Press Release: 10 Rules of Engagement

27 11 2009

If you are thinking about utilizing a press release for your business, then you might want to brush up on some literature. Because although it may be simple in structure and a bit easy to do; there are technicalities to it that you must consider. Apart from the rules pertaining to its content and optimization, there are also some things you should do to make you an effective press release creator. We are all aware of how influential press releases can be in diverting traffic to your site, boosting your page ranking as well as popularity and enhancing your credibility. However, all of these depend on how well you carry out this particular marketing approach. Some readers are discriminative and they know when they are reading rubbish and reading gold. So, to help you attract some publicity, here are ten, important rules in making a press release.

1.) Be Newsworthy. After all, that’s how a press release is supposed to be. Press releases should pertain to places, events, objects, and people that are socially significant. It should not circle around fads or hypes. It should purely talk about weighty subjects - those that people automatically recognize and relate to.
2.) Headlines should be clear and catchy. This is what makes readers first interested in your press release. You can be simple or creative, depending on your skill. What you only need to avoid is being vague or standoffish. Titles should give readers an idea of what the press release is all about and welcome them to explore them.
3.) Be straight to the point. The shorter, the more target readers will read it it. The simpler, the more it can be understood. The more accurate, the more your press release will be trusted.
4.) Mention details. Mention company info, the author and other details such as groups, dates, locations, etc. to inform people that the press release being published actually comes from an pre-existing source and that it talks about real things.
5.) Write to be understood. No need for complicated words and sentence structures. Avoid jargons too.
6.) Exude a positive air. Positive is welcoming. Positive is interesting. Positive appeals to people better than negative news.
7.) Use the proper layout. Double spaced, with appropriately sized and readable fonts.
8.) Add some multimedia. Make use of charts, pictures, and videos to accentuate your press release.
9.) Proofread your press release to correct any grammatical errors and misspells.
10.) Personalize your distribution. This way, you are secured that it has been sent to the hands of appropriate media personnel.



What To Write About In A Press Release

26 11 2009

Some question the good that press releases contribute to business. But what they fail to recognize is that, whether they believe it or not, they can actually use all the marketing help they can get in securing that competitive edge in the online industry. Press releases have more than proven its worth in disseminating information. However, its value now transcends this specific duty.

We’ve seen it being used by celebrities, athletes and media practitioners. But it has only been recently that its value as a business marketing tool has been fully appreciated. There is no denying that press releases are influential. Hence, many online companies have made writing them a standard marketing strategy. Some of its known advantages are the augmentation of a company’s credibility, an increase in the received traffic, a higher page ranking, and a bigger possibility of being known on a global scale. Press releases have more than once been reputed as the reason behind the sudden boost in the popularity, profits and credibility of businesses. That’s why its practice has gown more common in commerce.

But in order to experience its benefits to the fullest, you must learn how to make a press release. This part is doable. But, as it is with all things, with press releases, you will find out that the first step is the hardest to take. It’s difficult to figure out what topic to discuss. Sometimes, you get overwhelmed with options; and sometimes, you are at a loss for words. But regardless, you should always remember that press releases need to be socially relevant and appealing to human interest. Make this as a primary criterion in choosing a PR topic.

•    A good deed never goes unnoticed. And aside from that, it makes anyone look good. So go ahead and contribute to as much charities and participate in as many cause-related events as possible. Make it a personal mission to be socially active. That way, you will always have something to talk about that attracts the public’s interests.
•    Give tips, make lists. When you have something people would want to know, capitalize on it. Because nothing sells well than information. Offer your target audience facts that they can use, details pertaining to their interests, data about things relevant to their lives. If you give someone what they want, then they are sure to come back, right?
•    Capitalize on big scoops. Press releases often talk about things that matter; events that innovate the world. So bank on information that you know and feel will stir the public for a long time.
•    Feature something the public should know about – surveys, studies, reports, and statistics – about something generally recognized or is completely out of the ordinary.



Tips to Optimize Your Press Release

25 11 2009

We all know how powerful a press release is in boosting your business’ credibility, popularity and profitability. But do you realize that these benefits can be taken a notch higher if you optimize your press release? Yes. Company articles and blogs aren’t the only ones you can optimize for better search engine visibility. You can also subject your company press releases to refinement for better outcomes. Well, actually, it is a given that web content should undergo optimization in order to be included in the page results. In fact, it is advisable to regularly update optimization so that the facts being highlighted are more widely and effectively distributed to the viewing public.

Press releases make up a bulk of the circulating information in the Net. And among all of the available web content, press releases are those that are frequented and trusted. That’s why they do a lot in the promotional process. There have been several accounts wherein businesses gained a significant amount of publicity because of press releases. According to studies, searchers are leaning more towards press releases as a source of consumer data because of their reliability. When you optimize a press release about your business, you will be able to push it up the search engine page results and make it more readily accessible to the public.

