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By James McRoy in Featured

pressreleaseEven the best-run business is guilty of starving the media of good usable content for use by the press. When you have a small team with enormous time constraints, the problem is even worse. Just how do you let the world know how good you are?

PR is an absolute boon for small businesses; it is much more effective than pure advertising and the big bonus is – it’s free! Free in terms of cost, but not in effort.

Developing a PR strategy takes time, effort, clarity of purpose, and an amount of doggedness on the part of the company, but for the majority of companies, time is a really precious commodity that is ‘best devoted to churning out the finished product, project or service.’

Most companies have newsworthy events, things that they could really bang the drum about – if only they had the time and the resources. Lately there has been a solution to this appearing on really well thought-out websites; the virtual Press Office.

By Kirsten Hendrich in Featured

Setting up a website is hard work, but many people don’t realise that the really hard bit, and sometimes most expensive, is getting traffic to visit your site. To get the most out of your website you must put time in, and continually develop and market your website to the online world. Below are a few things that you can do to help you get on your way. They can all be done completley free, they just require some time and effort.

Through experience, I have found that the most effective way to use the following tactics is to sync them all up. With minimal effort your facebook fans, twitter followers, and blog readers can be fed the same information. This will also help any SEO and or link building work that is being done for your website.

Videos

Putting together a successful video campaign can result in a very high amount of traffic and exposure for your website. Video blogs and promotional videos are easy to put together and with websites such as Youtube; publishing your videos has never been easier. The biggest decision to make is whether to host, or post your videos. I would advise that a mixture of both techniques is the best way. Hosting a good quality, informative video on your website will make it more useful, and should attract links, whilst posting a video on Youtube is a great way to increase traffic. I would advise that you put the full video on your website, and a shorter ‘promo’ version on Youtube. The idea is that, anyone who see’s your video on Youtube is given a reason to look at your website.

Twitter/Facebook

Using both twitter and facebook gives you the opportunity to reach an extremely wide audience. Both can be synced up together feeding the same information out to your online friends and fans, with each site adding momentum to the other. Popular activities on these sites include fan competitions, publishing company news, promoting new content and generally growing an ‘online community’. If your content is always of a high quality, and interesting and useful to the user, your groups should grow naturally and also gain links and traffic back to your site. The most important thing is that they are updated regularly with good content; it’s not enough to just set up some profiles and hope for the best!

Blogs

Having a regularly updated, useful and interesting blog can really help your website grow with regards to returning traffic. A well composed blog can attract a following of it’s own, thus giving you traffic that you would never have otherwise benefited from. Popular ideas for blog entries could include; top ten lists, product reviews; tips; industry news or company news. Once you have published a new blog post, make sure you promote via your facebook page and your twitter account.

Kirsten Hendrich – Do you want to increase your traffic? Let Go Search Marketing help you. Visit their website for more details.

By Nick James in Featured

A press release is the standard way to alert the media, and increasingly, the online public, about what you are doing or selling.

The press release forms part of the public relations artillery and should be used wisely. Though mostly written and distributed by PR professionals, you too can competently write your own press releases, if you keep the following 12 key points in mind.

  1. Think of the 5 ‘Ws’: The press release mantra is WWWWW. Before you do anything, think Who, What, When, Where and Why. Fail to include this vital information and it’s a total Waste of time
  2. The golden first paragraph: this is your chance to grab the media’s attention, so make it punchy. The first, short paragraph should announce the ’5 ‘W’s’ and the rest of the press release will expand upon it
  3. Newsworthy: We call it the ‘news’ because it is ‘new.’ What makes your story press-worthy? What is new about what you are doing? Is there new research? The media love stories about anything that is the biggest, smallest, fastest, world’s first or most exciting. Think of all the ways your story is new, include them, and back up your claims
  4. Concise: A press release should never, ever be longer than two pages of A4. One page is ideal. Keep the font neutral and the layout clear — a 1.5 line spacing is bes
  5. Contact: Always include your contact details at the bottom of the press release. That’s your full name, phone number, mobile and email address
  6. Personal touch: Include a quotation which communicates your key messages in a lively way. Sound ‘thrilled’ or ‘excited’ about what you are announcing. If it’s not really interesting or exciting news, you shouldn’t bother the press with it
  7. Proof, proof and proof again: it is unacceptable to send out a press release full of grammatical errors. Get someone else to proof it, then print it out and proof it again
  8. When emailing your press release, include it clearly in the main body of your email. The media probably won’t bother opening your word document attachment
  9. Balance: it’s a fine, fine line between spin and being downright misleading. Go for an attention grabbing headline, but don’t lie or over-hype your story and NEVER USE CAPITALS AS IT WILL ONLY ANNOY PEOPLE
  10. Write for the task in hand: your press release is not a submission for a prose writing competition. Keep it clear, informative and as factual as possible. Have fun with the headline, but don’t over use ‘fluffy language’ in the main body of the release
  11. It is not a sales pitch: refrain from ‘sales speak’; this is not the place. A press release serves to inform the media about a newsworthy event, not flog a product like in an advert (although, that is the desired byproduct of course)
  12. And lastly: use press releases wisely. Expanding your home office into a purpose built garden shed may be big news in your family, but probably less so on the global stage. Put out strong stories and get a good name for yourself. Put out rubbish and, well, it’s your reputation that’ll be at stake.
Nick James is a true example of a self made success. He offers the inside track in every aspect of internet business creation and development. Right now he’s giving away a Free Income Secrets DVD for only �1 S&H while stocks last! Free Nick James DVD

