--- title: Press Release PR Pitch Stupidity --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2014/01/press-release-pr-pitch-stupidity.html#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # Press Release PR Pitch Stupidity January 21st, 2014 1 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) I get many unsolicited PR pitches sent to me via email. Nearly all of them are untargeted broadcast pitches, usually in the form a press release. I almost always delete without reading. Recently I got a press release with a subject line that was interesting to me. I read it because I thought there might be something in there worth sharing. **Alas, I can’t share because the company that sent it are a bunch of idiots. ** Some legal eagle insisted on this notice at the bottom of the press release: *CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This email may contain confidential and privileged material from [company] and is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). Any review, use, distribution or disclosure by others is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by email and delete the message and any file attachments from your computer. If you wish to be removed from this email please click here. Thank you.* **Press Release PR Pitch Stupidity** Can you believe this?! Sending a press release and then putting a notice at the bottom saying “sole use of the intended recipient” is ridiculous. That legal mumbo-jumbo means I can't share the news. **You lose. ** [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. Connect: [mailto:david@freshspot.com](mailto:david@freshspot.com) Topics: [ Worst Practices ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/worst-practices) [ Press Release Content ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/press-release-content) [ Public Relations ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/public-relations) Don't forget to share this post: ## Related Articles [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Pirated%20books.jpg?width=1500&height=1000&name=Pirated%20books.jpg) ### Move Fast and Steal Things: Meta Pirated 53 of My Books and Stories to Train Their AI March 26th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/move-fast-and-steal-things-meta-pirated-53-of-my-books-and-stories-to-train-their-ai) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Toyota%20website.jpg?width=1253&height=822&name=Toyota%20website.jpg) ### Automaker Website Frustrations Push Buyers Elsewhere December 10th, 2024|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/automaker-website-frustrations-push-buyers-elsewhere) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Do%20not%20play%20Yamaha.jpg?width=1500&height=1125&name=Do%20not%20play%20Yamaha.jpg) ### Please Do Not Play Without Permission November 12th, 2024|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/please-do-not-play-without-permission) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Teen%20and%20Young%20Adult%20AI.jpg?width=1338&height=886&name=Teen%20and%20Young%20Adult%20AI.jpg) ### Generative AI Not Understood By Young People… Educators Are To Blame July 9th, 2024|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/generative-ai-not-understood-by-young-people-educators-are-to-blame) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Crush%20Apple%20video.jpg?width=1500&height=845&name=Crush%20Apple%20video.jpg) ### Apple’s Soul Crushing, Creator Destroying Metaphor for what AI is Doing to Society May 8th, 2024|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/apples-soul-crushing-creator-destroying-metaphor-for-what-ai-is-doing-to-society) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/shutterstock_126631127.jpg?width=1500&height=999&name=shutterstock_126631127.jpg) ### Customer Testimonials Are Not Effective Storytelling March 26th, 2024|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/customer-testimonials-are-not-effective-storytelling) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/we%20annoy%20our%20clients.jpg?width=1000&height=670&name=we%20annoy%20our%20clients.jpg) ### We Annoy Our Customers March 5th, 2024|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/we-annoy-our-customers) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/shutterstock_272153462%20copy.jpg?width=1000&height=628&name=shutterstock_272153462%20copy.jpg) ### Legal Caution vs. PR Clarity: University Presidents' Legal Advisors Muddled Congressional Testimonies December 19th, 2023|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/legal-caution-vs.-pr-clarity-university-presidents-legal-advisors-muddled-congressional-testimonies-on-antisemitism) [![Man holding a tablet computer with tip options](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/shutterstock_2328873613.jpg?width=1500&height=1000&name=shutterstock_2328873613.jpg) ### Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should October 19th, 2023|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/just-because-you-can-doesnt-mean-you-should) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/max%20logo%20win.jpg?width=925&height=621&name=max%20logo%20win.jpg) ### Max Mayhem: Warner Bros. Discovery's Rebrand Fail April 21st, 2023|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/max-mayhem-warner-bros.