Web searchers like it when the information they need are handed to them. And as much as possible, they don’t want to exert too much effort on looking for something. So in the case of your business press release, it is a good idea to always keep in on the surface of a sea of web content. Because then, you can make more use of it as a web marketing strategy. Aside from it can attract a greater number of potential customers as a top ranking press release; it will also be able to gather more traffic there.

Now, there are plenty of ways to optimize a press release and most of them are easy to do. By following these steps, you can guarantee a better serving marketing strategy.

•    Search for keywords and use it in the title and content.
•    Distribute through PR sites that offer optimization services.
•    Post the release on your site’s news bulletin.
•    Make and distribute different formats (PDF, Word) or versions (blogs) of your press release.
•    Bookmark your press releases and release it on social media sites.
•    Embed links on your press releases.

However, optimization adds no weight to a useless press release. So before you undergo the process, you must first check if your press release will captivate the public’s attention or is socially relevant.



Tips on Writing A Press Release

22 11 2009

A press release plays a big part in online marketing. That’s why it’s common to find web marketers and e-companies using it to boost their business’ popularity and revenue. Today, press releases are more than just a means for information dissemination. It is an effective marketing strategy. Some companies even have it as their main promotional tool. And they’ve successfully reaped benefits from it, all from improved page ranking, to increased credibility and of course, amplified profits.

It takes a good press release to turn people’s heads. And when you get that aired in reputable news mediums and publications, your chances of getting noticed can be amplified ten times more. Press releases do more than just share facts. They make your business relevant. They introduce you and your wares to the public and make them stand out. In a world where competition is abundant, it would help boost your income if you could manage to make your business become more visible. Press releases can secure you that prominent position in the market if you apply the following techniques.

1.) Make some noise… or rather, NEWS. Press releases only talk about important and current events, undertakings, product releases and so on. So make sure that what you write in your company’s press release has some significant social impact.

2.) Be brief and concise. Press releases usually don’t drag on. They are short and straight-to-the-point, as how news should be.

3.) Deliver well. Make your press release upbeat. You can’t afford to have your viewers bored. If your first paragraph is not inviting enough, they may not read through the whole news, which will render your press release useless. On this note, let me remind you that your press release must also directly be speaking to your target audience. It should relate to them.

4.) Try not to pitch your self, company or product in your press release. Just answer the what, why, where, when and how questions in your press release. If you shove in promotional details, you might risk loosing the credibility of your write-up.

5.) Don’t get ahead of everything. Different press release topics have different distribution requirements and timing. Be sensitive to that and know when you should publish and when you should not. For example, you can’t just publicize that your company’s going to host a grand ball days after a storm wreaked havoc in your state. Instead, what you could do is write a press release that you are organizing a fund raising event for the victims of calamity.

It’s easy to benefit from press releases if you know how to use them. With constant practice, your business is sure to hit mainstream at a faster pace.



The Press Release Business Advantage

7 11 2009

While most neophyte online businesses today struggle with an enormous number of competition, some who have learned the tricks of the trade are sweeping the ranking race at incredible speed, in spite their novice status. What was their secret, you ask? Well, it’s none other than press release. Are you surprised?

There are plenty of ways to go about online marketing. And in a world where popularity is the deal-maker; what seems like an unassuming trading tool actually proves as powerful as pay-per-click ads and search engine optimization, in bringing customers and revenue in. Some may only know press releases as mediums for information dissemination; nothing more. Yes, it is true. However, the purpose of press releases are not only boxed in serving news to the public. This influential marketing technique is a big part in publicity campaigns and has actually trumped traditional advertising methods in scope and effectiveness.

Web marketers use press releases in promoting products, services or companies, first of all, because of their perceived credibility. Due to the fact that they’ve been used for a long time in bringing information to the public, press releases are now seen as reliable sources of data. As such, they gain more audience as compared to an ad, even if both pertained to similar things. Second, press releases have been seen to have great power people and can sway masses to incorporate a certain trend or practice a lifestyle. Third, press releases evolve into more sophisticated and expansive forms that are able to break boundaries. So if you are thinking about boosting your reputation in your chosen industry, among your target consumers, and above your rivals, the use of press release is the way to go.

In line with optimization, press releases help increase your site’s traffic and back links. A few PR sites will give you the opportunity to place your site’s URL in your press releases, increasing your chances of being visited by potential customers. Given that swell of traffic and quality links, your website’s visibility in search engines is bound to get augmented. This, in turn, amplifies the number of potential click-throughs it gets when your site’s keywords are used by searchers. The cycle goes on and sooner or later, with the help of press releases, you will get to preserve your number one status in the search engine page results.