Press releases can win you more credibility if you write them correctly

Otherwise known as free publicity, the press release is one strategy commonly used by individuals and businesses to assist them in establishing a significant presence in the media, on the Internet and in society.

They may sound the same as advertisements but press releases are able to stand apart from them by helping you building more credibility to the media and the readers. However, in order to achieve that, you need to make sure that you are able to write your press release correctly.

The press release is not an ad

First and foremost, keep in mind that when writing a press release, you are not writing an advertisement that is going to be promoted in the newspaper, magazine, on radio or TV, or on the Internet. Rather, you are writing something similar to a news article but this time, it is aimed at building credibility whilst still focusing on being newsworthy.

When we say newsworthy, we mean that what you are writing can interest your readers and make them want to read more. Therefore, if you are going to write a press release for a new product, make sure you do not sound as if you are promoting it. Cite how the product can play a significant role in people’s lives without sounding like an ad. Remember that you cannot fool the reader because they can tell what is an ad and what was endorsed by the media without paying for ad space. You can usually gain your reader’s trust if your product is endorsed by third-party people, like reporters who have read your press release and decided to do a feature on it.

Simplicity is the key

Keep your press release simple and in plain English. This means that you should not use jargon or terms that can make readers raise their eyebrows and go, “huh?”. Make sure that even a 10 year-old kid can understand what you are writing. Then, write your content in short paragraphs with precise sentences. Do not bother with complicated sentence structures and clauses anymore. Also, write in the active voice and never sound uncertain or doubtful in your article. Remember that in writing press releases, you need to keep everything simple but still understandable and enticing for your readers.

Build your press release

A press release contains standard parts that should never be ignored. Basically, the way it is formatted can easily alert the editor and reporter that what they are reading is not an advertisement but a press release. Therefore, never make do without the following elements in what you are writing:

1. The release date: This indicates when your press release should be released.

2. The title or the headline: This one should be short but should already be able to catch the attention of your reader and keep him or her interested.

3. The lead: This is the part that emphasizes the who, what, where, when, how, and why.

4. The main body: After citing the 5 W’s and the 1 H, make sure to explain them in this part. Just remember to cite the important parts first and generalize later. If you can, make sure that your readers realize on their own that what they are reading is indeed relevant to their lives.

5. Background information about you or your business.

6. The date and your contact information so the reporters and editors will know how to get back to you. On the Internet, your press release may be aimed directly at your customers so your contact address and Web URL are essential.

You also need to make sure that your press releases are published in the right place such as Quality Press Releaser or Press Release Studio. These websites are structured to take care of your publicity needs so that you can get the exposure that you need.

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Many people find themselves wanting to do public relations for themselves or for their company, but don’t really know where to begin. Following are three easy steps to get your campaign going:

Step One: Answer the pertinent question of why what you do is newsworthy.

What’s in it for the reader or viewer of a particular outlet you are approaching? Watch your local news, read the newspaper, scan magazines. Not only is it a great way to pinpoint what news you could create for your company with that outlet, but it’s a great way to get inspired for story ideas that you can pitch to other media genres. For example, if “Staycations” apply to your business and the Today show recently covered the rising trend, you can pitch an adaptation of that story to your local news.

Step Two: Brainstorm! Gather your team together.

Think about upcoming holidays, events, trends, and more. How can you or your company serve as a part of these occasions in a news story?

Step Three: Execution and media relations.

Craft your pitch, then send out emails and make phone calls. Though many reporters prefer email these days, nothing beats the one-on-one connection you can make during a conversation on the phone. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and make a call.

Success with media relations is not always immediate. Don’t get discouraged if reporters don’t bite on your first few story ideas. The point of PR is to build relationships. The more a reporter sees how your company fits with his or her beat, the more likely it is that you will gain media exposure. If you are coming across stumbling blocks, sometimes offering to bring a coffee to a journalist and getting 15 minutes of face-to-face time without pressuring them with your pitch will lead to requests in the future.

Visit this web for more resources on how to handle your do-it-yourself publicity campaigns. Regina Novickis is co-founder of Media Tonic and Publicity411.com. A seasoned public relations executive with more than twelve years of experience managing brand positioning, public relations and media relations efforts on behalf of consumer/entertainment clients, she has secured coverage for clients in every genre of national press ranging from USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Time and Newsweek, to Self, Marie Claire, GQ and Maxim, to “Entertainment Tonight,” “The View” and NBC’s “Today” show.

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Getting Started with Your Press Release through Online Templates

Because of the increased accessibility of the Internet, press releases have now taken on a new purpose beyond being informational materials for the media. News release sites and submission portals have made press releases directly available to millions of Internet users and potential consumers. This additional purpose has also created a tougher challenge of crafting the each piece in such a way that it is suitable for both the media and the company’s targeted market.

So how do you go about writing a press release?

You have a wealth of information available for you on the Internet. You only need to search for it properly. Sample press releases along with tips on how to write your own material are available on many websites. Just try searching using the strings, ‘sample press release’ and your search engine will come up with thousands, even millions, of possibilities where you can get ideas.

A typical news release site will provide you with a template from which you can pattern your material. All you have to do is fill in the blanks with your content and you’re good to go. To supplement this information, the site will also provide you with guidelines on how to craft effective releases.

It’s also a good idea to go through submission sites. The press release follows a certain format and a specific pattern of presenting information. You will want to read through published releases and get a few tips from them. You will also want to tag and categorize your release so that it can be easily found by those searching on those terms.

Alternatively, you can also find books that offer the same information. If you intend to pursue such marketing as a major component in your promotional strategy, it pays to read up more about the subject so you know how you’re supposed to go about doing this.

Don’t forget in writing your press release that it should be both interesting and impartial. This is not just an ad for your organization. It needs to contain useful content as well.

Press Release Pad and Press Release Studio offer helpful tips and information on how to create your releases so that they attract the interest of your targeted audience. These sites do not accept duplicate content.

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You can easily speed up the process of writing your press releases if you know ahead of time the things that you need to include in your content and the elements that you need to use to make your news releases more compelling.

Here’s how you can accelerate your press release writing:

1. Release information. At the upper left-hand of your page, you should indicate when your press releases should be published. If it carries time-sensitive information putting “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” will make sense. Otherwise, you can indicate the actual date when the publishers should post your press release on their newspaper or website. It is very important not to forget this element to make the job of reporters and publishers a lot easier.

2. Contact information. After your release statement, you need to put the contact information where reporters or publishers can get in touch with you. Leave your name, your job title, website address, email address, the person to contact in regards of the news, the company spokesperson, etc. You may also provide a personal number or mobile number so people can contact you even after office hours.

3. Headline. This is the part when you tell your readers what your content is all about. In here, you must be able to answer the who, what, when, why, where and questions of your readers. You must be able to tell these people the benefits they can get from your content and the reasons why they should read on. Don’t forget to make your headlines short, concise, and direct to the point.

4. Dateline. This is the part where you put your location (usually city and state) and the date you are mailing or sending your press release for publisher’s reference.

5. First paragraph/lead paragraph. Your first paragraph should be able to tell your readers the summary of your content. It must also contain the most important information about your news item so you can keep your readers interested. A well-written lead paragraph can help you promote further reading among your target audience.

6. Content. This is the part where you should deliver all the information that your readers want to know. In here, you are expected to insert supporting data that will further explain the information that you have shared on your lead paragraph. Ensure that your content is well-written, precise, and direct to the point.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article writing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide’

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Writing

Do you want to learn how to build a big online subscriber list fast? Click here: Secrets of List Building

Sean Mize is a full time internet marketer who has written over 9034 articles in print and 14 published ebooks.

