Thursday, March 30, 2006

Press Release distribution and Blog Optimization Online Marketing Blog

Lee Odden's TopRankBlog is one of the best around on SEO matters and this article on
» Blog Optimization is also one of the best. Great tips, hitting the keywords and submitting your blogs which I'll spend more time talking about in terms of the collateral you need for your press release backup. More later . .

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Press releases and visibility

press releases provide credibility which is a key reason for angling your release for the sort of news 'hook' that your target audience is likely to be interested in. This is another forgotten fact by the press release spammers who simply spam their release without a thought for what the press might be interested in. Dumb, really.

Press Release tips - Remember who to contact

It's surprising how often press release information lacks critical information and therefore misses the cut when it comes to being received by even free press release services. Check press release tips here: Press Release writing tips


For instance, the need to provide contact information is critical if journalists are to follow up on your news. Similarly, the need to provide a company profile, so details can be checked by journalists and others.

They're simple enough - but its surprising how many 'innocents' out there overlook these critical aspects of preparing a press release.

Monday, March 27, 2006

Press Releases to where: The Death of the Newspaper

Molly Ivins in The Free Press has a few words to say about journalists and the death of the newspaper.

" I don't so much mind that newspapers are dying -- it's watching them commit suicide that pisses me off."

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Stop the release - I want to get off


Boy, was I every having a blond moment. You try and do a good turn and - the blonds turn against you. Here's a tip from the inside: When you're handling press for friends, make sure you put on the fur-lined, lanolin-skinned kid gloves to handle their precious egos. In this case, a book launch in Godzone leads to a blood-zone of fractured egos because one of the co-authors had her name omitted from the media release.

Well, there were reasons - like lack of interest in marketing - but there's another. There's no point in putting a plethora of names at the foot of a release. We all know journalists are not blessed with the patience of Job while they wait for a response to their calls. Make a contact point easy, contactable and - most of all - someone who answers their phone. Sounds simple. Isn't though.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Getting good keywords: A key to a good SEO press release

If you're looking for good keywords (which you should be) for an SEO press release, then you can use tools like Good Keywords but you need to use keywords that are unique to your services or offering.

For instance, to use the words 'cooking' or 'cook book' for a cook book sale will simply put you on the treadmill with thousands of others. You need to be specific: cajun cooking, bar-b-que recipes, indian curry secrets - whatever. Select a small number of words and test them to see what the response is before you refine and develop the market.

Keyword use is all about testing - and then using the 'golden' words that work for you business.

Thursday, March 23, 2006

SEO Press Releases? Think SEO TV - John Battelle's Searchblog: The Viral TV

So much for SEO Press Release distribution, what about Search Television? John Battelle's Searchblog wondered if there were a TelevisionRank or something that would notice, in real time, what people were watching -- kind of like how Yahoo places an RSS feed of the most viewed stories at the top of the My Yahoo home page--updated continuously throughout the day? Not only is that possible, Battelle says, it's probable we'll see that in the next five years--a mash of Technorati with Nielsen, YouTube and Comcast.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Google's move towards building customer loyalty

Google's new finance portal demonstrates the world domination ambitions of Google management, with their move away from pure search to greater web stickability.

Whether the move is likely to succeed or not, time will tell, but Google's 'for-now, ad-free' finance site is clearly showing they're throwing their limitless money and tech talents at building customer loyalty.

Read the story right there on Yahoo!

Monday, March 20, 2006

The Modular Press Release

Kami Huyse's popular post on the 'PR is dead, long live PR' debate is a useful summary of some of the PR possibilities that surround the "press release". Her preference for the modular format is one that is, I believe, finding favor in the frenetic-paced world in which journalists live with multiple feeds from multiple sources pounding them in their bunkers.
Communication Overtones: Modular News Releases

Algorithms, keywords and search engines

An item in SiteProNews by John Metzler looks at changes in search engine algorithms, always useful for press release writers. A lot of web site owners tried to outsmart the search engines with their metatag and keyword tricks, which is not to say there do not remain useful rules for such devices, but the flagrant abuse of the methodology lead to inevitable discovery.

Metzler's article's conclusion is the need to write for your business users or your website visitors, not the search engines. The more naturally written sites can expect to see better results in the future.

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Robin Good's new media picks

Robin Good's new media blog, which I've added as a link to PRI, outlines new media tools that can be used to maximimum advantage. Check out the latestIndependent Publishing by Robin Good

Friday, March 17, 2006

Copywriting For Search Engines & Directories :: Swift Media UK

Copywriting For Search Engines & Directories :: Swift Media UK - This an interesting article from the useful UK web design company.

