What are the benefits and risks of using embargoes for press releases?

There is nothing wrong with the practice of embargoing press releases, or any sort of media statement, is not wrong. But the execution of such a practice must be well timed, well worded, and accurate. Remember we are now in a 24-hour news/media cycle plus social media outlets like YouTube that can distort any such message within less than 24 hours. Remember we now live in an era where once information is released the releaser takes a risk. Hence the practice of embargoing a press or media release only increases that risk.

The more sensitive the topic (and/or risk for outside competition), the better it is to issue an embargo. This is critically important for governments of all sizes, which may want one in the lead-up to cabinet/council shuffles, budget announcements or news releases that may have the potential to be contentious. A good rule of thumb would be to ask yourself how the story/angle you're pitching could be construed, if it has a high level of public interest and how the news will be perceived if/when it's received. If the answer to those questions is "high" from an interest standpoint, it's more beneficial to issue an embargo and build an associated campaign around the release of the story.

One should never request an embargo on any kind of communications. Why? First, you are playing favorites with the media when you make such request. Second, there is a high risk for the information to be leaked, and detrimental to your organization. Third, the rest of the media who don't get the information will become resentful and reluctant to give you your organization a fair opportunity in the future. Finally, if you don't want to release any information yet, then don't. Don't make decisions that will put your organization at risk by making requests you might regret in the future. Release your information when you are ready to do so. By being cautious, prepared, and prudent you will avoid the pitfalls that an embargo for sure will bring.

Welcome to the Press Release Chessboard, where some throw their pieces randomly, hoping for checkmate. Imagine a chess player revealing their moves as they go—no strategy, just chaos. Now, picture the grandmaster, armed not with spontaneity but with an embargo—a cloak of strategic invisibility. It's not just about playing the game; it's about orchestrating the chess pieces in perfect harmony. Benefits of embargoes—don't be the pawn moved aimlessly. In this chessboard, randomness isn't a tactic; it's a losing gambit. Play your embargo card wisely, or risk being the checkmated communicator in the unpredictable game of media strategy.

O embargo é um recurso importante e relevante considerando o público interno e externo. Por meio da ciência dele, é possível organizar a??es com públicos selecionados em determinado período sem causar prejuízos para os resultados esperados no planejamento inicial. Um embargo para uma multinacional, por exemplo, pode salvar um comunicado exclusivo para a imprensa, e logo após a sua publica??o, funcionários e demais stakeholders estar?o habilitados para compartilhar ou explorar informa??es de modo previamente alinhado.

If you pre-pitch a story under embargo, you have to live with the possibility that the embargo may be broken, either intentionally or unintentionally. You can control it in a few ways. Don't include enough details in a pitch that would give a journalist enough to write about. Approach only journalists you can reasonably expect will keep the news under wraps. Ensure an embargo is clear and a journalist explicitly agrees to it before sharing any materials. But even doing all of those things, embargoes can be broken. It's rare, though, and has only happened to my clients a handful of times in nearly 20 years. You should be extra cautious with news involving public companies, because that small risk may not be worth taking.

The main risk is that a journalist may choose not to follow the embargo, particularly if you don't have a pre-existing relationship with them. While embargoes may have been popular a few years ago, most journalists dislike them and they should really only be used occasionally and appropriately.

Embargoes only work in a few narrow situations or circumstances. Most reporters hate embargoes because, fundamentally, they mean no journalist can scoop a story, so there's less of an incentive for any one journalist. They'd rather spend their time hunting down stories nobody else has. To create a strong incentive for a journalist, you'd do exclusives, not embargoes.

Embargoes are like tightrope walks: thrilling if you nail it, catastrophic if you stumble. Trust is delicate; break the embargo, and you're the uncool kid at the media party. Legal battles? No thanks. It's a PR grenade waiting to detonate. Embargoes are time-sensitive; miss the wave, and your news becomes yesterday's soggy cereal. It's not just a waiting game; it's a chess match in headlines. One wrong move, and your strategy crumbles. So, embargoes aren't a silver bullet; they're a double-edged sword. Tread carefully, or your scoop dreams might turn into PR nightmares.