By Mark Shapiro in Featured

Press releases are no longer just for the press. Here is how you can use Press Releases to promote your business and web site.

Press releases and news announcements serve many different functions in addition to being source material for journalists to write about.  Yes, it is good to have BIG news that will motivate a writer, editor or journalist to write about your company, product or service, but that is no longer the only reason to create a press release. You don’t need big news just a good hook.

Whether or not you use a Public Relations Agency or do it yourself, here are three good reasons why you should try to write and distribute at least one press release every month.

1. Its Good SEO (Search Engine Optimization & Press Release Optimization) – One of the most important components to getting top Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc., search page results – appearing high up or number one when someone searches for your product or services is the number of external web sites that link to your web site.

Your news release appearing on an online or industry news site, at a social networking site, on a newswire such as BusinessWire or PR NewsWire, or even at a directory of press releases, helps improve your site’s overall SEO. In addition to that posting and SEO results, many other sites and blogs may pick up that release and print it on their pages as well, further increasing the Search Engine results for your web site and business.

A good news announcement could show up on hundreds or thousands of different sites!

You need to post new releases on a regular (monthly) basis. As most major news sites only keep their press releases online for about a month or so, you need to keep posting new press releases and news announcements every month to maintain your SEO rating and web page search results positions.

By SEO optimizing your new release and by embedding hotlinks in it that link to specific landing pages on your site, you can further increase how high up your web site will appear in the search results.

You should also make sure your press release also gets posted on your own web site. (You will be amazed by how many businesses neglect this obvious step).  By posting your press releases on your own site, you increase the amount and quality of content on your site. As you probably know, most search engines heavily weigh the amount and quality of content on a site when assigning search results.  For most search engines, the two of the most important factors towards getting a high search page result is the amount of quality links pointing to your web site and the amount of quality content you have on your site. News announcements can fulfill both.

2. Your news announcements and press releases can inform potential customers about your company, its products, services and areas of expertise. No longer targetted to just the press and media, good press releases and news releases also function as marketing documents for your organization.

Most people and businesses now rely on a web search as an integral part of their search for products, and services. Seeing your news announcements all over the web – at the magazines they read, at various blogs, and as a result of web searches, can greatly help boost your company’s brand and product awareness in their mind. It is also useful to have news announcements that inform current and past customers of what is new and that you are still successfully in business.

3. Press may be interested in your “small” news and may want to include it as a standalone announcement or as part of a trend article or column. They may be doing an industry overview or product round up. Also, it is also useful to occasionally inform press that you are an expert in your industry area and are available for comment as needed.    If they don’t see press releases from you or your company on a regular basis, you will drop off their radar screen. You need to show ongoing, consistent news and growth or the press will forget about you.

Better Search Engine results and great SEO, direct out reach to your customers and potential partners, and ongoing contact to the media are the three main reasons why you and your company need to develop and distribute an ongoing series of press releases. They don’t have to be big news. Small news is fine. A new hire, updated web site, and upgrade to your software, new partnership, maybe speaking at a conference or industry event.

