When Aristotle wrote his Rhetoric in the fourth century BC, he defined it as "the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion". Today, the term 'Rhetoric' is most often used to describe hot air emanating from politicians. Though Aristotle might lament the evolutionary direction his subject matter took, he would not be surprised to learn that it has, in fact, evolved. Indeed, to Aristotle, the Rhetoric was more of a working notebook than a final treatise on the subject. Despite Rhetoric's damaged reputation, Aristotle's observances on the art of persuasion are as useful today as ever - specifically for people who find themselves faced with the difficult task of writing a press release.

Those who remember nothing else from the Greeks usually recognize at least three Aristotelian terms: Ethos, Pathos and Logos. Sadly, recognition of these terms does not translate to effective use of the concepts they represent. Writing an effective press release requires not only a cursory understanding of the words that sound Greek to most, but also the knowledge of how much to use of each.

There's a reason press releases are also called news releases: they are supposed to contain news. Journalists tend to think of news as a disruption of the status quo. Press release writers would be well advised to adopt the same working definition. After all, journalists are their target audience.

Newsless press releases bear a striking resemblance to sales pitches. Lacking substance, they rely on emotional appeals - pathos - to fill their word limit. Typically, they are written in second person, referring to the reader as "you". Superlatives abound as the suffix -est attaches itself to words at will. Exclamation points multiply like wire coat hangers at the ends of sentences. Fluffy quotations from CEOs appear here and there, interspersed with glowing testimonials from "satisfied customers" who tend to go by their initials rather than their actual names. Contact information for the press release often directs journalists to send e-mail to sales@company.com.

Journalists' eyes glaze over when they read these releases. They do not fancy themselves potential customers easily swayed by emotional appeals. They are writers, and they want the facts. So a good rule of thumb to follow when writing a press release is to use pathos sparingly. In fact, writers who find themselves using superlatives and exclamation points have usually run out of news to report, which means it is time to stop writing.

While pathos is rightly relegated to a minor role on the press release stage, logos and ethos should be cast as leading characters with roughly equal numbers of lines. Logos - the use of logic - includes the information necessary to make a logical decision about the new web site, product or service being described in the press release. Statistical data, price, availability and distinguishing features deserve prominent placement and ample attention.

A large dose of logos is best accompanied by an equally large dose of ethos, though like Rhetoric, ethos' reputation has become somewhat soiled during its evolution. When Aristotle used the term, it referred to a person's character or ethics. Today, communication scholars learn a different definition: credibility. Rhetoricians are no longer encouraged to display their goodwill toward others to win the favor of their audience; instead, they are taught to establish credibility. Sometimes that strategy can be carried too far, as evidenced by commercial spokespersons who say, "I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV." Sometimes, the line between credibility and viability becomes blurred, as when football star Joe Namath appeared on national television in nylon stockings selling pantyhose. Viability certainly counts on the world-wide-web, where even the most mundane news from Microsoft makes the front page of virtually every Internet news site.

Fortunately, the "customer-is-in-charge" nature of the Internet is effecting a positive change in ethos' evolution. Web gurus like John Audette, President and CEO of Multimedia Marketing Group (MMG), are finding that Star Wars sage Yoda had the right idea when he said, "Give, then take." Audette points out that the Internet "…may be commerce driven, but it's information led. Which means that those marketing information first, and commerce second, have an advantage over those leading with commerce." Taking the advice of its founder, the Internet News Bureau site offers resources such as a searchable archive of press releases for journalists and Media Relations Tips for public relations professionals. Other companies that "give" to their customers are finding that a display of goodwill on their part often translates to a display of loyalty on the part of their customers. This "retro-ethos" is the type to include in a press release, but only if it is also backed up by the company's web site and its customer service policies.

Perhaps the "everything old is new again" attitude that is bringing ethos full circle will also raise Rhetoric from the flames. Aristotle would be proud.

This article was written by RenéeMenius, editor of Internet News Bureau