As communications veer ever-toward the digital, you may find yourself wondering, “Do I really need traditional public relations? What value is there in an ‘old-fashioned’ press release?”

Let us ask you this, are you more likely to believe it when a stranger says, “I’m the best Hula Hooper in the world,” or when the New York Times writes an article saying, “Stranger is the best Hula Hooper in the world”?

Getting the news about your company published by a third party gives your story credibility, but how do you get your story to the media?

Press releases.

According to the 2014 Business Wire Media Survey, 90 percent of journalists used a press release within the last week and 80 percent turn to a company’s newsroom (where your old press releases should be posted) when researching an organization.

Not only do you have to write the press release and get it to the right contacts within the correct outlets, but more than half (54%) of surveyed journalists were more likely to review a press release that includes multimedia than one that does not. With such a strong bias by the media for releases that contain images, it is important to note which multimedia elements are preferred.

Photographs (73%) lead the way, with graphics (43%), infographics (32%) and video (27%) also following closely behind.

Once your press release goes out to the appropriate media, it should be available within your organizations’ online newsroom. Press releases (88%) remain one of the most sought after content types within a newsroom and 52% of journalists asking for at least one to five years of past press releases and 27% preferring the complete historical archive, according to the Business Wire report.

The power of the press release is that it is the most valuable tool you can give to journalists, the gatekeepers of the media. You know that your organization is newsworthy; press releases are the way to get it out there.

And guess what? Press releases are one of the most traditional pieces of public relations.