If you had to choose one or the other, which would you choose: a blog or press releases?

Arianna Huffington, cofounder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, says a blog is more powerful. Her comments appear during a Q&A interview in the Febuary issue of  PR Week.  

The magazine asked if PR pros were reaching out to offer rebuttals to opinions at her website, “or are they not reaching out as much?” Her response:

“We absolutely get a lot of response from PR pros. I think a lot of them are recognizing that it is more effective now to blog about something, to have the principals blog about something, rather than send press releases. The world of the press release is dramatically changing.” 

I agree. Here’s why:

• Blogs do a far better job establishing you as an expert in your field.
   
• They give readers a chance to comment, and you can continue the conversation by replying to their comments.
    
•  Blogs generally get better search engine ranking than press releases.
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• Other bloggers who like your posts, or not, will be more inclined to link to them and comment on them instead of linking to and commenting on your press releases. That’s because blogs are usually more visible than press releases, which are often buried inside a company’s online press room.
     
• Blogs are the new website.  Many companies no longer have to pay several thousand dollars or more for a website.  You can even run an Internet marketing business from a free WordPress blog, using a good shopping cart like KickStart Cart.  (Download the free ebook on how to pick a shopping art system that saves you money.  I’m an affiliate.)      

Blogging expert Patsi Krakoff, my guest expert during the teleseminar on Time-saving Tips for Smart Business Blogging, said blogs have also saved many businesses money on search engine optimization. By using keywords in press release headlines and text, your blog posts can pull in free traffic.

That doesn’t mean you should abandon press releases, however.

And unlike blog posts, press releases are generally written in a format that makes it easy for journalists to simply cut and paste.

Many bloggers and journalists, particularly those covering topic-specific beats, subscribe to press releases via RSS feeds or press release distribution services like Expertclick and PRWeb. You can distribute your releases using those services, and then link to the releases from a blog post and your online press room. That”s what I do.  You can also post releases to your Facebook Fan Page. (See 11 Ways to Avoid Missed Opportunities on Facebook.)  

Are you blogging yet? Check out Patsi’s five blog “must haves.” It’s the second item in this week’s issue of The Publicity Hound’s Tips of the Week. You can subscribe to the free ezine in the sign-up box just below my photo on the right side of this page.

If you struggle with press releases, sign up for my free tutorial that includes press release tips galore.  It’s a 12-week course packed with information on how to write and distribute online press releases.

Weigh in with your opinion. Which is more powerful? Press releasesd or blogs? How do you use them together?