Do you think only “big” brands like Apple and General Electric have important things to say? Think again!
Welcome to the third post in our Power of the Press Release series. If you haven’t visited them already, feel free to check out:
- “KA-POW! The Power of the Search Engine Optimized Press Release in a Linking Strategy” and
- “13 Top Tips for Using Press Releases to Create Backlinks”
Scanning these will energize your internet marketing efforts because you’ll realize that the press release does more than get a reporter to mention you or your company in a news story anymore. It strategically places links that point back to your site on respected external sites. This process, known as “getting backlinks,” fuels your search engine optimization efforts in a legitimate way.
“But our business has no news!” you say?
Yeah. Yeah. We hear this from clients a lot. We don’t buy it.
You’d be surprised at what can be made into “news.” Typically press releases announce a business anniversary, an event, new products, an alliance with a non-profit, new branch opening and awards. While those work, stories like the ones we mention below go out every day. While we didn’t include backlinks to all of these press release examples, we found them all at PRWeb.com with a quick search. You can paste these titles into PRWeb’s search bar and have the press release come up free of charge.
New offer of free shipping or free gift.
- “Offering Free Shipping Now for Online Orders of Round Beds and Matresses Custom Made to Order, Available at Custom Bedding
Availability of newly created educational materials, ebooks or blogs
- “GoGreen.org Announces Free Informational Webinar Series”
Availability of your market trends report.
- “Global Fruit and Vegetables Processing Industry Market Research Report Now Available from IBISWorld”
Industry scam information (aren’t you helpful!)
- “Bay Management Group Warns Against Rental Scams”
- “Identity Therft Expert Advises on Why Elders are Targets for Scams and Financial Abuse”
Discussion of popular news story related to your industry.
- “iTriage Offers Peace of Mind to 11 Million London Summer Olympics Visitors”
Start of an internship program.
- “Conexus Introduces Logistics Internship Program in Tulsa”
Pro bono work.
- “Design Works NY Earns Triple Crown of Awards for Pro Bono Work for My Sister’s Place”
Promotions: new shipping fees, discounts on online orders, etc.
- “The Sears Appliance Repair Service is Offering a Coupon on the Website Good for 20% Service on All Sears and Kenmore Appliance from now Until August”
New contests and sweepstakes.
- “Only One Week Left for a Chance to Win a $1,000 Gift Card in Allrecipes ‘Pin It to win It’” Sweepstakes”
Adoption of eco-friendly or “green” business practices and materials.
- Like “Oakland Tankless Water Heater company, Albert Nahman Plumbing Now Offering BioSmart for Drain, Septic and Grease-Trap Cleaning.”
Website redesign
- “New Beginnings, an Addiction Treatment Provider in Minnesota, Gets a Website Redesign”
Success of events you participate in (of course you put out a press release of the event two weeks before.)
- “The Retreat at Shepherd Pratt Hotels Holds Successful 2012 Reunion”
And you thought your news was boring! We know from experience that there’s an outlet—an even an audience—for everything, even “Global Fruit and Vegetable Processing,” as in example 3 above.
2 Quick Ways to Brainstorm YOUR Press Release Ideas
Simply go to PRWeb, PRNewswire or MarketWire and type in your products or services into the search bar. Lots of titles will come up and chances are, your competitive instinct will kick in, prompting you to develop “news” of your own. Searching for larger competitors’ names will also bring up the press releases they’ve posted recently.
Going to Google Trends will show you the news stories most searched for that day. Can you somehow integrate a popular event (like the Olympics in example number 5 above) into your business activities?
Beware These Pointless Press Release Shortcuts
Press Release Templates: While there are lots of free press release templates out there, if you’re not a professional writer, it’s best to leave this part of your marketing up to those with experience seeding a press release with keywords and putting it on the distribution sites in the most effective manner. More, if the press release you write doesn’t meet the standards of the distribution site’s editors, they’ll send it right on back to you, delaying its release and causing aggravation.
In other words, don’t get so excited by the prospect of the press release’s power that you pump out three paragraphs of “drivel” and upload it to PRWeb. Journals want hard facts – the how, what, why, when and where covered quickly in the first paragraph. Grammatical mistakes, incoherent writing and typos can win you a reputation as unprofessional and your next press release will be ignored.
Free Press Release Distribution Sites: Many FREE press release distribution sites exist, but we’ve found them largely useless. While they post the press release on their own sites, the distribution end is lacking. They make their money by putting up advertising on their sites or up-charging after you’ve gotten the release all uploaded. You may find you’ve paid just as much for these small, ineffective services as you do for an established site like PRWeb or PRNews that Google and Yahoo News respect.
Could Your Website Use a Little Push?
Like social media, a press release has great potential as an “introducer” to a brand, getting people to a website. If your content is helpful, the traffic that resulted remains, allowing you to become the go-to resource for customers looking for your industry’s information.
While we’ve come to depend on press releases to get fast backlinks for the new websites we create, we also know that it’s just one tool in our arsenal. Each aspect of internet marketing supports the others. To streamline and organize your internet efforts making the whole more powerful than its parts, contact us! We can help you understand where each piece fits.
About the author: Jeune Ortiz is VP of Marketing and Creative Director at future-ink. With more than 20 years of experience in graphic design and marketing, Jeune brings extensive knowledge and creativity to each website and internet marketing solution to grow your business.
Share/Save
Leave a Reply