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We live in America and believe in freedom of the press, right? However, Did you know you can use free and low-cost press releases to gain search ranking, drive web traffic and find more customers? Do realize anyone can also use it to get others to tell their story and to spread that message to hundreds if not thousands of news outlets in as little as 24 hours? More importantly, you can use it to get a page one position in as little as 24 hours... Press releases not only build your brand, but it also raises your credibility to a whole new level. In this week's Working The Web To Win's blog, we will help you build your brand and gain more customers by using free and low-cost press release services to gain search page ranking.
In The Beginning
Press releases have been used since 1906 when Ivey Lee released a statement about a terrible train wreck that kills 50 people in Atlantic City. His news release set the tone for what is now used by millions of companies and thousands of news outlets the world over Press releases are a staple in |
| English: Photo of newspaper headline related to the Canoe River train crash of 1950 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Follow the Format
Press releases follow a relatively strict format that is designed to make it easier for the editor to determine if your store is newsworthy. It needs to contain your pertinent contact information for your company, the news outlet, the release date, a short, factual and descriptive title, the intro paragraph and the body of your story, some boilerplate and then your contact information again. If you want to see more detailed examples, I suggest you read Marketing 101, Understanding Press Release. This article provides an excellent primer for a novice who wants to start writing his or her own press releases. Here is a sample press release format that I use. Most new services follow this format closely but there will be some minor variations. Remember to follow each news service's rule (for example magazines differ slightly from newspapers etc...). To get more detail on each element read the primer listed above. It provides a different perspective on how each element is used and why are important.
Sample Press Release Format
Your name or name of your company
Your address
City, State, ZIP
Web address (if applicable)
Media Contact Information:
Contact phone number
Contact email
Date of release
Subtitle of Press Release (if there is one)
Primary paragraph. (Focused to the point. Why, What, Where, When, How)
First Paragraph - Body of Press Release (Provide more details add your credibility here)
Second paragraph - Body of Press Release. (Wrap up your story and reiterating your original point)
Third paragraph - Body of Press Release. (Add any additional information that may be helpful to the editor here)
-- MORE --
(Only use this if your release is longer than one printed page)
# # #
(Otherwise, use the triple pound symbol to indicate the release is complete and there are no more pages)
Note to editors: (Pertinent information that will not appear in the release)
Boilerplate Verbiage
This is standard information that appears on each and every press release that provides information about the company. It's usually no longer than a paragraph.
Now that we have an example layout to follow, let’s start by going over some important tips. These tips are designed to make sure your press release is created on a sound footing. They are designed to get the editors and writer's attention and move them to take action.
Eight Important Tips
1. Identify your news angle. Why is this newsworthy? Is it tied to a current national, seasonal or local event? Is it related to a big move, a facility upgrade, and important executive hire? Are you donating funds to a charity, starting a contest or received a national, regional or local award? Did you launch a new product or service?
2. Make sure your opening is focused and to the point. When we say your opening, we mean the headline, the subheadline, and the opening paragraph. Don’t waste words, yet make sure your opening grabs their attention. Avoid sales speak and hype. Think, what why, when, where and how. Avoid cramming keyword or adding too many facts. However, keywords are important. Anytime you can use a keyword in your headline, it's a big plus.
3. Understand the journalistic point of view. Never forget that you’re writing to not only get your story just published but that you want a reporter to come back and do a feature story on your company. Your story not only needs to be factual, but it also needs to spark the journalist's curiosity to want more. It needs to imply there is a “lot more to the whole story."
4. The details are very important. Follow the press release format precisely. Make sure you don’t leave out any important contact information. Make sure your article is clean and grammatically correct. Have a competent human being proof and double proof your article. Nothing hurts your credibility like misspelled words and typos. Never send a preliminary version of your article to a news outlet.
5. Make sure you include factual statements that build your credibility. Never portray yourself in a negative light. All too often a writer will leave out important information that explains why they are qualified to tell this story. If you don’t know how to do this then hire a writer to make it happen.