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For smaller business, the responsibility of public relations often rests on the shoulders of a “non public relations professional.” For these people, the first question may be, “How do I Start Pitching?” But I think people can be equally confused by what opportunities exist in the first place. It seems logical that other companies are on TV, in magazines or quoted in newspapers; you see that every day. Yet a disconnect can remain with your own business and the coverage opportunities available in the media.

Before you tackle how to pitch, let’s take a look at where your company can be covered in the media. Each of the following categories can be broken down into even further categories – which is good news – but let’s start with a 10,000-foot view.

Category One: Newspapers. Look at your local paper and you will see a variety of sections. Generally, each local paper has some version of sections such as local news, national news, entertainment, real estate, lifestyle and more. This means there are multiple opportunities for media coverage in just your local paper, depending on how you frame your “news.” If you have a product or service that is available nationally or on the Internet, now your opportunity to be in newspapers has literally reached into the hundreds when you consider all the local newspapers across the country.

Category Two: Syndicates. Syndicates are news organizations that write stories to be picked up by other media. If you look at your local paper, for example, you will likely see at least one story attributed to the AP, or Associated Press. That same story was sent to thousands of local news stations, newspapers, Internet sites, radio stations and more, each with the opportunity to run it. Syndicates have writers with “beats,” or areas of coverage, just like newspapers. Pitch one of these reporters on your company and you have the chance to literally be in hundreds of media outlets at one time.

Category Three: Local Broadcast News. Your local news also has a variety of stories they cover, though the news value has to be bit greater than some other media outlets. They are mostly covering breaking news, or the day’s events. If your company can tie-in with the breaking news topics that’s great. If not, other opportunities still exist such as human interest stories or coverage of local events.

Category Four: National Morning News. This category of media is one of the harder ones to break into, such as the Today show or Good Morning America. But again, you never know what will strike the fancy of a producer, or how your company or product can suddenly be “hot” based on topical news. Let’s say, for example, the news is covering food safety issues based on recent violations uncovered by the FDA. If you are a food manufacturer and can provide an expert to discuss what consumers should do to help keep their families safe, then that is a good time to pick up the phone and pitch.

Category Five: Magazines. There is a magazine for just about every type of person or interest out there. From women’s issues, technology, entertainment, gardening, home building, fashion and more, this is certainly a category of media where each company should be able to easily envision itself finding an interested reporter.

Category Six: The Internet. The Internet provides good news – and slightly less good – for media coverage possibilities. The good news is that the Internet offers an ever-growing community of dedicated media outlets (think Slate, which was created specifically to be an online magazine), blogs, and counterparts to traditional media (online versions of People or Shape magazines, for example). More good news is that “softer” news has a better chance of being covered since online outlets must update and refresh their content often to be relevant to their audience; thus, they need more content. The less good news is that finding all the possible outlets to reach can be time-consuming and, when you do, it’s harder to track the number of “eyeballs” any one site gets. That said, for a new or growing company, the Internet can be the very best place to build a portfolio of media coverage that will take you to the next level.

Category Seven: Talk Shows. Talk shows are arguably another one of the more challenging areas for coverage. That said, there are still opportunities for companies who can make themselves relevant or offer the human-interest angle of an issue, for example. Another opportunity is for product coverage as, you will notice, several times a year many of these shows do segments such as holiday gift guides, good products for kids, the latest technology products or product giveaways for the audience.

Category Eight: Radio. An oldie but a goodie. Radio is still a great medium for getting the word out about local events, people and companies of interest in your community, experts on various topics and more. The advent of satellite radio has created even more opportunities, as has dedicated Internet radio stations. While satellite and Internet radio stations may have a smaller number of listeners than traditional radio, they are often broadcasting to niche markets of people who, when marketed to, are more likely to buy your product or service.

Category Nine: Trade Publications. Like general magazines, there is probably at least one trade publication for your industry. And since these publications essentially write about one topic, they are often hungry for news. Another perk of media coverage in your trade publication is that influential “players” in your industry will likely be reading about you, which can always lead to larger synergies such as partnerships, promotions or speaking opportunities.

As you can see, there is no shortage of opportunity. Understanding that a vast, and growing, universe of media exists – all looking for products, news and experts – will hopefully provide you with the confidence and inspiration to get the word out about your own company.

Visit this site for more resources on how to execute do-it-yourself publicity campaigns.
Stacey Johnes is a co-founder of the web, and a seasoned public relations professional with more than fifteen years of experience in the industry. Currently running two successful public relations business in Los Angeles, Johnes has managed public relations campaigns for some of the world’s most high-profile brands, including Microsoft, Disney, FOX, Nissan and more.

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To some entrepreneurs and business owners, the answer to this question might be, “it doesn’t matter – publicity is publicity and I’ll take all I can get.” True to a degree, but the smart entrepreneur knows that there is a strong difference between product and business publicity and their respective effects on your bottom line.

Sure, the bottom line is to create consumer/industry awareness of the product or business and increase sales. But how you go about increasing that awareness, that brand recognition, can mean the difference between publicity and obscurity. Determining which type of publicity campaign you need is really all about timing.

What I recommend to my clients is what I call “Diversified Publicity”. Just as stockbrokers tell their clients to diversify their portfolios, the same holds true for publicity. A diversified publicity portfolio is a vibrant and active portfolio. What I mean by Diversified Publicity is creating different publicity angles based on your business’ life cycle and timing those pitches to the media for optimum exposure.

In a typical business plan, I would recommend PR campaigns/pitches in the following order:

1) Product Publicity – described below in A
2) Business Publicity – described below in B
3) Advertising – described below in C

(I strongly suggest exhausting all “free” publicity angles before jumping into a more expensive ad campaign.)

* This cycle can be repeated over and over based on product improvements, additional product launches, business development and expansion, etc..

A) Diversified Publicity typically begins with a nationwide “new product publicity” campaign designed to create multiple media placements and subsequent consumer/industry interest. Many media outlets are seeking the latest in new products and will give you solid product profiles/reviews in their publications or on their shows.

B) A few months after the product campaign, we would launch a “business publicity” campaign or what I would consider a “corporate campaign”. This is a people-behind-the-product campaign, which of course indirectly plays up the product again, further generating sales.

In this instance, I like to highlight new developments that have occurred since the product was first launched – product acceptance, sales milestones, the product’s impact on the industry or an individual customer, strategic alliances with other businesses, etc. This is also a great opportunity to play up newsworthy stories that may have occurred during the development of the product or business.

C) Now that the new product and business/corporate campaigns have generated some brand recognition and increased sales, your budget may allow for advertising. The publicity campaigns you just launched have gone a long way in helping your customers/industry to understand the product/business. Now you won’t have to waste valuable advertising space describing who/what you are.

It should be noted that many times, especially in startup businesses, new product publicity IS business publicity – the business for all intensive purposes IS the product. You’ve all read the stories in the media describing an innovative new product. Even though the product is the main focus of the story, invariably the company behind the product is mentioned as well.

If a well-known company, say Panasonic, Schwinn, or Kellogg’s launches the product, the reporter won’t go into a whole lot of detail about the company – at least in this story. But if the company or business is new, the reporter or producer will most likely include more information to introduce the company behind this innovative new product. However, a brief mention about the company in any new product stories does not qualify as a corporate campaign. You should still follow up a few months down the road with a quality corporate campaign that will detail the success of the recent product launch.

