Any established online company will tell you that they wouldn’t be where they are today if they didn’t have a good public relations program in place. After all, it is extremely important to get the word out to all of your potential customers online each and every time there is something new on your site or if you are offering a sale and so on. To get the most out of their Internet marketing dollars, many of the websites out there today whether big or small, will look into the help of press release services as a good way to boost their traffic.

Basically speaking, public relations and press releases pretty much go hand in hand. You have interesting news about your company or updates on your website inventory that you would like to share with your potential customers that are out there in cyberspace. Along with banner ads and marketing blogs, press release services can help you write an interesting piece of content about your product or services and then also submit it to all of the appropriate outlets for exposure. You know that you want to have decent press coverage in order to drive traffic, and these people are the ones who know how to get you posted in all of the right places.

It goes without saying that the idea of enlisting the help of press release services has really taken off within the past decade or so. Many smart website and/or business owners are looking for the best possible content that will be able to draw a significant amount of attention, thus helping them get an enormous traffic increase. Certainly, there are a wide variety of packages out there that you can choose from so that you find a decent price for press release services that you can afford. Some companies may even customize an online marketing plan for you to better suit your financial situation.

All in all, press release services can be the best way to get the word out that you are looking to convey without having to deal with the hassles on your own. By enlisting in these services, you are cutting out the possibility that you are not writing the appropriate content that you need to get noticed. Additionally, you will not have to worry that you are not submitting your press release to the best possible outlets to get you the readership that you need as a part of a smart online marketing campaign.

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Once you have your website up and running or you are trying to market a new product or service, you are going to find that getting the word out through the proper channels is your best way to be heard. While there are all sorts of tried and true Internet marketing solutions you can turn to, one that most people may not readily think about is the press release. What is a press release, you ask? There are a bunch of ways that you can describe a press release, but the one thing you can say about it is that it can be an incredible effective way to bring traffic to your website and get you the exposure that you desire.

When you have a press release that is informative and well written, then you are going to see that it is one of the most valuable online tools you can have. Often times, you will find that once you submit your press release to the online submission site of your choice that it will then be grabbed and used by any number of other webmasters. They do this so that they can use it as a part of their website as a source of fresh, interesting news for all of their readers, while at the same time getting your product or service a whole lot of exposure in a number of markets.

One of the worst mistakes that website owners will make is putting up a press release that is not well written. Generally speaking, such a piece should be written to fit within one page and the paragraphs within should be short and to the point. When you are putting together the content, you want to make sure that the information is interesting, informative and keeps the reader hooked right until the end.

If you are unsure of how you should write or even submit your press release, then it may be best if you seek the help of a business that specializing in press release services and online marketing. They will be able to gather the information that you would like to convey to readers and format it into a style that is conducive to those found on various news sites and press release submission sites. Whichever route you decide to take to get your press release written and posted online for the world to see, you are pretty much guaranteed that this will be one of the smartest online marketing tools that you have ever invested your time or money into.

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Press release formatting is somewhat like an apple pie recipe … there are hundreds, and most of them taste as good as each other, but there is only one Sara Lee. When it comes to press release formatting, your grandma’s recipe just won’t cut it … as delicious as it might be! If you’re struggling with press release rejection, we look at the correct formatting guidelines for your documents.

Heading - Most press releases begin with the words ‘For Immediate Release’. This is usually typed in capitals. It is a hangover from the idea that news may be given to the media, but not be ready for the public to hear yet. This will almost certainly not be the case with your press release!

Title - Think long and hard about what aspects of your release are most important to the public. What are the benefits, rather than the features, of your release? Try to incorporate these into your headline. Write down several versions, so that you can go over them later and re-assess which makes the best impression and biggest impact.

First Line - Your first line should state the city, then the date, followed by a colon that leads to your introductory sentence. If you are located in China, your press release’s first line might be:
Shanghai, July 4th 2009: The Wing Wong Dim Sum company has announced a new multi-million dollar prize, offering a factory tour and a free lifetime supply of dim sum to five ‘Golden Noodle’ finders in their new competition.

