By Sweetie Staff

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We’ve added two more two tutorials on Press Releases & Publicity to the Training Center. But before we get into that, don’t forget that Alice, Mila & Shannon are offering a 40% off coupon on their Customizable Press Release Packs.

Coupon Code: A40CE
Expiry: April 16, 2008

Here are the new tutorial details:

Submitting Your Press Release to PRWeb: One of the foremost online news wires (remember, for best results also build your own distribution list and submit offline too), PRWeb can give your release extra online exposure and backlinks => PRWeb Submission Tutorial.

Building Your Distribution List with Media Post: If you’re looking for media contacts from various areas in TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, etc., MediaPost can be a useful tool => MediaPost Tutorial.

Last week, I passed on a Training Center Update that let you know that several press release tutorials had been added. It seems you hear a lot about writing press releases and how it’s a great way to get exposure for your business, but WHY?

Here are just three little thoughts why:

1. Exposure You Receive is Essentially an Endorsement for Your Business: You can buy all the ads you want and run successful campaigns, but when the media features or talks about your business it’s just like a real-live endorsement…and it’s free. Ads are looked upon with suspicion, but interestingly enough, generally people more willingly accept a message coming directly from the media.

2. Link Building: Aside from exposure, a well-crafted campaign also becomes a link building campaign. With online newswires, targeted websites that accept press releases and big online media outlets that might write about your website…there are many, many opportunities to build some serious links.

3. Coverage Leads to More Coverage: As your media exposure grows online and offline, it often leads to even more exposure. Your experience with the media makes you more attractive as an interview prospect. In addition, reporters conduct online research and if they see your name, they may just approach you all on their own (it’s really cool when this happens and how I ended up in this CNN article).

But what if you’re stumped or just don’t want to write your own releases? Hey, that’s understandable and you have plenty of options. You can hire a pricey press release writer or you can simply get a headstart with our press release template packs.

These packs were put together by Shannon Cherry, a PR specialist with over 15 years media experience…so you know they’re good stuff.

To make it even easier for you to get started, here’s a little Sweetie Perk. Enter coupon code: A40CE on the order page and you’ll receive 40% off as many press release packs you want to buy.

Coupon valid until: April 16, 2008.

By Sweetie Staff

Three more tutorials have been added to the Internet Based Family Training Center. This time, they are on the topic of writing and distributing press releases for added exposure for your business.

Check Them Out Here:

- How to Write a Press Release: This tutorial includes a sample and takes you through the process step-by-step.

- Distributing Your Press Release: How to build your media list for best results. The tutorial includes online research tools and more.

- Following-up with the Media: To get the best results, you have to follow-up. Here’s how to do it.

We will have more tutorials for you soon. Also, if you want more in-depth help with your press release campaign, Alice has a comprehensive press release course, made just for online and home business owners.

Press really is easy exposure for your business, but you’ve got to do it right in order to reap the benefits. Many people write a press release, submit it to PR Web or other online newswires and nothing happens. This leaves them wondering what went wrong.

Here are today’s 3 thoughts to help get the most from your press releases.

1. Submit your press release locally.
Just because your business is done online, doesn’t mean you should limit yourself to only online press. Local newspapers and television stations love to learn about businesses in there area - start there for quicker results. NOTE: My very first press release ever was accepted by my local TV station and in a few days I was on the 6 o’clock news. Pretty cool!

2. Submit to highly-targeted online publishers.
When you do publish your press release online, in addition to submitting to the online newswires, be sure to do your research and find sites that fit your target market and reach a decent-sized audience.

3. When you get press from a source be certain that you follow up.
Once a media source knows you and your business, they are more likely to want to include you in stories in the future. Stay in touch!

Yeah, you guess it…this topic is on my mind because of mine and Mila’s new project (along with the AWESOME Shannon Cherry) - All Press Content. Grab a press release template pack or two…and we’ll show you the right way to get the ball rolling!

Wait…Before You Eat That Turkey…

I know many of my readers are about to start their Thanksgiving holiday, but before you do…I wanted to give you something to get started on before you head off.

If you’re like most — err…all — online business owners, you probably want more traffic to your website and more customers.

Search engine rankings are getting tougher to achieve all the time. It’s no surprise with all the competition out there and it’s growing every day.

