To get your client noticed, the publicity writer must be able to write a press release that grabs the media’s attention and makes them want to learn more about what your client can offer their readership. A press release is a publicist’s introduction to the media. It’s their way of showcasing a business, individual or organization’s message to the community.

Press releases can be used in two ways:
To entice a print reporter, broadcast journalist or radio host to cover the story and conduct their own interviews.

As a stand alone article used by print publications to fill space not taken by staff writers.

The Press Release As A Pitch:
Both are valuable tools used to spread the word about a client. But, writing a good press release that will grab the attention it deserves takes a special knack. It offers more than standard marketing or sales writing, but less than true news or feature coverage. A press release aimed at convincing a reporter to do their own story on a person, business or organization in the community, is nothing more than a teaser of fun facts aimed at generating enough interest to get the reporter thinking of ways they could make the story stand out on their own. This type of press release should not be written with the intent of using it as is, but more as a way to help the reporter see the value in what’s being offered.

Standard information that should be included in this more straight forward piece are: the essential who, what, where, when and how of the client; a brief description of what makes this client and its services stand-out or benefit the community; unusual facts and figures about the client; and the role of your client in a broader statewide, national or regional arena. Try to make it interesting, but don’t do all the work for the reporter. Your goal here is to show him or her the potential for a story – not to give them a story.

The Press Release As A Story:
Another type of press release is the article-style release. When using this form, it’s important to remember that the publicity writer is doing all the work in order to offer a completely researched and accurate article that is ready t be printed. Again, try to avoid making it sound like a biased sales pitch. Write like a journalist who’s looking at all the angles of the story and backing up their claims with significant facts and figures. This type of press release is especially welcome at most smaller local newspapers and trade magazines who may not have either the staff or budget to cover your story.

Things Every Press Release Should Contain:
While both types of press releases discussed above are written for a specific audience, with a different goal in mind, there are a few important things every press release should contain:

- A short but lively title – this is the writer’s first chance at grabbing the editor or producer’s attention.
An interesting lead (complete with any unusual or interesting facts).

- A succinct overview of thing you are trying to publicize presented in the formal pyramid style (most pertinent info first and so on).

- An information line with a contact phone number or website a the end.

To ensure that you are presenting the client in the most professional and newsworthy way possible, remember to also:

- Be succinct. Never ramble, and keep press releases to less than two pages.

-Be accurate. If you aren’t sure about something, find out. Never put any unsubstantiated facts in a press release.

-Keep it simple. Never try to fluff the piece with fancy paper, fonts, layout, etc.

-Be friendly and helpful. Offer to help set up interviews, gather statistics, and organize photo opportunities for the reporter in charge of covering the story.

Writing press releases that grab an editor’s attention requires skill and an understanding of what the media is looking for. Learn to give them that and you’ll find yourself on the media’s call list the next time they need an expert source for a story they’re working on.

Matthew Hick
http://www.articlesbase.com/writing-articles/press-release-writing-tips-that-get-you-noticed-139813.html

Click on the “press” or “media” link on most websites and there is a long list of press releases issued by the company. Most of them go no further- they are parked on the website until doomsday and never get picked up by anyone. With a little work on the part of the PR writer, it doesn’t have to be that way.

The problem with a lot of business press releases is that they are generated in house by a corporate communications person who also writes the newsletter and organized the last company picnic. Just because the person is in the communications field, doesn’t mean that he or she knows a thing about press releases. Most corporate PR writers with no journalism background and no PR degree work within a specific, generic PR template. These can be found on any number of websites and are all pretty much the same. These press releases are very flattering to the company and certainly get the writer a pat on the head for all the compliments, but they don’t do a job.

An effective press release doesn’t read like it was written by the company. It doesn’t sound like its entire existence is for publicity. It reads like a news story that happens to have a few items in it about the company, its product, its founder, etc. Anything less is not likely to be glanced at by anyone in the media. Believe me. As a reporter I threw out enough of those releases to make my own tree. When seeking a press release writer, seek out someone with an acceptable level of experience directly in the media, rather than just generic writing experience. A tech writer is not the right person to try to publicize your company. A PR writer is.