6. Make sure you quote yourself in the press release. This adds a personal element that editors and journalist are looking for. The human angle can set you apart from the hundreds of articles sitting on that editor’s desk. Editors and journalist love underdogs. Show them how you overcame all odds to be successful. This one element may be why they pick your story.
7. Use your company letterhead for the press release. This adds a touch of professionalism and at the same time provides pertinent information the editor needs. This does not mean to leave out your information as stated in the sample press release. It is extra icing for the editor’s use. If you don’t have letterhead, get some. It’s very inexpensive.
8. Make sure you’re easily accessible. Provide a phone number that either you will answer, or will be answered by someone who will portray you in a positive and professional light. This means your voice mail message needs to be professional. If a family member answers in your stead make sure they are expecting such calls and you have briefed them on what to say. Whenever possible provide a separate business line for these calls. You can get a Google voice number free and have it forwarded to your cell phone. When using Google voice you will always know that this is a business call. When using your cell phone, use a professional greeting to answer your calls.
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| Water Lily (steamer Puget Sound) news story (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Companies That Can Help
Prlog.org - This is a free press release website. It allows three text links. They distribute your press releases to several news sites and search engines. They are an online distribution service for press release submission.
Earthtimes.org - This free site allows five text links or URLs. Their membership is free and you can use RSS feeds with their service. You can even create keyword alerts via email for the specific news category.
Prweb.com - They are considered the best for SEO traffic. They have a wide variety of packages available and reach from hundreds to thousands of outlets. Pricing varies depending on the service you chose.
MarketWire.com - They are a low-cost alternative often used by small business who can’t afford the big-ticket press release service. Prices vary depending on the distribution channel.
24-7PressRelease.com -This company allows for eight URLs or text links in your article. They also offer RSS feeds and you can add news to your website. 24-7 also offers other press release resources, such as press writing tips, press writing, formatting codes and more. Their service is great if you want help making sure your articles formatted correctly and written properly and SEO enhanced as well as proofread.
PRNewswire.com - This company’s price depends on which distribution channel you choose. They also charge per text link. They optimize news for search engines, focusing on creating website traffic compared to the other in this list. Their solution offers distribution for all kinds of organizations. This includes small businesses, public interest, and nonprofit organizations.
Releaseswire.com - This company requires that your story has a news angle. It allows 8 text links in your story however; your release must be newsworthy. They publish all press releases on their site. They also send the more worthy ones to their partner’s press release websites. You can start out with a simple monthly subscription that can cancel it at any time. Their pricing options are for a fixed number of releases chosen per month. Finally, they also offer a Clipwire Trademark service, a publication report providing proof of your article being published.
PrLeap.com - This company also allows eight text links per article. They guarantee effective online media exposure can boost your search engine visibility. They offer both monthly and prepaid plans and they only charge $79 for submitting a single press release. They also offer social media sharing to increase website traffic. They provide excellent customer support and have features that help track your results. You can schedule when you want your press release to be submitted.
TransWorldNews.com - They allow eight text links per story. Their prices vary and offer two options: single press release or unlimited press releases. They can access an impressive database of outlets, which includes radio, television stations, daily magazines, and many other web media outlets. They also offer a picture gallery with sharing features, more than 200 social media sites, bookmarking sites and manual SEO links to the website.
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That's my opinion; I look forward to hearing yours.
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Hector Cisneros is COO and Director of Social Media Marketing at Working the Web to Win, an award-winning Internet marketing company based in Jacksonville, Florida. He is also the co-host of the weekly Internet radio show, "Working the Web To Win" on BlogTalkRadio.com, which airs every Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern. Hector is a syndicated writer and published author of “60 Seconds to Success.”
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Who knew that press releases could have such an influence on the press and the search engines? I guess we'll have to start the presses for our business.
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