The Art of Self Promotion (4 of 5) Press Releases

Writing an effective online press release is most definitely a learning curve but a well-written offering will continue to rank well in search engine results because folk will share something they actually wanted to read! The best way to hone this skill is by reading other releases online and remember its a news story not a sales pitch.  Read Wiki’s definition before you start! It really helps put things into perspective!

Following are OPT tips to get you started but I think that a regular, updated press release can be beneficial to your business because it can provide useful back links to your website (even if it has been ignored and/or not responded to) they get archived and permanently posted on major search engines which will, if keywords are used wisely, will always remain searchable.

Always refer to your keywords (see my blog on the subject).  These simply have to be managed, current and easily accessible! You may find that using these specific words limit your vocabulary but with practice you will become a better writer.

A Few Do’s and Don’ts:

1. Your lead line, to begin your Press Release should be a summary of the whole article.

2. Don’t try and create a question or any kind of anticipation or doubt. Your audience will need to get what it’s about immediately.

3. Try and tie in a current trend or news story to give your release more depth.

4. Use humour but try not to be too clever.

5. Don’t tell lies or hype something out of context and certainly.

6. Do not come across biased. Your release should be objective and interesting not a megaphone telling everyone your the best thing since sliced bread.

Remember the 5 W’s!… “Who, What, Where, When, and Why” Who is your company? What is your news? Where does this news take place? When will your news actually happen? And why is it compelling or important?

Once you are happy with your release, you can post it up on all your social media sites and send out to your current customers, entice new ones and also submit to press release submission sites like;

1. Prweb.com

2. Globenewswire.com

3. Businesswire.com

4. Marketwire.com

So, what are you waiting for?! Release Release!

#PR #SmallBiz #SocialMedia