L. Shepherd
http://www.articlesbase.com/writing-articles/writing-a-worthwhile-press-release-101152.html

Although some companies have an in-house PR department to manage Press Releases, for many companies, it may not be possible to distribute the Press Release or Press Statement to all media channels due to resource and manpower constraints. This is where companies providing Professional Press Release Distribution Service become essential. A Press Release is generally used to inform the public through news and print media of an event or issue, or information for the general public, which concerns the company. Press releases are also a useful tool to create visibility about a company and its activities. In the present day and times, with the whole world connected to the Internet and most Internet savvy individuals spending many hours every day searching and browsing for information, knowledge, services, products, etc, an Online Press Release Service is extremely crucial for a company, to create online visibility on the internet, through proper and affordable Press Release Distribution Services and gain widespread media coverage.

Some Press Release Distribution Services companies specializing in offering Online Press Release Service also combine Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with very high quality news distribution, thus making the press releases more visible to the top search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN. These Press Releases come up in searches when users search with a search term related to the client company and the Press Release, thus creating visibility for the company. These Press Release Service companies ensure widespread coverage of the Press Release, drawing the attention of bloggers, journalists, and general public alike. Press Release Distribution Services companies also ensure that the Press Releases and announcements reach the people interested in the client company and its activities, company news and information, etc, and provide links in the Press Release content for the interested individuals to follow back to the companies website, thus ensuring targeted traffic.

To increase a client company’s online Internet presence, and thus the potential for increasing sales and revenue, the Press Release Distribution Services employ teams of experienced professionals with years of experience in writing and optimizing Press Releases in many diverse areas for many companies involved in many different fields like Real Estate, entertainment, etc. This does not mean that these companies offer Press Release Service only for big companies or large Multinational corporations only. Press Release Services are very affordable and are also available for individuals like members of the legal and medical profession, small business professionals, and small companies too, with different packages and services available according to requirement.

In the modern world today, as in the good old days, it is important to remember that – “Out of sight is Out of Mind”, which simply means that if a company or an individual is not visible continuously and regularly in the print, news, and online Internet media, the world will soon forget they exist, and move on to something more interesting. Everyone wants fresh and interesting news and information on a regular basis and abhors stale news and soon forgets an individual or company, which is not in the news on a regular basis. As a company or individual, aspiring to be visible on the Internet, it is important and crucial to hire the services of a company providing Professional and experienced Press Release Distribution Services.

Erin

Years ago, before the popularity of the internet, press releases used to be extremely important. Whenever the news would present a press release, people would be glued to their television sets. The reason of course was that the expectation was that there was going to be some very important and, most often, exciting information released.

Now in today’s age, the internet is a hub of press releases. There is always something important and exciting going on and web users should be aware of it. The danger has become that many press releases are not what they used to be. They don’t contain exciting and important information and they do not create a stir of interest in potential readers.

One area you can be confident in is if the press release does what it is supposed to do, then it will draw the attention of the search engines and inevitably boost the website rankings.

To create a keywords rich press release, the writer has to understand the requirements in order to create press release publishing material. This means they must provide all of the important details of the how, what, when, who, why and where details. It is not enough to give the information; they must announce the information. Press release writing demands passionate writing. The information it contains must be something the reader just must know. It must be factual and clear in its information. It must stick to the point.

Being as press release publishing demands precise skills, there are several press release publishing websites available. That does not mean they are providing superior high quality work. If you are interested in this type of company, then do some research into their capabilities for producing quality work.

First, check out what the company is all about. Visit their website and see how they portray themselves. Do you find their site meets many of the criteria that you would find in a press release? Of course, the presentation would be different here but the concept and information should be the same.

