Proof of a media release working

A 16-year-old girl has been referred to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for emailing out a fake press release on behalf of gas drilling company Metgasco” is the first sentence of the article.It must have been a pretty effective press release if ASIC is involved. Read the full article

This just shows that DIY PR can be incredibly effective for all sorts of messages (we recommend you stick to real ones though!). If a 16-year-old can get enough attention with a fake press release, imagine what a motivated, knowledgeable business owner can do with a real press release!!

So what is the response to this from all the DIY PR doubters? If journalists were not reading press releases from ‘unknown sources’ then how was this hoax by a teenager so successful?