Archive for the ‘Publicity & Press Releases’ Category

Another step on the road to work less and earn more.

This time, a decision needed to be made about my Press Release Profits course & software. With our renewed focus at Internet Marketing Sweetie, and elsewhere in my business, this course didn’t seem to quite fit in.

It was created because of my previous work as a press release writer and was one of our original courses offered to Mom Masterminds members. The course has had a great 5 year run, has been updated and our press release software was added a couple of years ago. In short, I think it’s a pretty darned good comprehensive guide to starting a press release campaign…

…but the course is not part of the Sweetie brand and not one of the areas we speak frequently about, so we’ll be saying good-bye.

If you’re looking for media exposure (online or offline), you’ll probably want to check it out before it disappears. It covers every aspect of putting together your press release campaign. From generating ideas for press releases, putting them together, distributing them and more. It even comes with handy software to guide you through the press release creation process.

The course & software goes off the market after Friday, August 14…so now’s the time to grab yours, if you haven’t
already. After that date, it will be gone.

Get the full details here…and take advantage of deep discount to celebrate Press Release Profits’ great 5-year run.

Here’s to more focus for me…and great media exposure for you!

I don’t know if it’s the emergence of the “new media” or what. Or maybe people finally realizing the power of press releases, but I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately on that very topic.

Now, I can’t possibly go through each and every question (my baby and my 2 boys would be REALLY annoyed that I’m cutting into Mommy Time), but I can tell you that I have a tutorial that answers a LOT of your questions about starting a press release campaign with YOUR marketing objective in mind.

In fact, this tutorial has been around for a long time…but I’ve just recently gone through it to ensure it’s up-to-date and ready for you to consume.

It’s delivered via email, so you have to sign up and you can do that by go ing here.

It covers:

• What a press releases are and why you need them.
• How to put the pieces of your release together.
• Making sure your press release is newsworthy.
• Where to send it.

…and a bunch of other stuff. Anyway, it’s here if you need it.

It’s that time again -> Sweetie Saturday Report Club Time!

To Report Club Members: If you’re a member, this brand new report is already in your account.

Not a Member Yet? If you’re not a member yet, info on signing up comes in a bit (plus a handy coupon to make it even more affordable). If you’re looking for BIG value in your Internet Marketing learning materials, you’ll definitely want to check this out.

Onto this month’s new stuff:

If you’ve been looking for free publicity for your business and want to bring more incoming links to your website, this guide will give a huge head start in starting your press release campaign.

Introducing: Weekly Press Release Planning Made Easy:52 Attention-Getting Press Release Ideas, Writing Tips, Templates & More…this is your guide to getting your press release campaign rolling and to keep it rolling for a long time to come.

• What a press release is and why distributing one is potentially more valuable than any advertising that you can buy.
• Ideas that brand new businesses can even take advantage of.
• Legitimately using stories and ideas already out there to create your own unique press releases.
• How your next press release campaign can grow your business and help your community at the same time.
• Using change in your business to your advantage in a press release campaign.
• Year-round ideas to help ensure you’re tapping into potential holiday exposure.
• Proper format for your press release – it actually still matters.
• Writing tips to ensure your release gets attention and keeps it’s newsworthy nature.
• Media kits: What are they, when you need one and what to put in yours.
• Templates for your press releases and your media kit.
• Quick suggestions for distributing your press release to traditional and online media.

The best thing is, a press release campaign can be started on any budget. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, you have the information and ideas you need to get it started. Or you can take the ideas and hire someone to write and/or distribute your releases for you.

At only 10 straight-to-the point pages (or listen to the audio if you prefer), you can read through and even finish writing your first press release today. There is absolutely no sense in reading all day, when you can be getting publicity instead.

Plus, you’ll receive this…

Members-Only Perk:

The monthly Essential Biz Notes supplement is a personal letter from me including a variety of strategies and recommendations for all aspects of your online business.

This month’s topic: This month’s topic: “”Forget about the Details: Put Your Focus on the Big Stuff”  ~ This month provides you with permission to drop a large part of the activities you do every day for your business and make more money doing it.

AND BRAND NEW for All Report Club Members

Stay Accountable & Learn More at the Club Members Only Discussion Forum

It’s one thing to get the information and tools you need to build and improve your online business, taking action is quite another. That’s why we’ve just opened up a brand new private club members discussion area. Each month, you’ll find new discussions about the monthly materials. You’ll also find opportunities to share your action plans and stay accountable to sticking with your goals.

Now, there are no more excuses for NOT taking action.

