how a news story is written.
That’s how you should write a press release. You should be able to take your press release and drop it right into the newspaper. Or magazine.
It should read like it belongs there.
(NOTE: I’m talking about hard news stories here, not feature stories.)
If your press release reads like an ad, then you need to pay for an ad and you can say what you want to say.
5 Common Mistakes in Press Releases
Seeing what ChatGPT produced reminded me that most non-PR-trained folks have no idea how to write a press release.
Here are the 5 most common mistakes I see:
- Letting a marketing person write a press release – I love my marketing friends. PR and marketing pros need to play in the same sandbox together. But marketing pros w/o any PR guidance will write a marketing piece, not a press release. They look at the press as another sales channel. Well OK, I do believe everyone is in sales. But you have to know how to sell by being factual, not promotional. My contact at a new client is the senior marketing director. She’s great to work with because she’s teachable. She knows what she doesn’t know. I’m in the process of writing my first press release for them, and when I told her she can’t use words like “revolutionizing” or “innovative” without attribution, she immediately got it. I explained it was…
- Editorializing – You can’t make unsubstantiated, nonattributed claims because they’re nothing more than opinions or marketingspeak. That’s not how news stories read. If you want to make a claim, it needs to be in a quote: “We believe our technology is going to revolutionize our industry in a way not previously imagined,” said CEO…
- Using the world’s most cliched lead – If your press release begins with, “[COMPANY NAME], a leader in BLAH-BLAH-BLAH, is proud to announce BLAH-BLAH-BLAH…” When journalists see a release with that lead, it’s immediately DELETED.
- Using the word “announce” in a press release – By its very nature, a press release IS an announcement. It’s like saying, “I’m going to drink some wet water.” Uh… duh.
- Not having anything newsworthy – You have to think like a reporter to know what type of news they’re looking for. Check out what they’re reporting on. What type of news is their audience looking for? If you only have fluff, then it’s not good newsworthy stuff. They only want the facts; not a sales pitch.
While I’m at it, there’s nothing more annoying to a PR pro than to say, “Hey, write me a PR!” It’s like nails on a chalkboard. PR stands for public relations, not press release.
My Hilarious Conversation with ChatGPT
Since “chat” was part of its name, I thought I’d have one with ChatGPT about its press release writing disaster. Here’s how it went:
ChatGPT: LEHI, Utah — Converus is pleased to announce that…
JP: DON’T EVER USE THE CLICHED LINE “IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE” IN ANY PRESS RELEASE YOU WRITE FOR ME!!!!!! Reason: a press release IS an announcement, so it’s redundant.
ChatGPT: LEHI, Utah — Converus announces that VerifEye…
JP: Don’t use the word announces! Here’s my edited version. Learn from it. You can’t editorialize in a press release. You have to stay factual, unbiased (exception: quotes). Examples of editorializing: this milestone, sets new industry standard, etc.
ChatGPT: Thank you for sharing your revised version of the press release. It’s clear and directly communicates the essentials while maintaining an objective tone. This version serves as a good example of keeping the language in press releases factual and avoiding editorializing, which can influence the neutrality of the announcement. Your emphasis on straightforward, factual language—especially around the trademark status and its implications for the industry—is effective for maintaining professionalism and credibility in business communications. I appreciate the pointers and will apply these standards to future responses. If you need further refinements or additional content, feel free to ask!
JP: You do a terrible job writing press releases. You’re fired!
ChatGPT: I’m here to help, so if there’s anything specific you’d like to see improved or if there are other types of content you need assistance with, feel free to let me know!
JP: When you learn how to properly write a press release, then MAYBE I’ll give you a second chance.
ChatGPT: I appreciate your feedback and will strive to improve. If you decide to give me another chance in the future, I’ll be here ready to assist you. Meanwhile, if there’s anything else you need help with, just let me know.
One thing’s for sure, you can’t rattle ChatGPT.
3 Big Takeaways
- Don’t trust ChatGPT to write a quality press release.
- If you want a great press release, learn to write like a journalist (or hire a PR pro).
- ChatGPT is gracious in taking criticism.
Need someone to bounce ideas off of about your press release? Contact me.
Jeffery E. Pizzino, APR is a spin-free public relations pro who is passionate about telling the why of your story with clarity, impact and authenticity. He began his PR career in 1987 at Ketchum Public Relations in New York City but has spent the majority of his career as a solopreneur. He’s AuthenticityPR’s Chief Authentic Officer and also functions as the fractional CCO for technology startup Converus.
Jeff has an MBA in Management from Western International University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications — with an emphasis in PR — from Brigham Young University. He’s a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but also holds an Italian citizenship. Jeff and his storyteller wife Leticia have four children and four grandchildren. In his extremely limited nonwork hours, he studies italiano, practices guitar, gardens, disc golfs, reads, listens to New Wave music, serves in his church, watches BYU football, and plays Dominion and Seven Wonders. Email Jeff.