As Swift say, when online marketing experts optimize a web site for search engine and directory queries, they should not spend most of their time redesigning the layout (in HTML) or submitting the site to the search engines. Most of their time should be spent on researching, writing good copy that will index well in search engines, and writing thorough, accurate descriptions for directory submissions.

Like good search engine-optimized press releases, good web copy must contain well-researched and varied keywords and key concepts, based on a web page's topic; accurately reflect the web pages' content; and be strategically placed throughout a web page as mentioned above

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

All this talk about keywords . .

Writing for machines may seem a strange way to proceed with the preparation of a press release – but it is one component to writing a successful press release that can result in a massive PR-payoff.

There are certain basics that anyone wanting to achieve high search engine rankings need to fulfil. But there is also one secret component that many search engine optimizers forget when preparing their releases – of which, more later.

First, let’s consider what you must do to optimize your news release? The answer is two words: Key Words.

Key words are the essential words that your clients or customers will use to find you – or your competitor. They are the search terms, the words that describe the product or service you offer. They are also something else: Gold in the right hands.

Let’s say the media are looking for your business. What is the word or search term they would use?

Ask yourself (and your staff, friends and customers) what they use to find a product or service like yours. Do they search under your brand, or your service/product type, or generically in some manner? Do they search using geographical factors?

Are these issues that you have seriously considered? Have you tried to ‘break down’ your business into a few, critical key words?

There are a number of useful tools available that can help your search – Google search terms, Overture’s search tool, Wordtracker and others – but you can simply search the major search engines to find what words surfers are using to find your business.

Then work out what others, like the media, would use to find your business. It may be a different set of words or word. For instance, your business in auto repairs might use that term by customers, but media interest may be more focused on a search term like ‘auto repair service provider’ or ‘auto services’. You need to check and find out the key words that your target audience is using to find you.

Once you’ve located the ‘gold’, you need to mine it. You need to use those words in your company reports, company statements, announcements and – of course – press releases. Focus just on a few key words so as to not lose the momentum and impact that they create. But use them in your content and, where possible, hotlink them to your content.

When search engine “spiders” hunt for text items and key words they particularly like links to the words you have used, rather than to something that could mean anything – such as a generalized link to an information service.

A good press release organisation like PRWeb can help you with this process, and certainly with "optimizing" your release for maximum exposure on the search engines.

There’s lots more to this, but the first step for anyone writing for search engines is to hunt down those key words. And mine them.

And the secret? Well, it’s like this. Writing using key words is writing for the search engine spiders who place your item into the engines – which in turn permits your business to increase its exposure. But then what? You need to convert surfers into clients or customers.

How do you best do that? Obviously if your business is providing the required product or service you’re ahead of the game, but in a competitive marketplace you have to be noticed as well. You need to “engage” the Web surfer with your content. Infusing your copy with key words is fundamental. But so too is writing in a manner that will engage with the reader in a way that they want to use your product or service. Get emotional (without being sappy) about your product, service or business. Build in humor and humanity, whenever appropriate. If you seem to be a real person, rather than a robotic, PR type writing for machines then you may get the rankings, but you won’t get the business.

Go to it. Get emotional. And use the right words.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

The changing world of word processing - and how they will affect your press releases

BusinessWeek magazine is not necessarily tops when it comes to picking winners on the market, but it's now sticking its neck out with a call on the second coming of Internet businesses - what BusinessWeek calls Web 2.0. How come?

Well, Google just scooped up Writely and Yahoo! bought that social bookmarking site del.icio.us a while back. Writely allows people to collaborate on documents in a way that doesn't require pages to be reloaded. And - I hear you ask - how does this affect my press release program?

Well, the fact is, like RSS, podcasting and even blogs - it will take 'majors' like Yahoo! and Google to bring these new technologies into mass use in a way that affects all our communications - particularly interactive and more dramatic communication of ideas. Writely is more the former than the latter. But the net effect will be more seamless communication preparation and delivery. And that impacts on everyone.

Monday, March 13, 2006

Now . . about this podcasting

Podcasting has become a new tool to increase visibility on the Web. With increased use of press release tools the ability to also access audio feeds about your product, service or company provides users with an added bonus.

PRWeb are the first of the major newswires t offer these "interviews", which effectively promote your product or services through an interview that is conducted by PRWeb staffers and released using the same technology as with 'conventional' releases.

The popularity of podcasts will undoubtedly increase hugely, particulary for web users who do not want to read content online or who simply prefer an audio presentation, which necessarily entails a different approach to 'words on the page'.

To access the podcast service or use it, check out at
  • PRWeb

  • The service is free to those who release news via PRWeb at the search engine optimization (SEO) level.