What to Do Next: And Get Your $5 Coupon Code

If you sign up before next Saturday, January 24, 2009 – you get $5 off your first month’s dues. Simply enter coupon code “5bucks” (no quotation marks) in the space provided on the order form.

Click here for full details on the Sweetie Saturday Report Club.

…or…

If you’ve already made up your mind, go directly to the sign up page.

You’ve probably heard people talk about how press releases are a great way to get publicity for your business. Online press releases build incoming links and publicity. Press release sent to traditional media can bring even more exposure and credibility to your business.

But if you haven’t started your first press release campaign yet, it may be because of these common obstacles:

• You aren’t sure how to get started and the task of writing your own press releases seems daunting.
• You’ve thought about hiring someone to do your press releases, but the hefty price tag has held you back.

Well neither is a good excuse anymore because you can have your press releases prepared by a 15-year publicity veteran for less than $5 per release. Yep, you read that right LESS than $5 per release. Plus, you’ll even get tips on distributing your release and making the most of your publicity.

You can find out more at AllPressContent.com

…and discover the easy way to start you next press release campaign.

When you think about attracting media coverage, you likely think of press releases and developing personal (yet professional) relationships with reporters, editors and producers. That’s as it should be, since these efforts are what yield the most significant results when it comes to actual leads and sales. However, there’s another way of raising awareness through local media that you should consider adding to the mix- letters to the editor.

Don’t get me wrong – getting your thoughts published through a letter to the editor isn’t going to have the same affect as getting covered in an article.

In a lot of ways writing a letter to the editor is not much different than commenting on a blog. Commenting on a blog doesn’t have the same impact as being mentioned and linked to in a blog post, but it still raises awareness and creates backlinks to your site. Letters to the editor raise awareness in a similar way. It gets your name out there in the community.

In some cases, only your name and location will be published. In others, your title and company name may be included. Even if only your name appears, it still builds recognition and can be counted as a marketing impression. Not only that it establishes you as a caring and concerned about community issues, which only adds to your credibility in business.

I wrote one to my local paper recently on a personal soapbox issue of mine. After it was published, several people I know commented that they’d read it.  That gave me an opportunity to expand upon the points I’d made in the letter. It didn’t directly impact sales, but it did raise awareness about my business and an issue near and dear to my heart.

All it cost was a few minutes of time to draft a quick email to the editor.

As a business owner interested in raising public awareness of your company, you should be scanning newspapers and magazines as part of your media plan anyway. As you do, be sure to note anything that catches your eye that you’re passionate enough about or have expertise on that you can comment on. It doesn’t necessarily have to be related to your business as long as you have something valuable to contribute to the conversation.

It’s best to stay away from hot topics that can be divisive. Politics is an area where you’ll want to tread very carefully, for example. You don’t want to offend prospective customers that don’t share your political viewpoints. Other than that – the field is pretty much wide open if you use common sense.

To increase your chances of seeing your name in print:

1. Keep it short

Letters to the editor are brief. Many publications limit them to 100-150 words. In some cases, editors will revise letters, but they may just pitch them if they go over.  Avoid the editor altering your words (or tossing your letter altogether) by adhering to the guidelines.

2. Eliminate guessing games

Don’t be coy about what you are responding to. help the editors connect your letter to their paper by mentioning the title of the article you are responding to and the date it was published.

3. Be constructive.

Don’t pick on a problem without offering a viable solution. After all, even if you aren’t responding to a topic that directly impacts your business you are still using this to establish your credibility and expertise. A straight complaint or angry diatribe isn’t likely to do either.

4. Enjoy the Experience

The chances of getting published every time you write a letter are slim, but the satisfaction of sharing an opinion on a topic you’re passionate about can be a reward in and of itself. Try and savor that feeling of empowerment you will get from experience.

You’re no doubt aware that one great technique to increase the newsworthiness of your press releases is to tie your business to a charitable organization or event. Editors and producers tend to be more willing to promote a worthy cause over straight business news in many cases, especially on a local level. There are a variety of viable options for pulling this off successfully from arranging for proceeds from sales in a specific time period to got to a specific fundraiser to hosting an awareness event to offering to be a spokesperson for a non-profit group.

Here are a few guidelines to promote a charitable partnership with publicity:

Choose the right cause

There are thousands of sensational non-profit groups you can choose as your charity of choice, but if you are using your charitable acts to gain publicity it’s best to be choosy.