Mark Shapiro is a professional writer with over 17 years experience in public relations and media relations. Mark Shapiro has worked with hundreds of companies throughout the world, promoting their products and services. He has written thousands of press releases and news announcements. He has hundreds of articles published covering a wide range of subjects including media relations, public speaking, internet marketing, web video, digital imaging, etc.  SRS Tech Public Relations provides a wide range of public relations functions, from big picture strategy planning to writing, distributing and following up on press releases and contributed articles, pitching products, services and solutions, and setting up and hosting show/phone briefings with editors and analysts

By SEO Sapien in Featured

link buildingIn SEO, link building is the practice of accumulating relevant links in order to build up site authority, and rank for certain keyword phrases on search engines. However, link building is often associated with questionable practices like link buying and link spamming. Too many businesses focus on buying sitewide static links, and building a specific number of links. Once they achieve that goal, they tend to forget about their link building efforts. What they have failed to discover is that a successful link building strategy is one that is natural, builds your web presence, and strengthens your brand.

By admin in Featured

seoMillions upon millions of people are surfing the web every day. They search for news and information about people, places and companies. At the same time, some of these people are publishing or posting reviews about services, products and people, and not all of the reviews are good. Did you know that just one bad post can greatly harm the reputation of a Company and cause a direct impact on the Company’s bottom line?

Here is the test. Google yourself. Google your Company. What does it say? If there are negative posts about you, your services or your Company, then it’s time to get with the program – The Online Reputation Management Program.

By Titus Hoskins in Featured

social-media-2Obtaining one-way quality links is often cited as the “Holy Grail” of online success. Especially if you take the SEO route for getting high rankings for all your profitable keywords in the search engines. It’s no wonder then, achieving top spots for valuable and popular keywords should be the ultimate goal of any webmaster or online marketer.

How well you do in this “link quest” will largely determine the success or failure of your site or online business. Assuming of course, you’re going after free organic traffic from the search engines and not using Pay Per Click or other means of succeeding online.

By Ted Kushner in Featured

Using press releases for marketing purposes for promoting anything from new web sites to new product announcements have become increasingly popular lately as business owners learn the powerful benefits of using press releases.

Press releases have been used over the past few years by quite a few smart business owners and marketers that have seen first hand how they can help their business get the recognition they need in marketing new products or services both offline and online.

But a lot of businesses have been reluctant in using press releases as they were unsure of how to properly construct a simple press release or how to distribute them for maximum effectiveness.

Using press releases can be a very effective marketing tool and seo strategy if constructed and implemented properly.

Learning to write a powerful optimized press release can often drive tons of targeted traffic to your web site while providing multiple back links that can lead to increased page rank and numerous top ten search engine rankings for your targeted keywords.

The real secret behind writing any effective press release and to gain maximum exposure for your new product or service is to plan your release out carefully even before publishing it.

A poorly constructed or planned press release is just a waste of your time and resources. You want to target the message of your press release for the purpose it was meant for.

So, the first thing you must do before writing is to figure out just what do you want to accomplish with your press release?

  • Do you want to create some brand awareness for your web site or products?
  • Do you want to add additional subscribers to your newsletter or ezine?
  • Or are you trying to promote a new product or service you have developed or are marketing?

Once you’ve decided what the most compelling reason is for your press release, you can then get down to the business of writing it.

The first thing you may want to do is sketch out a rough draft of your press release to see how it flows. Does it provide the needed information to get the word out and has it been properly formatted?

Most press releases have a certain format that they follow. If you’re unsure of how to format your press release correctly you can view a sample press release template here at http://www.prweb.com/pressreleasetips.php#template .

The number one most important aspect of your press release is your headline.

Get it wrong and you will limit the effectiveness of your release.

Your headline is what the search engines are going to pick up on first. The headline is what normally gets listed first once indexed so make sure you use it advantageously. List any key points here, using your keywords or a catchy headline so that it will grab your reader’s attention.

Also try to keep your headline as short as possible as Google gives more weight to keywords if not surrounded by irrelevant words. Again planning is essential.

If promoting a new site include the URL in the headline. If promoting a product or service then include some keywords in the headline.

Some press release services use a summary box. I normally write a catchy one-paragraph recap of my press release using some of my targeted keywords.

Without being spammy, I will normally optimize my press release by using some of my targeted keywords in the first and last paragraph. I will also include some of them throughout the release for a keyword exposure of approximately 2-5% saturation.

Tip: if you’re promoting a web site, I will normally mention my URL around three times within the release for the maximum benefit.

One of the first questions I had when I first started writing press releases was what was considered a great release? What did it consist of and how was it constructed?