Many businesses that have launched product campaigns over the past few months or even years have never followed up with the corporate campaigns. They only rolled one of their publicity bowling balls and there are still pins standing in this frame. Perhaps the business simply tried to ride out the product publicity as long as the media would allow and now are just hoping for continued sales. As good as the product may be, it must be understood that product publicity has a shelf life – meaning you can only take advantage of new product publicity angles for a limited amount of time.

Once that shelf life is over, it is time for the next step in you Diversified Publicity campaign. As a former TV reporter and producer, I can tell you from a media standpoint – I always wanted fresh meat, different stories and new angles. Whether a reporter/editor/producer used your new product pitch or passed on it, hit them again with how the product is now impacting the industry – a newsworthy angle that has developed since the product was launched a few months back. Ideally, you’ll get coverage from both pitches.

The media targets for these campaigns differ greatly as well. The new product campaign is going to have a strong consumer and general interest editorial base. The corporate campaign will have a much stronger business/industry slant and will therefore be focused toward completely different editors or producers. Researching the expansive media markets and outlets to find the most applicable media targets is the key to your publicity success.

Whether you are at the new product publicity stage or the business publicity stage, use these tips of diversified publicity to take advantage of the ever-increasing media market – keeping you, your product and your business in the equally diversified public eye.

Todd Brabender is the President of Spread The News Public Relations, Inc.

His business specializes in generating media exposure and publicity for innovative products, businesses, experts and inventions.

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Dawn, a former Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year, takes to the stage at the event, organised by Junior Chamber International UK (JCI UK), being held at Nottingham University between 5 and 7 September. Boots are the main sponsor.

JCI UK – an organisation for anyone in their 20s and 30s who wants to bring about positive change in their lives – is now in its 80th year, a celebration marked with the theme of ‘Exploring Inspiration.’

Dawn kicks off the conference by exploring the concept of ‘A Walk on the Wild Side’.

She will provide real-life examples from her own successful career as an entrepreneur – including her experiences in founding the multinational Flowcrete Group – which she sold for millions of pounds earlier this year.

Dawn, who starts off the event on Friday afternoon, will also explain how she is injecting inspiration and innovation into her luxury lifestyle brand, Barefoot Flooring, currently being launched.

The Cheshire-based businesswoman said: “JCI UK is a fantastic national organisation, which is making a real difference in the UK by developing young leaders.

“Exploring Inspiration is a wonderful, motivating theme for their annual conference and I’m looking forward to taking part in the event.”

Other speakers at the conference include Steve Parks, author and entrepreneur, as well as Sean Chapple, known as the ‘Ice Man,’ – a polar expedition leader, who explores the business of winning.

The conference culminates in a black tie dinner, and, in-keeping with JCI’s 80th anniversary celebration – the theme will be the 1920′s.

For more information on the conference, visit here.

Ends

NOTES TO EDITORS

Barefoot Flooring, based on the edge of the Peak District, near to Macclesfield, provides luxury seamless flooring for the consumer sector. Founded by Dawn Gibbins MBE, ‘the barefoot entrepreneur’ the company’s floors are designed to encourage people to lose their shoes and enjoy the feeling of freedom underfoot.

More about Barefoot Floors Here

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For any new business, or even any already established business that’s considering going in a new direction, reinventing themselves or just launching a new product – a media kit can be an incredibly valuable tool.

There are very few other ways available to promote your company and its endeavors that you can control entirely. You or representatives from your company can decide exactly what will be included in a media kit and where you will distribute it.

By determining the size, the items included and the packaging, you can control the price of the media kit, and by controlling distribution, you can be sure that your media kit will get directly into the hands of the people who need it – your target audience will have all the pertinent information on your company, exactly when you want them to have it.

Does Your Company Need a Media Kit?

All types of businesses can benefit from having a media kit. No matter what kind of service you are providing or what type of product that you are selling, you can most likely, in some way or another, benefit from what a media kit can do.

Increased awareness, increased patronage, and increased revenue are all very real possible products of a well thought out and properly distributed media kit.

What Types of Information and Items are Usually Included?

Depending on what type of service or product your company is offering, the contents of your media kit could vary dramatically. What you include and how you present it is really dependent on what your company is trying to achieve.

It’s also important to consider the objective of your media kit before deciding all of the information that you will include. What are you trying to achieve and what are the most important things that you want your target audience to know: Are you considering making your company more environmentally conscious, have you hired a new vice president, have you and your employees been more active in the community or are you preparing to launch a product that will change the face of your industry as the public currently sees it? All of these items would be good possible focal points of your company’s media kit, and may there-by change how much information that you include or slightly alter whose hands, exactly, you want it to end up in.

The Basics

Regardless of what your business offers, at the very least your media kit should include a basic press release detailing the company objective as well as a copy of the annual report – tucked neatly into a professionally printed folder.

Other adders to a basic packet could include press releases on upcoming company endeavors as well as information on the latest product releases.

Bigger and Bolder

Some companies that want to make big impressions with their media kit will go far above and beyond the minimal. They could trade in the professional, but conservative folder for some bigger, brighter packaging and include things like audio CDs or DVDs along with brightly colored flyers and product samples.

Snack food manufacturers, record labels and fashion studios are all immersed in very competitive fields. These companies will often try to go to new heights to make serious impressions with the content of their media kits – you can never go to big or bold when it comes to things like music, fashion and food.

Whether your company decides to go big or small, simple or elaborate – if you want to get the word out about your company and its endeavors, a media kit made at a Public Relations firm is one of the best possible ways to do so.

Toronto Public Relations Firm offers a wide variety of communications and media relations services. When looking for a PR Company services, consider Polaris Public Relations.

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Most any small business wants to get lots of publicity when they first start in order to get a solid clientele base that will help their company grow. Getting publicity is not difficult if you are doing extra-ordinary things, they will find you, you don’t have to call anyone, you need to DO SOMETHING, and in that regard no one really cares what you think until you do.

Calling the media to come see what you are doing assumes that what you are doing is extra-ordinary, and they might have a really tough time seeing anything extra-ordinary in your day-to-day business endeavors. Just because you want media attention, PR or massive publicity, does not mean it is apropos. You might think that what you are doing is hot stuff, but the news agencies know what sells news and that might be diametrically opposed to what you are currently doing.

If you are constantly doing really cool stuff, eventually some will get into the media, but you have to realize that what’s more important is winning or doing, regardless of the fact that you get credit for it. 95% of the time you will not be in the media for what you do, or what you are doing is not news worthy, forget about it, just press on.

Rather than make something out of nothing, do lots of stuff and you will find the publicity catching you. You do not need the media to tell you that you are doing good things or that what you are doing is great, your customers will tell you and then tell friends. Don’t miss the mark in your promotional, PR and publicity campaigns.

“Lance Winslow” – Online ThinkTank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

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Most any small business wants to get lots of publicity when they first start in order to get a solid clientele base that will help their company grow. Getting publicity is not difficult if you are doing extra-ordinary things, they will find you, you don’t have to call anyone, you need to DO SOMETHING, and in that regard no one really cares what you think until you do.

Calling the media to come see what you are doing assumes that what you are doing is extra-ordinary, and they might have a really tough time seeing anything extra-ordinary in your day-to-day business endeavors. Just because you want media attention, PR or massive publicity, does not mean it is apropos. You might think that what you are doing is hot stuff, but the news agencies know what sells news and that might be diametrically opposed to what you are currently doing.

