Press Releases for Traffic…Really?
I’ve been busy putting together my plan for 2010, and naturally, one the things to be worked on is traffic.
Traffic is one of those things that you should be continually working on throughout the entire year, but it’s so easy to start slacking in this area as you focus on other parts of your business, especially if the things you’ve already done are getting you traffic now.
But slacking can lead to stale traffic. For instance, that link in the resource box of the article you submitted just 4 months ago, is no longer pointing to the free report you offered at that time. So even if you’re still getting click-throughs from that article, it’ll be hard for you to convert those visitors if they can’t find what it is they went there for.
Besides, it makes good business sense to bring in fresh traffic on a regular basis, because really, there are only so many times you can sell something to your current list and readers. So make an effort to promote your website each month, even if you only have time to write and submit an article.
Part of my traffic plan for next year includes tapping into the power of press releases, even though I have no interest in being contacted by the media. And I think that’s what deters a lot of online business owners from submitting press releases – the media.
If you’re like me, you don’t really feel a need to promote your business to the offline world, and in some cases, your business may not be suitable. But that shouldn’t stop you from using press releases to obtain incoming links and traffic.
In fact, I recently wrote up a quick press release using the templates provided by All Press Content, submitted it to a few free places online, and I’ve seen a jump in traffic as a direct result.
Now, in the not so distance past, I’ve written many press releases from scratch for clients, and I’m perfectly capable of writing them for myself. But honestly, I have no desire to spend a lot of time fussing over one for the sake of getting links. If I was trying to attract the attention of the media, then of course, I would definitely take the time or hire an expert to help.
But if you want to crank out press releases frequently without the drudgery of writing, I highly recommend the templates from All Press Content (coupon code at the end of this post). The templates lay out the entire release for you, tell you what to write and where, and even offer suggestions for what to write. Using the template I was able to write my PR it in about 10 minutes tops, and start submitting it.
A few bucks and 10 minutes of my time generated a nice stream of traffic. So I can only imagine the results of doing this on a regular basis 
If you want to check out the templates, I talked Alice in to giving me a coupon code for 50% off. Here’s the info:
Go to: http://www.internetmarketingsweetie.com/pr-templates.html
Coupon Code: 65DBE
Expires: December 31, 2009
And don’t forget to share your own press release results with me!
About: Melissa Ingold
Melissa Ingold is the CEO of Internet Marketing Sweetie, and she is a full-time entrepreneur with over 8 years of experience working online. She has built a successful online business through information product marketing, affiliate marketing & management, membership sites, and content marketing. Read More About MelissaFreebies
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Rick Braddy
Nice article. I agree completely. However, one challenge is where to get the best incoming link value for a press release. The more established online press release houses (e.g., PRWeb) can easily cost you $450 per release or even more, depending on the various options.
The “free” press release services don’t seem to work that well from my experience.
So, is there a decent “budget” press release house or two you might recommend that won’t break the bank?
Thanks!
Rick
Melissa Ingold
Twitter: imsweetie
Hi Rick, I agree that it can cost a pretty penny for some PR services, and I personally don’t use them.
I tend to have pretty good luck going the free route. Have you tried testing different headlines?
However, there is one place that a lot of IM’ers use because it is low cost. http://www.webwire.com charges $19.95 for their distribution service. I’ve never used them myself, but I may look into using it in the new year
Michelle Howard
Twitter: reviyve
Aww this suck, I bought the product launch press release template before I read this so I didn’t get the coupon code
I pretty much suck at really being proactive with writing press releases. I have been procrastinating since early December. Well, I finally wrote one using the PR template I bought and submitted the release online to like 8 different sites…….all approved and posted.
thanks!
Melissa Ingold
Twitter: imsweetie
Aw, that’s a bummer Michelle, sorry!
I’m the same way when it comes to press releases, which is why I love those templates. It takes the hard work out of the writing