Body text - Your body text should allow your entire release to fit on one A4 page, with a point size of 12 point for the writing. There is not generally a lot of text to put in press releases - journalists want the bare facts, and will call if they need more information.

Try to answer the questions ‘Who?’, ‘What?’, ‘When?’, ‘Where?’ and ‘Why?’ in your release. This helps journalists write their story, and if your press release is structured well enough, will sometimes allow them to use it verbatim. That’s great power over the press!

About section - Include a factual description of your company, and outline of products and services. At the very bottom, include all of the following methods of communication - contact name, company name, phone number, email address, fax number and URL. This allows journalists to easily contact you about your press release if they wish to use it.

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If you’re engaging in press release distribution as part of your SEO strategy, you’ve probably come across some of the press release services on the web. These experts can be invaluable when it comes to getting your message out there, and ensuring that all your effort actually ends up yielding results in terms of traffic, initially, and ROI, as an end result. We look at some top tips from press release services on writing and distribution tactics.

1. Newsworthiness - Ensure the message in your press release is newsworthy. There is an easy way to do this … is there something ‘new’ in it? General sales pitches for your business, no matter how many benefits they contain, are not ‘new’ … and therefore not ‘new’sworthy.

2. Conciseness - Your press release should have the main point right up front - and this point should be enticing enough to encourage readers to continue. No introduction necessary!

3. Quotations - Always include a quote from either a relevant, or senior staff member in your organization. Here’s a little known tip - as long as the staff member will review and approve the quote before it goes to print, it’s actually standard practice to have someone else write it.

4. You get what you pay for - Free press release distribution sites are flooded with information - paid sites can offer a much better avenue for promoting your release.

5. Optimization - Include a keyword in the title (where possible), in the summary, in the opening paragraph, and the closing paragraph, at a minimum. These do not need to be all the same keyword.

6. Experience - Press releases are a very specific type of document. It is worth the investment, even for decent writers, to outsource the actual creation of your press release.

7. Regularity - Make sure you find something newsworthy to write about on a regular basis, whether that is weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Newsworthy occurrences include significant staff changes, major events catered to, supplied by or held at your business, special packages and promotions, giveaways, prizes, renovations, awards you have won, or new services you are promoting. You can also comment on current events, if they are related to your niche.

8. Integration - Post your releases on your own website as well as submitting them to distribution sites.

9. Analysis - Check on which releases are working better than others using web analytics, and examine the ways that they are different.

10. Broaden your message - Make sure your press releases reflect your other media activities - if you have published information about your new occurrences, make sure the press releases are on the same topic.

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Although they are generally made by creative types, successful press release creation is really more of a science than an art. Writing press releases that get published requires following an exact formula … and above all, making sure you use good quality ingredients in it! We look at how to write a press release that gets re-published, every time.

Make sure your content is newsworthy
This is the first, and most critical item on the list. Newsworthy content is at the heart of any press release that makes it out onto the wider media arena. If people will care about the content of your press release (i.e., something is in it for them), it will be widely published. Many press releases that customers don’t ‘care’ so much about are published, but the benefits are much lower.

Write a catchy title
Try to use simplified versions of words where appropriate. Many companies have a tendency to ‘jargonize’ their offering, making press release titles a conglomeration of five or six words, all over ten letters each. If it looks like work to read, people just won’t bother.

Use active words, words that are outside the usual corporate sphere, and marketing words in your title to grab people’s attention.

Follow the inverse triangle method
In some written formats, the introduction serves as a summary of the entire document, but doesn’t contain any of the ‘meat’ of the information. Press releases always blurt out exactly what they are about, as the first priority. Your title should say exactly what the press release is about, and the introductory paragraph should be all about the main point of the story. Less important or relevant information goes later in the release.

Format properly
Begin by putting your press release in the correct format. You’ll start with ‘For Immediate Release’, often in capitals, and then the name and contact details of the person ‘releasing’ the news. Your title will follow, then an italicized section that is either a subtitle, or a summary of the release. Body text is next, written in a 12 point common font, then your company ‘About’ section, followed again by the contact details.