If you are constantly doing really cool stuff, eventually some will get into the media, but you have to realize that what’s more important is winning or doing, regardless of the fact that you get credit for it. 95% of the time you will not be in the media for what you do, or what you are doing is not news worthy, forget about it, just press on.

Rather than make something out of nothing, do lots of stuff and you will find the publicity catching you. You do not need the media to tell you that you are doing good things or that what you are doing is great, your customers will tell you and then tell friends. Don’t miss the mark in your promotional, PR and publicity campaigns.

“Lance Winslow” – Online ThinkTank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

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Tags: publicity, functions, public relations, business, pr

Q: I can see how the “big boys” can generate PR, but how does a business like mine attract the interest of newspapers, radio or TV?

A: Some of the most powerful marketing strategies involve third party endorsements – testimonials, word of mouth, strategic alliances etc. But probably the most compelling “third party endorsement” of all is PR. Getting your story into the media is an almost fool proof way to guarantee customer attention!

As an example, I recall the impact that positive media exposure had on the level of enquiry when I was consulting in the investment industry. For a consortium of investment products, I worked tirelessly with the media to let them know all the great things that were happening to their investors. Every now and then they’d run a story on them … and when they did, the phones would run hot with qualified and almost pre-sold prospects. The sales teams loved these days!

So how do you go about getting this sort of publicity … and what do you do with it once you’ve got it?

As with most marketing activities, PR is not an exact science. You need to test and measure to find the approach that will work best for you. Having said that, there are some fundamentals that you must address to give your PR campaign a chance of success. You’ll dramatically improve outcome by approaching PR as you would any marketing campaign and that is to have a strategic plan of attack. The following is a list (by no means comprehensive) of 7 things you must do to ensure the success of your PR campaign…

1. Find an Angle – Find an angle that will generate public interest in you, your product or your business. It could be that you have a “world-first” product; that you’re supporting the community; or perhaps that you’re just doing something so “quirky” that the media will be able to have some fun with it.

2. Target – Make sure you identify the right vehicle for your PR activities. When I say this, I’m not just talking about whether you choose Newspaper, Radio or TV. I’m suggesting that you identify specific publications or programs that are of interest to your target market, find out who the appropriate editor or journalist is and approach them directly. You can access media guides that have all this information.

3. Make it easy – Make it easy for the journalist to run your story. The less work they have to do, the more likely they will be to run your story. For instance, you may issue a media release written as if it was ready to appear in their publication. You should also have photo’s available for them. Remember journalists and editors are inundated with hundreds of releases every day and at any given time they can only follow-up a handful of these. “Stand out from the crowd and be media friendly”

4. Follow-up – Once you’ve made your initial approach, make sure you follow-up. Always call to make sure that they’ve received your media alert or release. It gives you an excuse to explain your angle in more detail, and also gets your story pulled out from the pile of other stories they are considering. It’s important to follow up however, for your own benefit, don’t hound them. Nobody likes a nag, journalists least of all.

5. Say Thanks – If you are lucky enough to get coverage, make sure you thank the journalist for the coverage. If you’ve built a good working relationship, quite often you’ll be able to plant the seed of a follow-up story!

6. Be Persistent – As the famous saying goes … “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again”. Getting PR is all about timing. Keep trying and one day it will all fall into place. More importantly, if you consistently send information to the media about your industry or topic they will identify you as a source of expertise and may seek you out for stories in the future.

7. “As featured on …” – Once you’ve got the coverage, tell everyone about it. Cut it out, frame it and put it up on your reception wall; email a copy to your existing clients; tell your prospects about it; and mention it in your promotional material.

Aside from the great exposure you can get from PR, its real beauty is that done correctly, it doesn’t have to cost you a cent. And what’s more, as long as you follow a few simple guidelines just about ANY BUSINESS – big or small – can take advantage of the world’s best free advertising!

John Logar helps organisations achieve more than they thought possible through consulting, coaching, keynote presentations, seminars and training in the areas of leadership, values, team performance, marketing and risk management. John has addressed and consulted to over 1,000 organisations in commerce, government and not-for-profit. For FREE sales and marketing resources and downloads go to this Source
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Watching the news – and media storm – unfold about Republican VP Nominee Sarah Palin’s pregnant 17-year-old daughter brings to mind an underlying premise about effective public relations – no surprises, please.

A PR person’s worst nightmare is finding out as the news breaks that a client has been less than forthcoming. You are then forced to play a game of catch-up and backtracking, which can destroy your credibility. This applies to both public figures and organizations.

In today’s electronic world, anyone with access to the Internet can become an investigative reporter and widely distribute information within seconds. So, if you’ve got something you’re not keen to release keep in mind that someone, somewhere is likely going to find out. If that happens you’re boxed into a reactive fire-fighting mode instead of controlling the content.

The bottom line is you want to be the manager of your message. Give your PR people the ability to do so by following these basic PR tenets.

Tell PR staff the truth early and often.

This allows your team to strategize about what information should be released when. You have the advantage of controlling the message rather than reacting once the information has already leaked. It’s more advantageous to be forthcoming and candid rather than respond to the “did you know about this?” line of questions.

Share corporate developments with your public relations counsel, even if it seems insignificant to you.

Lost funding for a project? Had to stop construction due to permit issues? Maybe it’s all in a day’s work to you, but if it affects employees, contractors, traffic flow or investors, it may be newsworthy after all. At the very least, key stakeholders should hear developments – good or bad – from you first, not read about it in the newspaper or on a blog.

Remember that most people are willing to forgive a mistake or error in judgment if you’re honest about it.

You may think a personal misstep or corporate misdeed is unrecoverable, but people understand we’re all human and make mistakes. Seek advice from your trusted advisors and be sure to include your PR pro. Get your message out and stick to the facts; apologize if appropriate. Remember that sometimes the news isn’t about the mistake itself (extra-marital affair, illegitimate child, insider trading, etc.) but the fact that a person lied about it.

Many people refer to PR professionals as “spin doctors.” Call it what you want, but our goal is to help clients put their best foot forward even in the worst of times.

Karen Preiss Miller is a partner in JKP Group, a marketing communications consulting company. For more tips, visit this site

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One of the best ways that you can promote and get word out about your business is to start writing some press releases. They can provide a type of promotion that is hard to find anywhere else, and they are proven to not only help get the word out, but they bring in traffic and also can enhance your rankings within the search engines as well. Of course it is important to understand what they are, how they work, when to use them, and of course how to write one as well.

Understand What Press Releases Are

The first thing you need to do is get a good grasp on what press releases are today. Many people make the mistake of thinking that they are just like an article. Articles are very different and they are written about areas of interest that are in some way related to your business.

However, a press release is a piece of writing that is written about a newsworthy achievement or announcement from your business. Press releases talk about what you’ve done, what you’re going to do, and things like new websites, new blogs, free products you’re offering, conventions you’re sponsoring, or the fact you just had your 10,000th client.

Know When to Use Them

It is also imperative that you know when to use press releases to get the word out about your business as well. You should work to use them as often as you can; keeping about one press release going out a month is a good rule of thumb. This will keep your business in the public eye and will notify people about your successes and achievements. Just make sure that you choose something to write about that is news-worthy or your press releases will probably be rejected.

Tips for Writing a Press Release for Your Business

Wondering how to write a press release for your business that will really have great results? Here are a few tips that can be a huge help to you.

