Much has been said about the demise of the printed press kit. Online and electronic versions - pundits say - are the way to go. No editors or reporters want to receive printed press kits when they could have electronic versions. Right?

Au contraire, mon frre! Let me posit an alternate view. I've often found that when conventional wisdom says to do one thing, you should do the other. Zig instead of zag.

Reporters and editors get too much email, just like the rest of us.

Besides you should never send a large attachment to anyone, especially an editor, unless it has been requested. And, if they don't know the sender, they may worry about unwanted viruses and other digital things that go bump in the hard drive.

Many editors and reporters are still "old school." They would rather review analog material instead of digital. Quite frankly, it's quicker. I've been to trade shows as a reporter and a PR person and have seen how things work in the press room. An electronic press kit is not as useful as a printed one in such a venue.

You can sort through a printed press kit in mere moments, pulling the info, graphs and photos you need and discarding the rest.

I always develop and display both printed and electronic press kits for trade shows and let the journalists decide which format they want.

It's also a good idea to load everything into your online press room. You don't have an online press room!

Well, that is a subject for another time.