Ensure you include the 5 W’s
Make sure you state the what, when, where, who, why (and how!) in writing press releases for your company. These don’t have to be in any particular order, other than that which is most relevant to the story.

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When it comes to marketing via press releases, writing the document itself is only a small portion of the work! Distributing press releases is a skill in itself, and more is not necessarily better when it comes to the effort you put in. We show you how PR experts work smarter, not harder, when it comes to distributing press releases.

Free distribution sites

There are literally hundreds of free press release distribution sites out there. Some are well-trafficked by journalists and news aggregators, and some are only well-trafficked by publishers. Press release services generally know the difference between the good and the worthless.

Press releases only need to be submitted to a maximum of five free distribution sites. Any more than this is a waste of time, as news aggregators will generally go to at least one of the top five anyway.

The Associated Press

The big name in news publishing, the Associated Press is a worldwide phenomenon. If your release is published by the Associated Press, it means guaranteed real-world coverage and publicity, not just backlinks. This is always worth a try, especially if your release is particularly exciting and newsworthy.

Local Media

Distributing press releases for optimal results means more than just entering details into some websites. Expert services will usually pick and choose local publications that would be most interested in the news, and use slightly different tactics to pitch it to them.

Niche Publications

Trade publications, special interest magazines, free newspapers and hard-copy newsletter creators may be interested in your release. You’ll never know if you don’t try! Submit it only to those within your field, to maximize the effort to benefit ratio.

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An especially valuable tactic for smaller organizations is to Digg, StumbleUpon, and delicious the press releases as you add them to your press release archive. Have a network of accounts within the company that can all add them. This ensures that even if the response from mainstream media is minimal, your release has space to breathe and the opportunity for freedom!

Publish the press release on your own site

One way of making certain your news gets published is distributing press releases to yourself! Add a press room, or at the very least, a press release archive to your website. Although it is not likely that mainstream media will come directly to your website looking for news, if a future release is of interest to the press, they may come looking for information on your corporate history and past activities.

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Press release distribution, like all other SEO and public relations activities, isn’t just a one-way activity. First the release goes out into the world … and then you gather all of the incoming feedback possible, in order to learn from your actions and improve for next time. We look at some of the ways you can get feedback on the quality and effectiveness of your press releases, and measure their value to your company.

The first information you’ll gather about your press release is the number of times it has been viewed. This can be achieved through:

* Impressions statistics from the press release distribution services you used (PRWeb, PRLog, etc). It is tempting to believe that these are skewed in the distributor’s favor (i.e., upwards!), so rely on several methods of measurement.

* Google, Yahoo and MSN Alerts can be set up so that every time a story is published using your press release title (or even one of your major keywords), your RSS reader will alert you.

* Web analytics for the press release on its published page within your own site

You can also monitor the number of times your story has been re-published. Search engine alerts are a good base method of doing this, but you should also use tactics such as:

* Monitoring blog search engines with an RSS reader, to show you how many times your story has been blogged about.

* Monitoring social media outlets - through your Internet marketing company is often the most efficient way to do this.

Finally, the number of times your story has been read and re-published will be reassuring, but the real value in press release distribution is in the impact it has on your bottom line! Measure this through:

* Inserting tracking code in the links you have embedded within the press release, so that you can see how many visitors have come to your site directly through the release

* Monitoring where your inbound links are coming from

* Your general web analytics program

* Checking on the number of white paper downloads, webinar subscribers, demo viewers, newsletter subscriptions, etc.

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Should you work with a news release service? These services can be one of the best investments that you have for marketing your online business, but not everyone is aware of them. If you take the time to use them, though, you could see larger profits at your website because more targeted traffic will get there. This can help virtually any business in any industry out there. The goal you should have is to use press releases and news releases on a regular basis to get your message out.