- Tip #1 – Include Important Information – First of all, it is important that you include the important information in the press release. You should include the who, what, when, why, and how in the release.

- Tip #2 – Make the Headline a Winner – The headline of your press release has to be a winner. If you can’t grab the attention of the reader with the headline, they may not go on to read the rest of the release. So, work hard to come up with a headline that will grab their attention quickly.

- Tip #3 – This is Not a Sales Letter – Remember that a press release is not a sales letter. This is not the time to use persuasive and sales terms within the text. It should be written like a news article, with the facts and a perspective that is not partial.

- Tip #4 – Only Include Facts – Only the facts should be included in your press release. Avoid hype or including anything that is not absolutely true.

- Tip #5 – Provide Your Contact Information – Last of all, it is so important that you include your pertinent contact information. The press release will be no good if you don’t have the contact information filled out. Include a web address, email address, and if you want to, a phone number and mailing address as well.

Chris Simpson is dedicated to helping people find honest and legitimate work at home and home based business opportunities. Find legitimate home based work today here

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Technology offers an abundance of connection paths for current day business. You’d be shocked and surprised to know the whole spectrum of media enhanced exposure opportunities currently available. The effects of using all of these options would overwhelm your business and your market. Media exposure can enhance your branding efforts, offering incredible resources for your company. Use them carefully to protect your customers.

Among all of the ways to get free and instant publicity for your site, product, or project, press releases have to be one of the most effective methods. Press releases have been used for decades by anyone hoping to gain attention for whatever they have done, or are planning to do. This method of advertising, and it really is an advertisement, gets your message out to the entire subscribed readership of whatever publisher decides to print your press release. Let’s look at how you can submit a press release to reap the rewards of this great tool.

First, and foremost, you must write the press release. It should be well-written and include the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your sale, opening, or whatever else you’d be announcing. The writing should be clear and to the point, effectively using proper grammar. All words should be checked for spelling. The last thing you want is to put out shoddy work that won’t make it past the desk of it’s recipient. The publisher has total choice in whether or not to publish your press release, so you’re going to have to sell him or her on it. If you don’t feel that you have the ability to write an effective press release, consider having someone else write it for you. Sure, you may have to pay a fee for the service, but the rewards of a good press release make it well worth whatever you might have to pay.

Once you have the press release written, you will need to know where to send it. To do this you will have to compile the contact information of all the publishers you will want the release to go to. The most efficient way for you to do this is with an online search. Most everyone these days has a website for their business, and publishers of news and other writing are no exception. So get that list together, and send the release to each of them in the format they require. Bear in mind that you may have to alter the document several times to meet the requirements of individual publishers.

You may be contacted about the press release. If you are, answer their questions politely and thoroughly. They may be looking for a little more than what you put in the release, so it is to your advantage to be available for their questions. Once they have everything they need, they will publish your press release and potentially millions of readers all over the world will know about what your company is doing. What better, more instant way can you think of to do all that?

Ted Jones is 19 yr. Old Ex college student who has consistently been averaging thousands per day with the #1 fastest growing internet marketing business on the net. Nobody can do what I can do, Posting 1000 Ads on craigslist everyday is easy when you know how. Let me show you how to get 200-400 Opt-ins per day no matter what program your in.

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After achieving relative success with space ads, Mike Somonic decided to try direct mail. Here is what he says…

“I invested $600 and made $7,000. I was in business. Once I had placed a few more ads, I realized that getting 700 orders from a junior page ad in a tabloid with a circulation of 200,000 is just outstanding. It’s just outrageous. Although I’ve done pretty well, I’ve not been able to duplicate those numbers since. It’s just one of those freaky things.”

So like Mike, what happens when the orders start coming in? How can you calculate the number of orders you’re going to get? This is what you can expect: If it’s a weekly, you’re going to get probably 75% of your total gross revenue in the first two weeks. It depends if you’ve got a phone line in there or not. Mike’s first ad did not have a phone.

You need a call to action in your advertisement and you need a guarantee. Mike always includes a lifetime guarantee. This will let you advertise honestly and if people don’t like the product, they send it back. Mike states in all his ads that there’s a lifetime guarantee.

Years ago it probably wasn’t a lifetime, but it was pretty far out there, maybe six months or something. But, yes, you’ve got to have a good, strong guarantee otherwise people are just too hip today.

If they get one sniff that you’re trying to con them or sell them something with the untruth involved, you’re going to be dead in the water.

Don’t waste your money. You have to be completely honest and really give value for the money, and really pile on the free bonuses.

If Mike can do it, you can do it. You can self publish and rake in the cash with these tips. Just do it.

Michael Senoff is a sought-after Internet marketer, interviewer and business coach with more than 50,000 students on four continents. For a limited time he is giving away free over 120 hours of in-depth audio interviews with some of the richest and most successful marketers, copywriters and business experts in the world at his famous website.

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Tags: public relations, agency, ads, publish, publicity

Many publicity do-it-yourselfers believe that a great press release is the key to getting media coverage. They make the mistake of sending their press release to a handful of non-specific emails or fax machines and think that magically their story will appear on the front page of the morning paper.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

No matter how compelling your press releases; no matter how well you come across on air thanks to good media training; no matter how thorough your media list, your PR efforts will not be effective in the long run if you do not have good media relationships!

What’s the benefit of building relationships with journalists, producers, bookers and on-air talent? Well, there are many. As you develop a reputation for promoting compelling, fresh, thought-provoking, controversial or entertaining news ideas, reporters and producers will look forward to receiving your press releases and willingly take your pitch calls. If your track record is good, they’ll even add you to their rolodex.

You want the media to see you as a partner who understands news and knows how to help them fill their news cycle. By doing this, you not only gain media access, you also gain their respect.
This is not something that happens overnight but it can be done in a fairly reasonable amount of time by doing a few simple things:

:: Only send press releases on stories that are truly newsworthy. Ask yourself: “how does my event, press conference or story idea impact the broader community?” What problem does my announcement help solve for all? What overall need does my announcement fulfill?

:: Think in pictures and video. How visually appealing is your story? If a camera crew came out to cover it, would they be able to get great photos and footage?

:: When appropriate, offer a reporter exclusivity on major stories, breaking news, special interviews or other opportunities. He or she will appreciate that they are the only ones covering the story, especially if it’s a really big one.

:: Even when you’re not pitching stories or distributing press releases, send reporters who do exceptional work personal notes to sincerely compliment them. Remember, media professionals (though they may seem intimidating at times) are human and naturally, they are more likely to recall the nice note you sent about the story they worked so hard on if you go to them later to pitch a story.

Likewise, if you see something you take exception to, write a letter to the editor and use it as an opportunity to offer a different perspective. Often times these letters wind up on the editorial pages of newspapers-thus another publicity opportunity!

:: Always Remember:
If you do get publicity for your event or cause, always follow up with a written thank you. Your card or letter might also recommend other topics, guests or story ideas to that reporter. I always made a mental note of those who sent notes of thanks after I featured them on my show. This showed me that they really appreciated the experience and I always looked for opportunities to invite them back.

These are just a few suggestions on building rapport with the media. Begin applying these strategies immediately and in no time, you’ll see significant results in all your PR efforts.

Monique Caradine is a Chicago-based broadcast media professional and President of Momentum Media Group, Inc. A former radio host and currently the host of “Perspective,” a community affairs TV program, her specialties include program development, media training and publicity consulting. Monique also writes a blog and hosts a podcast on how to get publicity. Her e-book entitled “Successful Media Relations Strategies” is a must have for beginner publicity seekers. Download two free chapters of the book instantly when you sign up at this site

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Tags: media, publicity, social, internet, marketing

When organising corporate presentations for large audiences or hospitality events for the product launches at outdoor shows, it is essential to make the right impression.

