This afternoon, it hit me....I can't imagine, under most circumstances, paying $400 to send out a press release anymore.

Sure, I know that I could also send one out for $80 - $360, but I still can't see doing that very often.

It has become a last resort, not a first choice.

I have a couple of newsworthy events coming up in the next two months that are directly tied to the social media topics that we cover here on Every Dot Connects.

There is a local angle, a tech angle and a travel angle.

This is how I'll contact the media in my city's major news outlet....

• Journalist "A" is someone I know from his blog, from Twitter, from email exchanges between the two of us and from personal interactions at tech conferences and social events. I would never send him a press release, I'll just tell him, probably in an email or even a phone call.
• Journalist "B" is someone I know from Facebook. I friended her there after reading a very good article under her byline in the newspaper's print edition. I would never send her a press release, but I may send a note through Facebook or even write on her Wall.
• Journalist "C" is someone I know almost entirely from Twitter. I would never send him a press release; I'll probably just DM (Direct Message) him on Twitter.

Clearly, there are times when you still need press releases and the wires, depending upon the nature of the announcement. My default position, however, is to find another way to make contact, preferably by using social media networks and relationships that are already established.

One of the basic tenets of good PR, of course, is to "dig your well before you're thirsty."

My contact won't be spammy, boring, IN-box-clogging, expensive or predictable. It will be hyper-targeted, relevant and free.

(And I'll betcha a whole hockey locker full of overpriced press releases that it will be quite effective. Keep an eye on this space for a URL to the story that I think will result.)

Can you give some examples of when the traditional press release might still be most effective, compared to carefully-tended social media networks? Let us know in the comments!