How can news releases help your business? There are many ways, but consider the simplest method of them all. It announces your news! For example, you have redesigned your website and are now letting everyone know that you have enhanced features to make the process faster, easier, more affordable…or anything. You have a news release service design a press release for you that actually conveys this newsworthy information to the world. The press release service will construct the news release to contain the information that is appropriate. They will do so using targeted keywords and the right tone. With these press releases, you have to have a specific format used and it has to go to the news media, not the actual consumer.

Once the release has been designed, it is time to get it out to the world so that they can learn about it. To do this, the news release service will submit the press release to all of the applicable news agencies. Most have software that can easily go through the process and get the release out to as many organizations as possible. This is a good thing since it gives you that much more opportunity to shine in the news media. Once this has been done, you can sit back and watch what happens with a well-designed release.

It goes out to all of those feeds that are picking up news in the industry. Each person that is associated with it can pick it up. Perhaps someone that runs a high profile blog notices your press release. Since it is their industry and it has something important, interesting or new on it, they decide to let their readers in on the information. They take the press release and post it at their blog. This creates a link from the blog to your website (since your website’s link is on the press release itself.) From here, all of the readers of the blog can go from that website to your own. Since they already know what you have to offer, and the blog owner likely has added their own comments to the importance of your press release, only targeted traffic gets to your website.

The end result is added business and added leads to your website. All of this can come from just a single press release but remember that there is likely to be far more than just one person that picks it up and uses it!

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For the world to receive information there has to be a medium, something that can provide valuable insight in a professionally written and well designed format. To accomplish this, press release services have become and continue to be a very powerful source of letting people around the world know that a new business has been launched, an existing business has changed or expanded, or an innovative product or service is being offered.

The great thing about using press release services is that they can be used to spread the word about literally anything. Services such as this will work closely with a business owner, gathering newsworthy information that will help draw customers to the business. For an online business, a press release is very powerful, just as it is for a brick and mortar company. This announcement, when done right, has the potential of reaching millions. The possibilities for the company are staggering.

The benefit of using press release services is that these companies are comprised of professionals who are skilled in writing a great press release. The professional would discuss the story with the business owner and then with the information gathered, begin the process of devising something that will have an impact. Since press release services include analysis, writing, editing, and distribution, the business owner can relax and watch the company grow as a result.

Typically, press release services will design a one-page design although there are some press releases that need to be slightly longer. Keeping a clean and professional format, the reader can discover the message quickly and determine whether or not to research the company more. Of course, as with newsletters, articles, blogs, ezines, and email marketing campaigns, the press release has to be focused on the right market niche.

For this reason, the professionals will have the needed expertise to guide you through the process so there is no guesswork. The result is a powerful feature story that will reach the intended audience, allowing the website to have a boost of traffic that will hopefully translate to sales. A well-written press release is worth its weight in gold. Therefore, using press release services is an excellent way to ensure the information needed is there and that readers will be enticed to know more.

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There is an art to the creation of a good press release, defined as one that will be accepted by various news media outlets and one that will sell. Obviously, the goal with any press release is to tell a story about a new business, product, service, or venture. For an online business, a press release can be a huge player in the overall website promotion scheme. However, to ensure the press release is well written so it will get a ton of attention, there are some specific things to consider:

* White Paper and Article - When writing or having a press release created, wrap it around a white paper or article. Keep in mind, regardless of the size of your website or the product/service being sold, the goal is to educate people so they have a better understanding of why and how your process, product, or technology is going to benefit them. A great way to do this is to create the press release around an article or white paper, keeping it to a single page but with pertinent information.

* Indirect and Direct Website Marketing - Once the press release has been completed, it is important to release it not only to the market niche you hope to capture but also to your existing customers. For one thing, you are providing customers with updated and important information but you are also showing them that they are important to you and that you appreciate their ongoing business. Using both indirect and direct marketing promotion tools such as email, you can help guide existing customers to the site where a copy of the press release resides.

* Using the Wire - While there are new and more innovative means of distributing a press release, you should also consider the more traditional option of wire. The benefit here is that this is where many reporters get their information. The press release going over the wire will be categorized and then specific alerts sent out. Again, using this and newer opportunities means you are covering more ground, thus having the chance to increase traffic to your site more effectively.

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