You want to make sure that your guests and prospective clients feel welcome, comfortable and that they are visually impressed by the way you have presented your company. They will be expecting a high standard of both your choice of venue and the way in which you organise your corporate event.

Corporate Event Marquees

Marquee hire is an excellent solution for both corporate events and hospitality events alike, as temporary exhibition structure. They offer the professional look you require in terms of creating the right impression or ‘wow’ factor to new and existing clients. By being relatively large structures, marquees help to portray your company as a much large organisation than it actually is.

Advantages of Corporate Marquee Hire

The benefit of being able to style and layout your corporate event in the way that you want to, rather than being confined to a certain shape or space, is key to the popularity and success of marquee hire. If you run out of space, you can always attach a second or third marquee to your main tent. You could even hold separate parts of your event in individual marquees on the same plot of land, depending upon available space obviously.

Most large corporate events do just this, choosing to hire a large marquee for the main event and additional, smaller marquees for catering and bar areas.

Expandability is a clear advantage that marquees have over most corporate event venues and exhibition centres. Most indoor venues are fixed in what they can offer in terms of more space or different shaped arenas, simply by the shape and size of the building they are in. They are unable to compete with the expandability of marquee hire.

Individual Corporate Events

Marquees have the added benefit of offering corporate event organisers a flexible internal area to decorate and furnish. With modern marquee design, internal support structures are no longer necessary, so the entire indoor area is available for customisation. Though some other indoor event venues are able to offer this, marquees have the added advantage of usually being located on open ground.

Being located on ground level, allows marquees to accommodate large pre-build exhibition stands, heavy objects such as audio/visual and recording equipment and promotional vehicles such as cars & caravans. Even hospitality porter cabins and catering service vehicles can easily be incorporated into your event inside your marquee, which cuts down setup times and costs.

With such large customisable interiors, marquees are an ideal venue solution for companies who are organising corporate events which need to be individual and personalised. A marquee can be easily transformed from a otherwise ordinary tent into a visually appealing venue, with drapes, atmospheric lighting, stage sets and multimedia screens.

As marquees are such big structures, the interior space allows lighting rigs and video camera scaffold to be setup. This is great if you require your corporate event to be broadcast on television or streamed over the internet.

Total Corporate Event Management

Many marquee hire companies nowadays offer a tailor made corporate event planning and management service as well as hiring marquees. With some offering corporate event decor design and furniture rental and even catering and mobile bar services.

Additionally with the increase in the popularity of the internet, particularly within the business world, wireless internet access, audio/visual presentation equipment and staging structures are also sometimes offered by marquee hire companies to complete your corporate event.

Nationwide professionally run marquee hire companies offering marquee hire, corporate event planning advice and marquee furniture. Easily search for corporate event marquees across the UK.

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Tags: corporate, communications, publicity, public, relations

With the rapid pace of change and the frantic growth of new technologies, it is time, once again, to realize the importance of slowing down to think about what works. To think strategically.

It is time for organizations to get back to basics. It is time for developing simple strategies and sticking to them. It is time to remember what is known about human behavior and how to change it. It is time to stop doing what everyone else does and do what gets results.

Nearly 18 years ago I opened my own business to specialize in face-to-face communication. I decided to stop doing many of the commonly used print forms of communication. Why? My work in public relations with three global corporations and a state government agency had convinced me that it was my relationship building techniques and face-to-face communication activities that were getting the desired results – and quickly.

There is ample evidence of the frequent failure of print communication:

* Research shows that only seven percent of people get information about what is going on at school by reading school newsletters.
* A TARP study (Technical Assistance Research Programs) found fewer than 15 percent of employees read employee magazines and newsletters.
* An internal communication study by a large West Coast employer discovered only four percent of top managers in the company read a three-page corporate memo.

Print communication fails because it is not communication. It is sending messages. It is one way. It does have a role in public relations and that role is to support what works: face-to-face communication and word-of-mouth using opinion leaders. There is abundant evidence demonstrating the significance of word-of- mouth and the success of face-to-face communication:

* Dialogue is typically credited as a key element in successful corporate turnarounds. Navistar CEO John Horne said openness and face-to-face meetings played key roles in the company’s success.
* My own research and that of many others show that employees want information one-on-one from their supervisors or in small group meetings. Large organizations often find two-way meetings broadcast by satellite get results, too.
* Research says 70 percent of people get information about their schools word-of mouth. (Unfortunately, the number one information source is students.)
* At Hewlett-Packard, managers are expected to walk around and find out what is going on by talking to people. The open door policy is not just symbolic, there are no doors on offices. At monthly all-hands meetings, general managers tell their staffs details about business results.
* When Dow Corning announced it was considering Chapter 11 protection during the breast implant crisis, it used face-to-face meetings with employees to build trust. Key executives and middle managers were trained to provide information in small groups and answer questions. One result: turnover was below industry averages.

Here’s another example. I recently helped a natural gas pipeline company in Michigan build trust with a fearful public and quickly resolve a problem of vocal opposition to startup of a new pipeline. Natural gas produced from wells in the area includes hydrogen sulfide, a poisonous gas. Some residents feared a pipeline leak would endanger them. The public was unaware that pipeline safety design features far exceeded legal requirements for protection. Nor were they aware of extensive emergency response plans in case of a leak. Neither the company nor the public were listening to each other.

A face-to-face program was begun to build trust with leaders of the most vocal opposition group. Within two weeks of talking and listening to each other, the group reversed its opposition tactics and talked about the company with respect, demonstrating the power of personalized PR.

Randy Nickerson, general manager of the parent company MarkWest Michigan, said, “This program showed me we must do more than build pipelines. We also have to build relationships.”

Use behavioral science research for guidance

Few people are aware of the thousands of diffusion studies that describe how people behave in adopting new ideas. The majority of people change not because of something they read, but because someone they know and trust says it’s a good idea. Mass media is impersonal and creates only awareness and knowledge. It takes personal interaction and dialogue to cause people to go beyond awareness and actually change their ideas and behaviors.

Regrettably, while these studies have been around for more than six decades, they are known to relatively few public relations professionals. Those who are knowledgeable use what has been learned from behavioral research studies to develop public relations strategies that get results.

What we know from diffusion studies around the world is compelling. Whether we seek to get farmers to use hybrid agricultural products, or school superintendents to use educational innovations, or doctors to use new wonder drugs or third world villagers to use birth control devices, publicity doesn’t get the job done. What works is word-of-mouth.

More specifically, it is word-of-mouth that begins with influentials in the group. A little more than 10 percent of any group are opinion leaders who influence two-thirds of the rest of the group to believe and act as they do. When you identify and build relationships with opinion leaders, your messages get delivered by leaders who are trusted and believed.

A school superintendent in Oklahoma talks to two opinion leaders on his staff when he wants information and opinions from employees. He says what he is thinking to a specific custodian and a teacher. The word gets out quickly. Soon his phone begins to ring with staff people telling him what they think about what they heard.

Using opinion leaders can cause remarkable change in an organization. One company wanted to reduce its healthcare costs, the fastest increasing cost of doing business. Employees paid nothing for their healthcare benefits. The company was turned down flat when it asked its union to agree to have employees pay a small percent of the cost.