You want to know who they are. Be able to put some names to the people who own the business. Are they approachable, can you contact them easily and are they readily available?

What do they have to offer? Are they capable of superior press release publishing? What type of staff do they have to do their press release writing?

Where is their location? Are they offering international services and can they meet the needs of your location? Are they able to write keywords rich press releases applicable to your requirements?

Why have they chosen to specialize in press release publishing? Obviously, they must have some experience in this field and know the expectation required to produce keywords rich press releases. Find out what their credentials are.

How are they able to meet your needs? Press release publishing websites that are reputable know the responsibilities they have. A well-known and professional company like SEO Content Lab is well versed in press release publishing. Due to their vast knowledge in keywords rich press releases, they are more than capable of meeting the needs of the client. It is their expertise that makes them capable of supplying professional press release writers.

Don T
http://www.articlesbase.com/seo-articles/press-release-writing-and-publishing-helps-in-increasing-website-rankings-722869.html

Although some companies have an in-house PR department to manage Press Releases, for many companies, it may not be possible to distribute the Press Release or Press Statement to all media channels due to resource and manpower constraints. This is where companies providing Professional Press Release Distribution Service become essential. A Press Release is generally used to inform the public through news and print media of an event or issue, or information for the general public, which concerns the company. Press releases are also a useful tool to create visibility about a company and its activities. In the present day and times, with the whole world connected to the Internet and most Internet savvy individuals spending many hours every day searching and browsing for information, knowledge, services, products, etc, an Online Press Release Service is extremely crucial for a company, to create online visibility on the internet, through proper and affordable Press Release Distribution Services and gain widespread media coverage.

Some Press Release Distribution Services companies specializing in offering Online Press Release Service also combine Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with very high quality news distribution, thus making the press releases more visible to the top search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN. These Press Releases come up in searches when users search with a search term related to the client company and the Press Release, thus creating visibility for the company. These Press Release Service companies ensure widespread coverage of the Press Release, drawing the attention of bloggers, journalists, and general public alike. Press Release Distribution Services companies also ensure that the Press Releases and announcements reach the people interested in the client company and its activities, company news and information, etc, and provide links in the Press Release content for the interested individuals to follow back to the companies website, thus ensuring targeted traffic.

To increase a client company’s online Internet presence, and thus the potential for increasing sales and revenue, the Press Release Distribution Services employ teams of experienced professionals with years of experience in writing and optimizing Press Releases in many diverse areas for many companies involved in many different fields like Real Estate, entertainment, etc. This does not mean that these companies offer Press Release Service only for big companies or large Multinational corporations only. Press Release Services are very affordable and are also available for individuals like members of the legal and medical profession, small business professionals, and small companies too, with different packages and services available according to requirement.

In the modern world today, as in the good old days, it is important to remember that – “Out of sight is Out of Mind”, which simply means that if a company or an individual is not visible continuously and regularly in the print, news, and online Internet media, the world will soon forget they exist, and move on to something more interesting. Everyone wants fresh and interesting news and information on a regular basis and abhors stale news and soon forgets an individual or company, which is not in the news on a regular basis. As a company or individual, aspiring to be visible on the Internet, it is important and crucial to hire the services of a company providing Professional and experienced Press Release Distribution Services.

Erin

The Search Landscape is Changing

The Web Search landscape is constantly changing. One of the hottest trends that emerged at the San Jose Search Engine Strategies conference was the fact that people are refining their searches – they’re using the subcategories on the search engines like images, maps and, most of all, the news tab.

Online News More Popular Than Newspapers

Mainstream print media is not enjoying this shift in media consumption – the Audit Bureau of Circulation reported this week that newspaper readership is down another few percent, while the news engines and news websites continue to attract more readers. Yahoo! News now has the largest online news audience in the world.

Most People Read Their News On the Web

Online ad revenue earnings online are rising steadily too. The advertisers know where the news audience is. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project more than 75 percent of all web users read their news online.

