If you've done any internet marketing at all, or participated in any direct online advertising, then you have probably heard of the press release. If you have done none of these things, then this article will be a powerful eye-opener to you because the online PR is one of the most powerful and cost-effective promotional tools you can use today.
What is a press release?
You can think of a PR as a highly-focused and newspaper-like article that is promoted and syndicated for you. Unlike free articles, the press release, once written, is a paid distribution. You choose a press release service such as PR Web or PR Leap, pay their submission fee, and the press release service will publish your PR on their site and syndicate it to dozens or perhaps hundreds of online news sites as well.
Why is a PR so effective?
Consider the concept of article marketing. You write an article, like this one, and publish it on a site like EzineArticles, articlebase, hubspot and so on. This is a free service, generally, and your article is then read and possibly syndicated by other web users. It's a great way to build back links and to establish you and your business' authority on your related subjects.
Now, a press release is similar to this, except that because you pay a PR service to distribute your article, you get much faster and bigger results. Like a free article, a PR can contain useful information, a link to your website or other online sources and even your mailing and contact information. It is a very fast and effective means of drawing attention to yourself and your company.
What makes a good press release?
Now we come to the heart of the matter. A PR must be treated a bit differently than an article or a blog. It's generally thought of, and rightly so, as a more serious and professional publication. In many cases, in fact, a good press release will get picked up and published in print as well as online.
It's a lot more difficult to get away with amateur writing, poor content and sloppy grammar in a press release. The expected standards are much higher for a PR and the audiences who read them do so with a certain expectation of being informed by a serious source.
So unlike a blog entry, which can be very informal, or an article which can be humorous while being informative, a release should be thought of as a real piece of journalism. It's important to write it carefully or have it written by a professional who knows what they are doing. Let's look at the three core features of a good release:
- Content quality: Keep the quality of your PR's content very high. This means not only compelling writing that is designed for the human as well as the search engine, but it also means stick to a specific point. Make your press release about one topic related to your company or what it is you're trying to get noticed.
- Be accurate: it's a good idea to include statistics, figures and facts to support your news item when writing a press release. But make sure these bits of information are correct. It's a good idea to even cite your sources whenever possible. This gives your PR credibility and you as well.
- Grammar is important: This seems simple but it's quite critical. Carefully write your press release, spell check it and then review for grammatical errors. It's not a bad idea to have someone else review it as well. Even if you do not do this, give yourself a day after writing to review it again, just to get a fresh perspective. Remember, once the release goes live, you can't edit it.
The rule of thumb for a good and effective press release is accuracy and credibility. If you throw something together that is sloppy or incorrect, it can have long-reaching negative effects on your traffic and your reputation. You want each PR you publish to strengthen the message of the next. If you are careful, and take the time, efforts and pay the price to create high-quality press releases, the effect on your image, traffic and financial bottom line will be better than you can imagine.
Advantage Advertising and Marketing produces quality press releases for nearly all of its customers. Scott knows both the powerful effect a well-crafted press release can have on a business's profits as well as the proper way to produce them.If you are a growing company who is seeking to expand its influence and grow its profits, then you should see all the services Scott can offer you. A quality and effective copywriter is one of the best investments you can ever make in your company.
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