A strategy using opinion leaders was created. About 25 union and non-union employees were invited to participate in meetings to talk about corporate issues. A year later, the union volunteered to have its members pay a portion of healthcare costs. That’s an example of the power opinion leaders have to create change within a group.

Behavioral scientists and consultants also have a rich history, not widely known, of successful interventions to change organizations relatively quickly. The process involves face-to-face communication working with large groups. In today’s high-speed world, leaders in organizations need results now, not six months from now.

Meaningful change comes from getting people throughout the organization involved in identifying problems, then creating action plans that will get the desired results. Involvement creates commitment. Organizations who have used this approach include Ford, Boeing, Corning, Chrysler, Marriott, EDS, plus schools and government. But that’s a story for another day.

Tactics for the face-to-face strategyThere are a number of tactics you can begin to use to develop more successful public relations results using face-to-face communication.

1. Use more two-way communication tactics

When creating tactics for public relations programs, ask about each one: “Is this two-way?” If it is not, you may want to rethink the program idea. Or plan so that one-way information tactics support and reinforce a two-way tactic. For instance, get the word out to employees or specific external audiences face-to-face in small groups or one-on-one, then support the messages and answers to questions with print media.

2. Teach leaders to listen

Leaders need help to learn the most important interpersonal communication skill – active listening. Even passive listening would be a good start. Listening is a very effective problem-solving skill. When I talk to people in organizations, they typically have excellent ideas to solve problems. When I recommend they tell their bosses their ideas, they often reply: “They never listen.” Or: “Nothing ever happens when I make suggestions.” No wonder people keep their good ideas to themselves!

3. No more speeches

Encourage executives to stop reading boring speeches and simply talk to people with brief key messages and stories that bring their ideas to life in a meaningful and memorable way.

4. Help supervisors to take a more active role in spreading the word

Supervisors cannot be the message bearers when they don’t know the message. Make sure they are kept up-to-date on the important stuff employees want to know, as well as the information they should know. You also need to work with supervisors to help them learn specifically how to deliver key corporate messages effectively when talking with their employees.

5. Identify opinion leaders and build relationships with them

Who are the top three audiences your organization needs to be supportive? Identify them and then find out who the most influential members are. Those are the people you need to get to know, feed information to and listen to.

6. Create a speakers bureau

I have taught thousands of people how to stand up and talk to others in an interesting and credible way. While at the Michigan Department of Transportation, we had employee volunteers delivering about 500 speeches annually to groups throughout the state. It is a fine way to reach many influential opinion leaders at once.

In our high-speed world, it is essential that we become more effective. For most of us, that means doing something different. Once you start using face-to-face techniques and seeing the results you get, it will encourage more use of two-way communication tactics. Face-to-face works. Make it your foundation strategy. Use dialogue and relationship building first, print communication later.

Jack Pyle, Fellow, Public Relations Society of America, is president and janitor of Face-to-Face Matters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is a communication consultant and provides leadership communication training to corporate, government and nonprofit managers. He speaks frequently at state, national and international conferences. Book Jack, an energetic and informative speaker for your next event or get more ‘Tips for Action-Oriented Leaders’ by visiting his site

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Tags: corporate, communications, publicity, public, relations

1 – If you want to get noticed by editors, take some time to read back issues of their publications so that you have an idea of the kind of stories they cover.. And, from time to time, help out an editor with their work by suggesting story ideas that does not involve you but would be of great interest to their target audience.

If you can’t afford a public relations agency, you can take on the role of spokesperson on behalf of your company. Though working with the media can seem intimidating, journalists need you as much as you need them. Reporters want to be the first to profile new products, trends or report news, and are continually looking for new ways in which to cover their “beat,” or area of expertise.

Following are some helpful things you can do to ensure a positive interaction:

-Keep it simple: You may only get ten seconds to explain why you’re calling – learn to make the most of each second by delivering a concise, newsworthy pitch.

-Have credibility: Provide accurate information. It’s best to say you don’t know the answer to something, but will find out for them – then do so in a timely manner.

-Know your journalist and outlet: Read the publications and watch the shows you pitch so that you can offer appropriate stories. And if you learn personal information about a journalist, make a note for the future – many will appreciate you asking how their vacation was or how their son is enjoying college.

-Embrace the offbeat: Journalists are always looking for new ways in which to cover an old topic – use creativity to make your company or product worthy of the spotlight.

Once you engage the reporter’s interest, flexibility and responsiveness to their requests will help your cause. The nature of the news business often means that interviews may occur at an inconvenient time – you may have other meetings or the broadcast producer may ask you to go out to a location at a moment’s notice. Though you may feel that the media should play to your schedule, ultimately you will get the best possible coverage if you are able to work with the reporter and his/her timeline. While it may be an inconvenience in the moment, the long-term benefits are immeasurable.

The important thing to remember is that a successful news story pitch may not always happen overnight. But sometimes it does! Developing strong relationships with reporters that are critical to your business is key.

Visit here for more resources on how to handle your do-it-yourself publicity campaigns. Regina Novickis is co-founder of Media Tonic and Publicity411.com. A seasoned public relations executive with more than twelve years of experience managing brand positioning, public relations and media relations efforts on behalf of consumer/entertainment clients, she has secured coverage for clients in every genre of national press ranging from USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Time and Newsweek, to Self, Marie Claire, GQ and Maxim, to “Entertainment Tonight,” “The View” and NBC’s “Today” show.

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Tags: publicity, media, bugdet, public relations, press

A properly written, targeted press release can be one of the most potent marketing tools available to you. By following the steps in this article, your press release has a much better chance of being accepted than the rest. In fact, this method should put you ahead of about 99% of all the other press releases submitted – provided it is timely and proper for the venue you submitted it to.

Press Releases is one of those things that can take on a life of its own. The right press release can generate tremendous exposure, opportunity and yes…profits. The real trick to writing a press release is to have something newsworthy to write about. This often takes creativity, inspiration, and a bit of innovation. Here are 10 ideas to get the brainstorming wheels spinning.

Calendar events. Events are a great way to get your business in the headlines. Whether you host a seminar or conference or you are sponsoring a local team events are newsworthy. To emphasize the newsworthiness of the event be sure to point out who it helps or how it solves a problem. For example a seminar on how to sell your home in a down economy benefits the very large For Sale by Owner segment in the United States. Sponsoring a local race to raise money for diabetes benefits those fighting diabetes.

Letter to editors can be a tremendous way to get the ball rolling or get attention for issues that are important to your business and your industry. As a business owner, when you take steps to bring issues to the forefront it demonstrates your passion for your field and your customers. It also demonstrates that you are a take charge, action oriented business. The letter itself can be used to generate a press release stating a businesses involvement or solution to an industry problem.

Problem-solving Tips articles. A press release that demonstrates how to resolve a common problem can be a great way to generate interest in your company’s products or services. For example, a pet store can write a press release about ten tips to house train your new puppy. The release can be made relevant and newsworthy by simply stating a statistic related to house training dogs, like 1 in 10 new puppy owners gives up their puppy due to house training problems. A statistic helps make the content newsworthy while the remainder of the article helps to make the content useful to consumers.

Local human interest story. Human interest stories, as they relate to your business, are a great way to generate publicity and press. Think about how many human interest stories make it to your local news. Both the morning and the evening news often highlight local businesses and how they’re benefiting the community. What is unique about your business, your customers, and your staff?

