<rant>
Over my career, I’ve been involved with a number of software projects. Some of these projects were vaporware, while others that were beautifully architected, coded and tested. One of my pet peeves, though, is when companies have a preference for delivering press releases, not actual products.
Back in the day, I read Guy Kawasaki’s Selling the Dream, which some may interpret differently than others: it’s really a book about getting customers to believe in your vision, perhaps before there’s a real product. Apple had to get developers like Adobe on board with the Macintosh before it was a real computer. Kawasaki was not saying you should manufacture a headline for the press release to gain interest or upset competitors without a real plan behind it.
As Seth Godin says, “real artists ship.”
Want to write a press release? The most effective press release should be about the date your product ships. Or it should describe someone who is taking over their market by using a product you shipped. Or it announces the staggering number of units you shipped. Don’t write how you expect to deliver a product in the second quarter of next year. We don’t believe you.
Technology marketing is hard. Your baloney press releases make it harder for those of us who ship. You’re creating clutter, not making the world better.
So, sorry, gotta go – I’m drafting the press release for the website we’re launching Friday, November 31.
</rant>