Being curious, I emailed my contact at http://www.prweb.com/ and asked them if they could show me a few press releases that they considered as excellent examples.

These releases have received their editorial scores of 5 on their scale of 1 to 5; with five being the highest.

They sent me three of them for review and you can see each one of them here:

  • http://prweb.com/releases/2005/2/prweb136748.htm
  • http://prweb.com/releases/2005/2/prweb149213.htm
  • http://prweb.com/releases/2005/2/prweb203448.htm

Study each one of these against the press release template to see what is required for an effective release.

Note: to get additional exposure for your press release via www.emediawire.com you have to have an editorial score of 4 or higher. So it is to your benefit to write the best release you can the first time around.

Once you have studied the examples and want to try submitting you own press release you need to know which ones are the most popular ones being used.

Here are some of the press release services I have used and found to be effective:

  • http://prweb.com/
  • http://www.pressbox.co.uk/index.html
  • http://www.webwire.com/default.asp
  • http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/

With most of press release services you can submit your press release for free or via paid inclusion. Paying for inclusion gives you the benefit of faster indexing into the search engine news services and natural search engine result pages.

Normally your release will be picked up by Google news within a few hours after its release. From there it will normally show up in the natural search results within a few days or a week.

I have used both of these services in the past but have found that paying them at least the minimum amount for their distribution services will allow you to view your stats online. It will also allow you to choose different categories for my press release to be displayed in, giving your release a chance for wider coverage.

So using press releases can and is a very effective marketing tool that you can use for promoting your web site or affiliate products if done correctly.

By using press releases, I have been able to create a steady flow of targeted visitors to my web site and affiliate programs while generating dozens of back links to my web site.

Even though the effects of each individual press release may be short lived, they still have provided me with both free and inexpensive ways for getting hundreds of new visitors to my site and quite a few top ten positions in Google for my targeted keywords.

So isn’t worth while to at least check out the benefits of using press releases in your marketing methods? A little work now could reap amazing results.

About the Author: Ted Kushner writes about consumer interest stories dealing with health, business and finances. See how you too can get multiple top ten positions in Google, Yahoo adn MSN using press releases at: http://www.affiliaterevenuesources.com/press-release-secrets.htm

By Lindsay Glass in Featured

People always ask me how the syndication of press releases and book-marking your blog in many of the social book-marking sites can possibly generate traffic for your site.

The other day I submitted a press release to thousands of online sources for a client. As part of my regular routine, I then put the release up on their web site. Not 20 minutes later they had a new comment on that press release:

“I found your site on Technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. I’m looking forward to reading more from you.” So do these strategies work? You bet they do! Below are a few link-building strategies for you to use in your own business to help generate traffic for your site.

1. Social Book-Marking Sites

Social Media book-marking is the strategy used in the story above. It’s also usually the quickest way to get your content read. Use social book-marking sites like Digg, Delicious, Reddit and Technorati to bookmark your own blogs. Make sure to write an attention grabbing headline and use appropriate keywords so that people searching for your particular topic and/ or product will be able to find you. As the story above shows, this is a simple way to create a loyal fan base.

2. Comment on Other Blogs in Your Industry

Find relevant successful blogs in your particular niche that you can comment on. If you find a blog that already has a loyal fan base, become a part of their community and you can tap into that fan base. Start leaving comments on the blogs with a link back to your web site (or blog). Engaging with these relevant blogs is a great way to get noticed. It can also lead to valuable links back to your site. Just like with any other conversation, join in and share your opinion; however, make sure you present both you and your company in the best light possible by leaving relevant comments that will actually help others in your niche.

3. Article Syndication Sites

Start writing relevant articles about your niche and syndicate them. There a ton of these article syndication sites out there, some that we use and suggest are http://www.ezinearticles.com, http://www.articlemarketer.com, http://submityourarticle.com, http://www.articlebase.com.

Each of these sites allow you to have a byline at the bottom of your article so if someone reads your article and likes what they see they can visit your site for more information.

Submitting your article to these types of sites does several things. One benefit is that it allows you to get your information out there (through RSS feeds) on thousands of web sites and can lead to your content being referenced in other posts and articles. Also, make sure to always include your web address in your author byline because each time your article is picked up on a site, it provides a link back to your site, thus generating highly targeted traffic to your web site and also raising your search engine rankings through your increased number of link-backs.