Query letters help generate press and publicity by getting your prospects, customers, and industry involved in a topic or an issue. Stick with topics that are current and you’re sure to generate some water cooler chatter.

Opinion editorials. Often times stirring the pot can bring about some pretty interesting press. While that old adage all publicity is good publicity may be true, it is important to not offend your core customers. So while generating some controversy is good for publicity careful consideration must be taken before giving an opinion that may offend your most profitable customers.

People advancements are a great way to showcase your company’s expertise. Anytime a staff member has a promotion, won an award, or contributed to the community or industry in some way, it’s time to generate a press release. Showcasing your staff’s expertise is a great way to build credibility for your business.

Small feature stories are another excellent tool to demonstrate the knowledge and expertise your company has to offer. For example, a software developer could write a story showcasing how their software helped a local business owner or non-profit become a leading force in their industry.

New products, services, book. This type of information is generally what stimulates a company to issue a press release however the release of a product or introduction of a new service in and of itself isn’t newsworthy. In order to make sure your press release gets the attention it deserves be sure to tie it to a problem or issue that needs to be resolved and then show how your product or service solves the problem.

Large feature stories. Feature stories, large or small, are designed to take a look at a subject in depth. An example of a large feature story might be how retailers can take advantage of impulse shopping. The article could highlight several retailers and their philosophy or approach to impulse shoppers, how to maximize it, and then highlight a few products that make great impulse shopping items in a gift shop.

Press and publicity is a great way to keep your business fresh in the minds of prospects and to reach new prospects around the world. A little creativity and innovation can go a long way toward generating very profitable press.

Robert Moment is an innovative sought-after small business and marketing coach and author of Invisible Profits:The Power of Exceptional Customer Service. Robert specializes in teaching entrepreneurs and small business owners how to start a business that profits and grow. Visit this site and sign-up for the FREE 7 day e-course Turn Your Passion into Profits: Small Business Startup.

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Tags: pr, publicity, firm, public, relations

Unfortunately, it is still not always easy to decide how to put together a press release. For the most part, you will need to answer some basic questions, and combine with that with newsworthy content that is of human interest. While that may sound simple, consider you will also have to accomplish all of those goals in one page or less. Aside from that, if you have looked for advice on how to put together a press release, you may have come across some conflicting information.

As an example, as you decide how to put together a press release, you may have an especially difficult time determining what will satisfy the human interest element. In modern times, brutality, corruption, disease, and all kinds of horrors have become a matter of course. Therefore, even if you want to write about a cancer survivor starting a special business, it will not capture much interest.

Unfortunately, as people experience job loss, mortgage foreclosure, and other problems, their ability to empathize with a business person will become drastically reduced. Therefore, as a person learning how to put together a press release, you might want to look for something uplifting to use as your human interest element. That said, it is also very important not to turn your press release into a sales pitch.

Aside from the actual content, you will also need to consider format as you learn how to put together a press release. Typically, each publication has very specific guidelines. This may even include mundane things like placing contact information at the top of the page instead of the bottom. Still other publications may want you to repeat this information within the body of the press release. While this may not make much sense, consider that a publication’s readers are used to seeing information in specific places. If it is absent or improperly formated, they will not be impressed with your press release.

Next, it is also very important to consider voice and tone. While you may like to write in the passive voice, it is the absolute bane of journalism. When writing about something that is news worthy, the journalist is looking to convey action and excitement. As you learn how to put together a press release, you will need to get rid of word endings that slow down a reader, as well as words that do not convey meaning. Ideally, your audience should feel invigorated and motivated after reading your press release.

Unfortunately, slang, and other habitual word uses can easily give your press release an unprofessional look. While you may think these phrases are comical, they only convey a lack of creativity to your reader. Even if you have a personal affinity for a particular style of writing, or inappropriate words, as a professional, it is necessary to leave those things aside when learning how to put together a press release.

As you consider how to put together a press release, it is imperative to consider how the number of different publications you want to distribute it to. Today, there are thousands of submission formats. Most people find it worthwhile to invest in software that manages the distribution for them. In many cases, these programs will take your materials and parse them into the correct format.

For the most part, learning how to put together a press release requires attention to detail. While it is not especially complicated, even a minor fault can stand out and draw unnecessary attention. That said, a little bit of time spent now learning how to put together a press release can bring in immense rewards later on.

Rod C. Beckwith, co-creator of the Press Equalizer software, has made hundreds of media contacts and distributed thousands of press releases online. If you need to distribute press releases online, then check out his software package.

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Tags: corporate, communications, publicity, public, relations

A lot of avenues open up when you have set your mind on doing a publicity or a marketing campaign. It leaves you with plenty of choices but it leaves you plenty of questions as well. Decisions to make can include who will be seeing your campaign, where you need to put up them up, and the like. Sometimes, you’re flooded with decisions that even choosing whether to go with a New York or a Los Angeles online printing company might be confusing.

Focus on the most and pressing things you need for your publicity. If you need prints, then ask the right questions that would help you maximize that media.

Publicity through Prints

Building up the necessary buzz is as important as the media you have chosen. If you had a target group of a mature audience, then it is probably best to print brochures than posters, since they would be more concerned on what they are spending their money on.

In this esteem, it is necessary to know your purposes well, the strength of each media, the nature of your business, the activity and the information you want to send out and more.

Use these following tips and information to give you the publicity you need for your business, commercial events and other exploits.

1. Building up some buzz is a work that starts long before the opening or launch.
Have your posters and banners printed and mounted at least a week in advance. It gives you the ability to strategize and aim for high-traffic areas. It should be visible enough to bystanders who pass the area routinely to pique their interests. Make the posters lively and the banners impossible to miss.

2. Always have enough flyers and coupons to give away.
The goal for the first few days is to create substantial activity to create the ripple effect. Motivate and encourage your target audience and even prospective clients into buying your products, visiting your store and sampling your wares.

At this point, your image and your promotion is largely built on your concepts and your posters or media, and so it is best to push the envelope further and give your clients adequate motivation. Give them information, attract their attention and have them test your goods through flyers. The coupons are the added push they need to sample your goods.

3. If you are selling premium items that require certain knowledge on the part of the consumers, you can distribute brochures ahead via direct mail marketing. This way, you’re customers will be curious to try and see the difference between your brands against others.

4. Give away newsletters that feature your store, your goods and eve your activities.
Pack it with plenty of how-to tips related to your business or products. It can contain simple ideas on using or maximizing your products and a step-by-step test to follow to check the quality of a certain item. This way, you can establish your business better within a created community, educate your demographic, and enhance your overall relationship with your clients.s

5. An event is not an event without prints.
Print invitations, trade show posters, business cards, and additional calendars as giveaways. Complement your activity with prints that would promote your events and invite in your clients. Motivate them to take part of the free samples, tune in to product demonstrations, and listen to short lectures or workshops.

6. Send your Press Release Kits to the local media group, the newspapers, radio, and even TV stations. Complete a detailed and interesting press kit that would motivate such media groups. Complete it with business cards, catalogs, flyers, and such. If any one of them picks up on your story, then you get free publicity.

Embark on your print projects using these information and whether you would print with a New York, Detroit or Los Angeles online printing – you know that you have the most important questions answered.

Joel Owens loves to read and talk anything under the sun. From current events, magazines, social life, metro lifestyles, traveling etc. Not a born writer but experience could make a difference. He also loves to eat especially travel in different places. Going to beaches and mountains really completes his life.

For more inquiries kindly visit Online Printing Los Angeles

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Tags: publicity, public, relations, media, company