Optimizing Press Releases – One of Top Three SEO Trends

A new 285 page report just out from Marketing Sherpa, Search Marketing Benchmark Guide, identifies optimizing press releases for Yahoo! News, AOL News, Google News and other news engines and sites as one of the top three SEO trends for 2006. Online press releases make a great response device for the search-using public, says the report.

Writing a Press Release – Ten Reasons Why Press Releases Are Important

• More and more people are using online news sources to find information on products, services, companies and ideas. Most news stories and press releases are read by the public looking for data.
• A correctly optimized online news release can get you to the top of page one for your chosen keywords in the news engines within 24 hours.
• If there is a relevant and timely news result on a keyword, both Yahoo and Google are displaying this news item above the number one organic position in web search.
• You reach your target audience directly – no reporters or editors to filter your message.
• You know that when someone reads your news release they are interested in that subject – they asked for it by keyword.
• Online releases can be tracked – for the first time you can get statistics of how many times your press release was accessed or downloaded. With the proper web analytics in place you can track click throughs to your website too.
• The article will get picked up and published on other relevant sites increasing the number of people who see your content and visit your site.
• If your article has been correctly optimized, it will have keyword links in it. Every time your article appears on another website it builds more relevant inbound links to your site, which positively affects your search rankings.
• Optimized online press releases migrate from the news search to the web search within a week or so and they can show up in the web search on your keywords.
• If you add the releases to your website and put them into an RSS feed you increase your visibility. Soon your articles will be showing up in news aggregators, Yahoo News and Google Blogsearch.-SEO & SEM Service Providers

wayne
http://www.articlesbase.com/seo-articles/writing-a-press-release-for-maximum-web-visibility-689444.html

As the communication landscape changes and new, cutting edge ways of consuming information emerge, PR agencies and corporate public relations teams around the world must re-think the way they format news and deliver it to their target audience. The social media press release has radically altered the way PR professionals approach broadcasts and announcements.

* What is a Social Media Press Release?

Inspired by Tom Foremski of the Silicon Valley Watcher, a social media press release is a next-generation press release optimized specifically for online distribution and publication, such as placement in blogs, social bookmarking sites, RSS, and other similar mediums.

The social media press release is designed to facilitate rapid and widespread sharing of news, information, images, audio, video, and other content. Unlike traditional press releases that are notoriously packed with hype and marketing-speak, the social media press release is far more functional, focusing on just the most relevant and pertinent facts, and relaying them in a simple, concise, hyperlinked format that will appeal to bloggers and other online journalists.

The typical social media press release includes a summary of key highlights, a few expert quotes, links to background information embedded throughout the text, and tags that identify related coverage and other similar topics of interest – all written in a style that reflects the way people speak about the subject at hand. As a result, it is much easier for bloggers to post the information, and for online journalists to conduct their research, and find the quotes, references, statistics, and other data they need to write thorough and accurate stories.

Many social media press releases also include images, video, and other visually-oriented content, tying together various multimedia elements in a way that makes them easily adaptable and re-usable.

* Fast and Wide Distribution

Social media press releases provide faster distribution and wider broadcast coverage than old-school public relations channels can. A recent Pew Research report shows that the public is more Web savvy than ever before, and that Internet use has become a part of the typical consumer’s daily routine.

In fact, more than 50 percent of consumers polled indicated that they create and share content online. With the social media press release, companies are empowered to take their message directly to these consumers via the most popular and preferred formats, making it readily available and instantly accessible not just to reporters, but to anyone who is interested.

Social media press releases can also act as direct marketing and search engine optimization vehicles. News headlines can be delivered via RSS ads, so they are dynamically pushed directly to those who subscribe to similar topics. And, the inclusion of popular key words and phrases (particularly those that potential customers are likely to utilize when searching for the company’s products or services), as well as commonly-used jargon and acronyms, title tags, ticker symbols, and links to other Web content such as blogs and related articles, can give a boost to a company’s ranking in Google, Yahoo, and other major search engines.