-discoverys-rebrand-fail) [![T-shirts and ball caps with letter F for fandom](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/fandom.jpg?width=1974&height=1256&name=fandom.jpg) ### Every Customer Touchpoint Is A Way To Build Fans (Or Not) November 16th, 2022|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/every-customer-touchpoint-is-a-way-to-build-fans-or-not) [![Photo of somebody using the LinkedIn app on a smartphone](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LinkedIn.jpg?width=1500&height=995&name=LinkedIn.jpg) ### Why Salespeople’s LinkedIn Profiles Don’t Sell October 5th, 2022|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/why-most-salespeoples-linkedin-profiles-stink) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Summer%20Sale.jpg?width=2456&height=1652&name=Summer%20Sale.jpg) ### A Focus On Product Alone Results In A Race To The Bottom August 16th, 2022|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/a-focus-on-product-alone-results-in-a-race-to-the-bottom) [![subject line of an email from Citibank](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/shutterstock_1554045272.jpg?width=1500&height=928&name=shutterstock_1554045272.jpg) ### Branding Gone Amok™ August 9th, 2022|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/branding-gone-amok) [![Ticketmaster lusting for Bruce Spreensteen tickets](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Springsteen%20tix%20after.jpg?width=2132&height=1638&name=Springsteen%20tix%20after.jpg) ### Bruce Springsteen and Ticketmaster Anger Fans with AI Dynamic Pricing Fiasco July 25th, 2022|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/bruce-springsteen-and-ticketmaster-anger-fans-with-ai-dynamic-pricing-fiasco) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/nobody%20cares.jpg?width=1135&height=635&name=nobody%20cares.jpg) ### Back to the Basics: Nobody Cares About Your Products (Except You) January 31st, 2022|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/back-to-the-basics-nobody-cares-about-your-products-except-you) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Gobbledygook%20manifesto.jpg?width=1628&height=1184&name=Gobbledygook%20manifesto.jpg) ### Two Super Simple Actions You Can Do Right Now to Create Fans of Your Business January 18th, 2022|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/two-super-simple-actions-you-can-do-right-now-to-create-fans-of-your-business) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/email%20spam%20shutterstock_172545959.jpg) ### Non-Targeted Broadcast Public Relations Pitches Are Spam November 18th, 2021|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/non-targeted-broadcast-public-relations-pitches-are-spam) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Facebook%20Anger.jpg) ### Your Own Content to Educate Instead of Spreading Hatred Through Facebook November 3rd, 2021|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/your-own-content-to-educate-instead-of-spreading-hatred-through-facebook) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Merch%20table.jpg) ### Real and Perceived Scarcity as a Marketing Strategy October 26th, 2021|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/real-and-perceived-scarcity-as-a-marketing-strategy) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/LinkedIn%20messaging.jpg) ### On LinkedIn, Educate and Inform Instead of Interrupt and Sell September 21st, 2021|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/on-linkedin-educate-and-inform-instead-of-interrupt-and-sell) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/junk%20mail.jpg) ### Sorry, no, I am not your colleague September 3rd, 2021|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/sorry-no-i-am-not-your-colleague) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/Made%20by%20We.jpg) ### When Fandom Turns Into a Cult August 25th, 2021|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/when-fandom-turns-into-a-cult) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/An%20Ugly%20Truth%20cover.jpg) ### An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination July 14th, 2021|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/an-ugly-truth-inside-facebooks-battle-for-domination) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott" }, "datePublished" : "2014-01-21T10:06:56.000Z", "headline" : "Press Release PR Pitch Stupidity", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2014/01/press-release-pr-pitch-stupidity.html", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/_Assets/Logo/david-meerman-scott.png" }, "name" : "David Meerman Scott" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/#person", "@type" : "Person", "description" : "Marketing and sales visionary, international bestselling author of 12 books, keynote speaker in 47 countries, and advisor to emerging companies.", "email" : "mailto:David@DavidMeermanScott.com", "image" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/DMS-Homepage-Featured.jpg", "jobTitle" : [ "Keynote Speaker", "Author", "Business Growth Strategist", "Marketing Advisor" ], "knowsAbout" : [ "Content Marketing", "Fandom Marketing", "Newsjacking", "Real-Time Marketing", "Public Relations", "Sales Strategy", "Business Growth" ], "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "sameAs" : [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Meerman_Scott", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmeermanscott", "https://x.com/dmscott", "https://www.instagram.com/dmscott/" ], "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/#website", "@type" : "WebSite", "author" : { "@id" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/#person" }, "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "potentialAction" : { "@type" : "SearchAction", "query-input" : "required name=search_term_string", "target" : { "@type" : "EntryPoint", "urlTemplate" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/search?q={search_term_string}" } }, "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "David Meerman Scott", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott" }, "dateCreated" : "2014-09-11T00:30:45", "datePublished" : "2014-01-21T05:06:56-0500", "description" : "", "headline" : "Press Release PR Pitch Stupidity", "image" : [ "" ], "inLanguage" : "en-us", "keywords" : [ "Worst Practices", "Press Release Content", "Public Relations" ], "learningResourceType" : "article", "name" : "Press Release PR Pitch Stupidity", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://413105.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/413105/_Assets/Logo/david-meerman-scott.png" }, "name" : "Freshspot Marketing LLC" }, "timeRequired" : "1 minutes", "url" : "https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2014/01/press-release-pr-pitch-stupidity.html" } ```