Press Releases… News Distribution

Have you got a new product or invented a new service?

Whatever you want to tell the world about, a press release is a vehicle for doing it… effectively and efficiently.

Press releases can be used for announcing new product launches, new services, the appointment of new staff, new business mergers, business acquisitions, business expansion and just about anything else that might be newsworthy and of interest to the reader.

Press releases are used for the dissemination of both offline and online news and there is very often a crossover within the two media channels. However, for the purpose of this article, I will be referring to online press releases, which are much easier to get out there than their offline counterparts.

There was a time when an individual or company simply put out a press release announcing “news”. Then it became apparent, from the publicity that was generated, that a press release was a good way of attracting attention to an event, product launch or some major change. Nowadays we all know that a press release is a great way of getting people to your website to find out more about what you do and what you offer.

It has become a great marketing tool, yet surprisingly very few businesses make full use of this readily available media outlet. Personally, I send out a press release about once a week. I’ll even make up news if I have to. The reason I do this is not just because I like them, and not just because press releases do actually get read, but because they get ranked in the search engines… fast!

And I mean lightning fast! I can write and submit a press release at 9am and by 9.15am it’s all over the internet. Now that’s fast.

One of the best and certainly the most well-known press release submission sites is PR Web. With PR Web and many others, you can get your press release out there for free, albeit to a limited number of distributors. If you’re willing to pay from about £50 your press release will get much more exposure. If you want unlimited exposure it costs more, sometimes much more but in my opinion, it’s worth every penny.

In the UK and for UK related news and announcements I recommend www.DWPub.com (Darryl Willcox Publishing Ltd). Like other PR submission sites, they offer a range of services from limited distribution to priority distribution, and a range of fees to match. You know the saying… you get what you pay for.

Now the main point I want to make about writing press releases is if you want your PR to get picked up and go viral then you need to pay BIG, MUCHO attention to your headline. It must contain at least your main keyword and sound like a real news announcement. For example, if you run a small company and you want to announce the launch of a new domestic fuel saving product, then your headline should read something like, “Small Local Company Announces Domestic Fuel Saving Discovery”. The main keywords or keyword phrases are “Domestic Fuel”, “Fuel Saving” and the word “Discovery” adds to the intrigue.

The same format can be used to promote any type of product or service. Whenever you can, you should back up any claims with facts and figures. For example, “In recent tests, 86% of households reported they noticed a significant fall in their quarterly domestic fuel bills”. You could then add, “This equates to an average saving of £122 per household”.

Press releases can have an absolutely massive impact on your business, help you make more sales, get more clients, get more exposure, build your brand or just bring you right into the spotlight. They are very powerful and should form part of every businesses’ marketing strategy.

See my blog posting about press releases here: http://anglox.blogspot.co.uk/

If you would like me to write a press release for you or your company… contact me.