When CEOs speak: How execs’ quotes doom your pitches

Hackneyed, self-centered ‘excitement’ deflects focus from your real target—your customer.

Hackneyed, self-centered ‘excitement’ deflects focus from your real target—your customer

One of the most overlooked parts of a news release is the “executive quote.” It seems as if little time is taken to create an outstanding quote that is so good, is has to be part of the story.

It’s funny how many times when a CEO or other top executive is quoted in a press release, that CEO has expressed his/her “excitement” over whatever that announcement is about. It seems that either we have a multitude of “excited” CEOs or that the same person is writing CEO quotes for every company. Most reporters (not to mention their readers) don’t care how “excited” you are about something you are doing. The term is trite and overused.

One example comes from Vizion Interactive Inc., which describes itself as a “search engine marketing firm.”

In a news release, the company announced the rehiring of an employee, Brandy Eddings. She is quoted in the release saying very nice things about the company. Really?

“I really missed the Vizion Interactive environment,” says Ms. Eddings. “The entire Vizion team is a powerhouse in the industry, and I’m excited to be working with the best.”

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