* Social Media is Here To Stay

Most of the major wire services have recognized the importance of social media in today’s PR strategies, and have begun to expand their offerings accordingly. PRWeb and Pheedo provide RSS ads, track-back functionality, and the ability to tag and send out press releases via del.icio.us.

Additionally, PR Newswire and Business Wire have launched new social media features such as RSS Feeds. These services also now allow bloggers to access capabilities and functions within their sites that were previously only available to credentialed journalists.

* Social Media Press Release Template

Several PR firms adjust their tactics to take full advantage of the Internet for PR. You’ll notice more social media press releases from a number of Internet savvy PR firms and companies. An online search for “social media press release template” will lead you to examples, templates and ongoing blog conversations on the pros and cons of this next generation of press releases.

You’ll find that by following a social media press release template you can easily create compelling, highly-effective press releases structure specifically for distribution to media outlets and for obtaining comprehensive coverage.

P. Headrick
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/the-new-social-media-press-release-107987.html

It used to be so easy. You wrote press releases for the press, and a very small number at that. It may have been the case before emails and web access that you sent out press releases to a whole list of potentially interested journalists, but you were more likely to just send them to 10 or 20 writers that you already had a relationship with.

Matters in the internet age have become more complicated. It is important that public relations change with the time and that it is an industry that keeps pace with economic and cultural changes, but unfortunately there are people in the Search Engine Optimisation industry who are trying to subvert public relations for their own end and are claiming the press release for SEO.

These people are only interested in one thing: building links.

SEO is divided into two parts: on-page and off-page optimisation. On-page optimisation is concerned with the right keywords being in the right place, whether that is in the title, headers or body of text. Off-page optimisation is mostly about building incoming links to a website. It is widely regarded that the quantity and quality of incoming links is the most important part of SEO.

These SEOists have noticed all the free press release distribution sites and seen a potential way of building backlinks. The following are all genuine article headlines from large SEO sites: ‘Press Releases New SEO Back Door to Top Rankings’, ‘Link Building via Press Releases For SEO Rankings’, ‘Why Does Your Company Need SEO Press Releases?’

Consequently, thanks to the SEO crowd, the internet is now riddled with press release spam. Every two-bit, wannabe SEO practitioner has been advising their client to write as many press releases as possible at every opportunity. You need links, they declare, so get them from free press release sites. Providing a list of such websites they send clients off happy in the knowledge that they are doing something to build their website or business up. There are even a number of SEO companies that specialise in using these free press release services to distribute client “spam releases” – all for a hefty fee of course.

Lets make matters clear: only release a press release when you have something to announce and, more to the point, something newsworthy.

Put yourself in the shoes of a journalist or blogger. Is there anything in your press release that somebody on the net could write about? Is there anything there to inspire a wordsmith?

By all means use the quality free press release distribution services, but also develop one-to-one relationships with bloggers and journalists in your niche. So when you do write and send out a press release you can email them a copy directly. You’ll have far more chance of receiving publicity this way, and with publicity on the internet also comes those precious backlinks.

So remember: press releases for the press. Let us spend time redefining just what constitutes the press in the internet age rather then writing and distributing spam for SEO purposes.

Andy Johnson
http://www.articlesbase.com/public-relations-articles/knowing-who-the-audience-are-for-your-press-release-733370.html

The best way to boost your affiliate sales is to create something original and let people know about it–break out of the “me, too” crowd and do something different.

There is a common misconception among affiliates that they are “stuck” with the marketing materials the product owners provide, and unable to do anything of their own.

This is, by and large, not true. If you’re not sure, ask. Most affiliate managers will okay outside materials if they can see them first.

Your first step is to create a free report. This sounds like a monumental task, but my own free report, “Ahead of the Pack,” available at my web site, shows you how easy it is.