• If your goal is raising local awareness then choosing a local charity will be your best choice.
• For maximum impact, choose a cause that your target market is likely to get excited about supporting. For instance, if you sell an information product on dogs than a shelter or rescue organization is a better choice than cancer awareness.
• If you are a small business then you’ll likely want to avoid organizations that have massive fundraising and sponsorship programs already in place, as you may get lost in the shuffle
• Avoid organizations with political ties and hot button issues.

Choose the right time

Tie your promotion to a logical reason or season. The more relevant and timely you make your promotion, the more publicity you can attract.

• For example, if you’re passionate about supporting battered women then supporting a local shelter through a promotion in November – which is National Family Violence Awareness month will go further than running the same promotion any other month of the year.

• Avoid promotions in October and December unless you have a killer angle. October has gone totally pink with Breast Cancer Awareness promotions and December tends to be overrun with Christmas fundraisers ranging from Toys for Tots programs to United Way Campaigns to Food Bank Drives. It’s harder to get noticed when there is so much going on.

Keep the Charity on Center Stage

When choosing charity as an angle, make sure you keep that front and center. Your business will not be the star of the promotion – the cause you are promoting is! Keep this in mind as you write your releases and communicate with the media. You must avoid the impression that you are doing this to promote yourself.

• Do mention why this charity is near and dear to your heart. Personal stories make great publicity.
• Use the charity as the contact rather than your business, if possible.

Using your publicity efforts to support a cause that is important to you can be beneficial to your business, but more than that – it feels good! Some might say that the practice of charitable press releases is tasteless. It might be if you were to do the same thing month after month with a different charity. However, if you truly stick with causes that you believe in and that resonate with your target market and use the technique sparingly – then there’s nothing unseemly about it at all. Most non-profit organizations (especially small local or grassroots efforts) will appreciate your efforts and the boost it brings in awareness and dollars.

When it comes to public relations, I’ve heard just about every excuse you’ve got for why you aren’t actively seeking publicity.

Unless, of course, you are – in which case Congratulations! You’re part of an elite minority who is taking positive action that will eventually result in increased sales.

You might be thinking of using the excuse “I’ve got no money for PR”

That one doesn’t wash with me. There is no reason that PR has to cost you more than a couple of hours of time each month.

Sure, if you have the available funds then it’s certainly worth the price to have someone else to put your business in the spotlight with an interesting angle or slant, but it’s not necessary. You don’t need a professional to get started. Thousands of businesses have started their PR with the help of online guides and library books.

All you need is a story and I’m willing to bet your story will do just fine. There are plenty of resources to put together a press release that will get you backlinks at the very least and genuine media attention at best.

Of course, you may try the “I’m to small for PR” excuse.

There’s no such thing. Unless you are at a full workload capacity with no plan in place to scale your business forward, being small is no reason to hesitate. You can be operating out of a tiny corner of your kitchen and still send out a press release. The size of your business doesn’t matter, the size of your story does.

Of course, the next excuse is almost invariably “I don’t have anything going on that is newsworthy.”

That’s almost a valid concern. But not quite.

While you certainly don’t want to send out a release that doesn’t deliver genuine news that is likely to be of interest, unless you have no unique selling proposition (in which case you should be on a full-blown mission to discover and define it) – you have news that will be of interest.

I’ve yet to meet a business that doesn’t. Even without a solid, stated USP – there’s likely a newsworthy angle to tap into.

Now admittedly, I’ve had a diverse range of experience in finding newsworthy nuggets. But while my friends might like to pull out this talent and put it on display as some sort of party trick, it’s really not that unique or difficult to accomplish. You’ve just got to allow yourself to step away from your projects and take a look at your business from a different perspective. There’s no magic here – just a little time with your thinking cap on and you’re bound to turn up several ideas that can be used to promote your business.

Here’s three quick sources you can tap into if you’re stuck:

1. National Trends – The media loves when they can take a national story and add a local twist. So when a story comes along about your industry or business, you’re in prime position to grab the publicity.
2. Holidays and Observations – Each and every day of each and every month of the year, someone is celebrating something. Whether it’s “Talk Like a Pirate Day” or Mother’s Day is around the corner – there’s bound to be more than one occasion that you can adapt to your business. Riding on coattails is a good thing in Public Relations.
3. Look to your heart – You likely have a few pet interests beyond your business that can lead to press coverage. Whether it’s a charity drive fundraiser or a hobby group, stepping up to the plate and seeking publicity can pay off for both you and the organization you represent.

Still stumped?

Leave a comment and a brief description of your business (or send PK Marketing Solutions an email with the information) and I’ll give you at least one option to get you started.

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.