Pay-per-clicks require some start up cash and careful monitoring to ensure good conversions or you’re throwing your money down the drain.

Banner and text ads can be very costly and are hit and miss…but not impossible if you know what you’re doing.

Articles are decent, but with articles we often reach small-time publishers, so our traffic levels can surge…but we still want MORE!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not knocking any of the above methods. Of course not! We need to get traffic and leads from as many sources as possible. I’m just pointing out some of the frustrations we often encounter with various promotion methods.

Here’s something that a lot of online business don’t consider and that means a potential loss of tons of traffic.

I’m talking about gaining positive publicity through press releases.

Sure, some Internet Marketers are submitting mediocre press releases to the online newswires - but very few are taking it far enough to really get the exposure their businesses deserve.

Just imagine, charging up your local business because a story was written about you in the local paper.

Or wouldn’t it be great if an international national magazine writer sees your informative press release on dog training (just an example, of course) and contacts you for your expert opinion for an article she’s writing.

I know, I know…you might be saying that the task of writing a press release is daunting or you don’t want to shell out a bunch of cash for an unsure result.

I hear ya.

It’s true Press releases don’t come with any kind of results guarantee, but when you get the media’s attention (and it’s really not that hard), the benefits are immeasurable.

That’s why Mila and I have rounded up 15-year media & publicity veteran, Shannon Cherry, to make things ultra-simple for you AND most importantly extremely cost-effective (less than a cost of a banner ad or a few clicks on a pay-per-click campaign).

See what we’ve got cooking (nope, not a Turkey dinner…but definitely something yummy for your business) at

=> AllPressContent.com

Whether you are launching a new website, releasing a new product or participating in a fundraiser…there’s something there for you.

Just wanted to share some recent feedback I received about my free press release tips:

“Thanks to your tips, I got a “hit” on my first self written press release. I got an e-mail interview with a local newspaper. It is just what I needed to put wind in my sails! Thank you”
Kathy Danner
www.PBandJAHM.com

I love it when a plan comes together, don’t you? Congratulations Kathy and here’s to even more positive exposure for your business.

In case you’re still wondering why press releases are important to your business, here’s just a few perks:

- More Valuable Than Advertisements.
When people see or read a story in the news, they find them more believable than commercials or ads that they know are being paid for.

- Reach Specific Markets
With a press release you can easily tweak your releases to target different publications for various groups within your market.

- Backlinks for Online Businesses
When you create a press release for online submission, you can use your keywords so that when people search for those keywords they find your press release. Plus, online press releases are an opportunity for links back to your website.

- They Are FREE!
A press release costs you nothing and in return you can gain huge publicity for you & your business. As a small business, you can’t beat affordable.

As you might now, I do have a course, perfect for online entrepreneurs that helps them start their first press release campaign. If you haven’t seen it before, definitely check it out.

If you still feel daunted about writing your own press release from scratch and don’t want to shell out hundreds of dollars for a professionally written one, we have some time in store for you at All Private Label Content coming in September. Keep your eyes peeled and ensure you’re sign up for my blog updates so you’ll know when it’s available.

We all know Michel Fortin is a copywriting genius and if you don’t…just trust me the man knows what he’s talking about and a quick gander at his blog proves it.

Over at his blog, Michel posted awhile back about how press releases work, but only if done right. I couldn’t agree more.

A press release, or as Michel prefers to call them news releases, are only as good as the way they are written. Hence the reason he prefers the term news release. It has to be news not a blatant advertisement. If people want to see an ad, they can easily flip to the classified section of their newspaper or the yellow pages of their telephone book.

If you want the media to pick your release out of the hundreds of others it receives it must be newsworthy, grab their interest and the interest of their viewers/readers.

There are also specific guidelines that you must follow when submitting your releases and the quickest way to get yours landed in the editor or reporter’s trash can is to not abide by those guidelines.

To get tips for writing a press release that will make media outlets want to learn more about your business, check out Press Release Profits.

I just wanted to pop in quickly and remind you that today is the last day to get the Press Release Profits software I told you about last week at no extra charge. If you’re not already a student of Press Release Profits, this is the final day to sign up as one and get the software included for free.

Tomorrow the cost of the course will go up to reflect the added value of the software. So, while you’re thinking about it, jump on over and sign up now.

Sign Me Up, Please! Press Release Profits