The easiest way to write a report is to compile a list of 5 or 7 tips, and write a few sentences on each one. If I were an affiliate for a book on resumes, I might write “5 Tips for a better resume.” Then I’d use the report to lead to my web site selling the resume book.

The next step is to set up a way to capture email addresses–either by offering the report as an autoresponder series or by requiring signup to your newsletter to download the report. Tips reports work very well as autoresponder series, and you can follow up periodically.

Finally, let people know about your report using a press release. My free report “Power Press Releases” makes this super simple.

Basically, you need to write Who (the person who benefits, not you), what (the free report), when (available now), where (at your web site), why (why this report is available) and how (how it provides the benefit).

I realize time is scarce, and people who don’t write for a living often think it’s much harder than I do. But I can almost guarantee that if you sit down and write a quick report and publicize it with a release distributed by the top free distribution services, you will make more affiliate sales and it will more than make up for the time you invest.

Angie Dixon
http://www.articlesbase.com/online-promotion-articles/how-to-boost-your-affiliate-sales-with-press-releases-11048.html

Although there are many ways that you can promote your home business, publishing a press release is still a very effective way to make your business news known. This tried and proven method will still effectively bring your business promotion to the attention of the media – and bring the results you want – customers. Here are some tips to help you know why this method still works.

Editors Want Press Releases with Real News

Press releases work because editors are always hungry to find some tidbit of news that people want. It makes a story for them. If you can win his or her attention with your home business news, an event or a promotion, you will have the media attention you want. An editor, however, will only take a few seconds to look over your press release and decide whether it is newsworthy or not. For this reason, only a press release with a good news angle will catch his or her attention.

This hunger for news makes it extremely important that you have some news as the main feature of your press release – if you want the major media groups to pick up the story. Although there are Web sites that will take any press release, it will take one that is written from a newsworthy angle to give you the widespread circulation you want. This includes things like news of your business, new product news, special awards received, new employees, promotions, milestones achieved, and more.

Good Press Releases Multiply

Many different groups of media pay close attention to press releases – on a daily basis. If a larger media group picks up and publishes your top notch press release, then other groups may also pick it up, rewrite it, and publish it as well – giving you even further free exposure. This, of course, is what you want. Whereas you may have paid for one good press release – now you get that potential multiplied.

A quality press release can also save you a whole lot of money in advertising costs for your home business. Larger marketing campaigns can cost many thousands of dollars if you buy multiple newspaper ad space, or TV and radio time. Letting the various media agencies, papers and electronic media rush to carry your news story is worth the little bit of money a press release will cost you. It is also possible that your outreach will be greater, too.

Online Press Releases Have Added Benefits

An online press release may even provide you with some additional benefits. First, it will provide you with at least one inbound link to your Web site. Other media sources could pick it up and republish it – if it is a good story. This means you soon could have many inbound links – just from one press release. Secondly, some Web sites keep press releases archived – which means your inbound links and popularity could increase very quickly wit regular press releases.

Helps Build Your Brand

Press releases are also a great way to build you home business’ brand. By using press releases on a regular basis – possibly one a month, soon the media and the public begin to recognize your brand – which means more business for you. Well-written press releases that grab the attention of the media can quickly help you get the brand recognition you want.

Press Releases Prove You Are a Growing Business

Besides just the branding that regular press releases gain for you, there are also other related home business benefits, too. It is important to show to your customers and business associates that your home business is on the move. Your company is growing, making news, and is always pushing forward. These things give your clients confidence in your company’s stability and future – making them even more willing to do business with you.

Finding a good press release company is just as important as the quality of it. Some shortcuts may be taken by some of these companies, which means your news may not go out at all. Select them carefully. Be sure to write your press release with a specific audience in mind, and make sure that the press release submitter sends it to media outlets that are interested in your particular news or product. If you have a Web site (which your home business should have), you also may want to keep an ongoing blog or Web page that shows recent press releases.

Curt Miller