Another simple hint: In your byline give the reader a reason to visit your web site. For example, “Want to find more insider secrets to successfully grow your business and increase profits? Check out www.yourwebsitehere.com for a free copy of Top 10 secrets to gaining ridiculous income in 6 months.” (Not to mention if they go and sign-up, then they’re on your mailing list!)

Conclusion:

Remember, if you don’t take the time to tell people about you and your business then no one will ever know what they’re missing!

Known as the “Online Celebrity Producer,” Lindsay Glass helps her clients tell their stories in the online world. Lindsay began freelance writing in 2000 and soon after launched her own PR firm that thrived by offering an in-your-face “Guaranteed PR” that was one of the first of its type in the nation. She is now a founding partiner of DNG Media Group, LLC. For more information, please visit http://www.dngmediagroup.com

By Dan Dimit in Featured

A press release or media release, as it is also called, is a condensed article that is written in a journalistic style. The purpose of the news release is to highlight what is interesting and newsworthy about your company or organization.

Press release publishing offers many benefits to your business, and is a powerful marketing tool in any integrated marketing plan.

Traditionally, a press release is short lived, it has a limited amount of time make your impact on the media before it becomes old news and is replaced by fresh press releases. This is NOT scary…It’s just like writing any other piece of info. Make the press release JUST one page.

The really cool thing is that if you submit it to the correct places, you may get a phone call requesting an interview!! This is huge for your business and website. It’s surprising just how easy (and FREE) it is to submit a press release to put your home business out there to the public!!

Press Release Example and Template

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:

Contact Person

Company Name

Voice Phone Number

FAX Number

Email Address

Website URL

XYZ, Inc. Announces Widget to Maximize Customer Response Rate

This headline is one of the most important components of the press release as this needs to “grab the attention” of the editor. (Just like any other article or blog post or video)

It should be in bold type and a font that is larger than the body text. Preferred type fonts are Arial, Times New Roman, or Verdana. Keep the headline to 80-125 characters maximum. Capitalize every word with the exception of “a”, “the” “an” or any word that is three characters or less.

City, State,Date – Your first paragraph of the release should be written in a clear and concise manner. The opening sentence contains the most important information; keep it to 25 words or less. Never take for granted that the reader has read your headline. It needs contain information that will “entice” the reader. Remember, your story must be newsworthy and factual; don’t make it a sales pitch or it will end up in the trash. Pretend like you are the reporter. What would an objective reporter write?

Answer the questions “who”, “what”, “when”, “where”, “why” and “how”. Your text should include pertinent information about your product, service or event. If writing about a product, make sure to include details on when the product is available, where it can be purchased and the cost. If you’re writing about an event, include the date, location of the event and any other pertinent information. You should include a quote from someone that is a credible source of information; include their title or position with the company, and why they are considered a credible source. Always include information on any awards they have won, articles they’ve published or interviews they have given.

Keep your sentences and paragraphs short; a paragraph should be no more than 3-4 sentences. Your release should be between 500 to 800 words, written in a word processing program, and spell checked for errors. Don’t forget to proofread for grammatical errors. The mood of the release should be factual, not hyped; don’t use a sales pitch as it will ruin your credibility with the reader.

The last paragraph before the company information should read: For additional information on (put in the subject of this release), contact “name” or visit www.yoururl.com. If you offer a sample, copy or demo, put the information in here. You can also include details on product availability, trademark acknowledgment, etc. in this area of the release.

ABOUT (COMPANY) – Include a brief description of your company along with the products and services it provides.

- END – At the end of the release, you need to indicate that the release is ended. This lets the journalists know they have received the entire release. Type “End” on the first line after your text is completed. If your release goes over one page, type “MORE” at the bottom of the first page. For a great example of a press release that I recently put out, go to this link: http://www.prlog.org/10122195-in-this-uncertain-economy-small-businesses-are-saying-no-to-expensive-advertising.html

So, when is it a good time to put out a press release? ANYTIME! Have you thought about hiring your first employee? Have you come up with some kind of compelling reason to get people to your website (newsletter, free samples of your product)? Did you buy a state of the art printer and you’re now putting out full color brochures? Did you finally get your baby potty-trained…okay, maybe not ANYTHING. You’ll have great results with press releases, especially with the PAID submission services. Sorry cheapos! Usually you get what you pay for.

Dan Dimit – If you’d like more information on driving free traffic to your website, please visit http://www.thefreetrafficformula.com

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