O grande risco que se corre com um embargo ocorre em virtude da importancia da confidencialidade das informa??es. Vazamento de informa??es para pessoas n?o-relacionadas ou mesmo fora do tempo, podem ocasionar prejuízos financeiros e até reputacionais. Criar regras claras e restringir o máximo possível essas informa??es auxiliará na diminui??o do risco de quebra no embargo.

Oh man, I can't believe the extent to which this is wrong. A journalist has to agree to take an embargo before the information (e.g., the press release, statement, whatever else) is communicated. The pitch is something like, "hey, I have a thing, can I send it to you under embargo?" If yes, then send it. If no, then don't. If you send a journalist something and say, "heya, see our press release below, it's under embargo," then you have not done an embargo, you have just sent a journalist information that they can publish, Tweet, etc. now. They need to first agree to accept the terms of an embargo. Then, and only then, can you send them news on the mutual understanding that there is an embargo they will honor.

Andrew Graham has it right. Unless you have very trusting relationships with all the journalists, even asking one to comply with an embargo before sending the information is risky. And once one breaks the embargo, everyone will. A good reporter alerted to an embargo now knows there is news to be had. When I was a reporter, I used embargoes as tips, using my well-cultivated contacts to dig around for a scoop. The embargo is meaningless if the news is obtained outside of the press release that is embargoed. As a PR consultant, I recommended embargoes only internally, making sure that the client's own resources knew not to release anything before the release date.

Planejamento e cronograma s?o as palavras-chave para o uso do embargo de forma eficaz. Deixar um grupo restrito de pessoas, com fun??es efetivas e diretamente ligadas ao tema, cientes desse cronograma e da confidencialidade dos documentos, tornará o uso do embargo adequado e verdadeiramente eficiente.

I’ll also echo that Andrew Graham is correct. This guidance should be updated to reflect the way embargoes actually work. Just as moving off the record requires a mutual agreement between the journalist and a source, so does an embargoed press release. Anyone that follows the advice above will get burned by any self-respecting journalist.

Embargoes are like secret handshakes in the media world—use them wisely, and you're in the cool kids' club. Pick your outlets like you're assembling a dream team. The embargo details? They're your top-secret mission files. Clearly state the rules; it's not a game of charades. Follow up with journalists; make sure they're not nodding off. But here's the plot twist: monitor like a hawk. If someone spills the beans early, don't just send a stern email; unleash the legal hounds. It's not a friendly chat; it's a press release showdown. Play by the rules or face the consequences. Welcome to the embargoed battleground.

I mean the part about lifting an embargo because the press release is outdated is wrong. I mean I can't think of one scenario where this would be true.

Newsflash, embargo jugglers! Sometimes, your press release is like milk—it has an expiry date. If your news is as ancient as the dinosaurs or as off-track as a GPS glitch, it's time to lift that embargo. Maybe breaking news stole your thunder? Don't be the last to join the party. Notify the press like you're dropping the hottest album. Email, call, tweet—whatever it takes. It's not a retreat; it's a strategic pivot. In the fast-paced news arena, you're not a tortoise; you're a cheetah. So, when it's time to lift, lift like you're lifting the championship trophy. Onward, news warriors!

O embargo é um recurso específico; normalmente utilizado em temas sensíveis ou estratégicos, como lan?amentos ou divulga??es financeiras. O uso restrito à essas necessidades ajudará a sua audiência ou destinatário a compreender a sua importancia.

Embargoes can be useful in certain cases, but they need to be used carefully and only with reporters you trust. And much like with going on background or off the record, the embargo terms needs to be clearly agreed to by both sides BEFORE any details are shared.

Les embargos doivent être utilisés dans des cas de confiance mutuelle absolue, entre l’attaché de presse et le media. Ils sont très utiles pour anticiper des sujets et donner la primeur à certains media également.