    Remember, if you're using PRWeb for podcasting or otherwise, log in via our special deal and get the 10% discount. LawFuelDiscount

    Friday, March 10, 2006

    How to write a press release . . yawn


    How many articles are there? How many free reports? How many "gifts" on getting your PR into the headlines. I lost count an age ago. But when you read these reports (as I do, just to find a nugget that tells me something different) I see one common, basic and all-encompassing rule: Write news - and write it in a compelling manner.

    Sounds fine. So how come most PR that reaches the wires (ie the Net and elsewhere) is so damn boring?

    Take this release from the PRNewswire page, headed by a release from KB Home about Martha Stewart, with the pic (above):

    KB Home (NYSE: KBH) Chairman and CEO Bruce Karatz and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. Founder Martha Stewart today will unveil the two companies' co-branded community outside Raleigh, North Carolina. The community, known as KB Home Twin Lakes: Homes Created with Martha Stewart, will open to the public on Sunday, March 12, 2006. First announced in October 2005, Twin Lakes is the first of several communities that the two companies will build and design across the U.S.

    Does that grab you by the lapels and scream: "Read me!" Where's the flair? Where's the human interest, the drama - God knows there's enough with Martha. I mean, it doesn't mean you have to write: "Isn't Martha's new home better than her last one" or anything - but this is dreary writing. Take a lesson then: what would you want to read. How would you like it to be expressed to capture your attention. You're not writing for morons. You're writing for people just like you.

    Thursday, March 09, 2006

    The Billions in PR . .

    And the world must be short on trust, because public relations is long on profits. According to Veronis Suhler Stevenson, a private equity firm that analyzes media trends, the industry was estimated to be worth $3.4 billion in 2004 and is expected to increase at an impressive annual clip of up to 10 percent, reaching $5.2 billion by 2009. Other industry journals, like O’Dwyer’s PR Report, consider such estimates conservative.

    “It used to be I would schmooze you and I was your flack,” said Mr. Edelman, whose firm netted about $260 million in 2005. “Today, if we want to get a message into the public’s conversation, we just make a post on a blog. If The Wall Street Journal goes after a client, we don’t have to accept that anymore. Let’s post the documents we gave The Journal; let’s show the interviews the newspaper decided not to show.

    “You’re not God anymore,” he said.

    Mr. Edelman—and he is not alone—believes that the erosion of the public’s trust in bedrock institutions after scandals in government, big business and the press only contributes to the industry’s success. Without anyone holding a monopoly on truth, the argument goes, P.R. people can get their messages across without pesky filters like, say, the news media.

    Article writing for PR purposes

    Writing articles and submitting them to search engines is a tried and increasingly true means of getting your news "out there". The first rule has to be to write about what you know. In a world of experts and clutter it is the expertise - properly expressed - that is going to get your press release-equivalent (the article) noticed.

    And so the Rule? Write what you know. And don't think you only know about your business and what it makes or provides. There can be literally scores of topics within one business - no matter how simple or arcane.

    You will achieve a number of key objectives: Obtain credibility for your area of expertise; Obtain interest in your business and - surprise, surprise - obtain exposure.

    I'll give you some more tips on these articles shortly. Using key words and their huge importance in article writing for search engines.

    Stay tuned.

    The nut with the "Free Money" promotion


    Take this guy - Matthew Lesko - although he looks like a wacko, has managed to entertain as well as inform with a release that's designed to drive traffic to his website, (167,000 on Alexa at time of writing) where he sells his books on "free money" and "free stuff" and all that.

    And so - along with the nutty picture - comes the text:

    If you see your neighbor buying a new $50,000 Mercedes on a teacher's salary or you overhear that nasty no-good co-worker brag talking about how he never pays his taxes, well then government financial guru, Matthew Lesko (www.lesko.com/taxcheat.php ) says: "STOP being Mr. Nice Guy and bank big money while you help the IRS collect back taxes." If your information helps the government collect on such taxes, you can receive 15% of what the IRS collects up to a total of $10 million. And the IRS will not disclose the identity of informants to unauthorized persons. So, go and do the right thing for your country!

    Sex, War, Money, Drugs . . and all that

    Welcome to PressReleasePR. The title? Just an attention-getter because that's surely what your news is about. And with a blog-a-second and SEO and technology-driven publicity, RSS feeds and the plethora of alternatives facing PR professionals, we wanted to help 'clear the air' and chat about what's what.

    "We?". Well, me. John Bowie. I publish LawFuel.com, a legal news service. And in the course of publishing news releases and articles from dozens of law firms, US Attorneys offices, the SEC, various academic, charitable and other institutions, the need to get a clear picture of how to present a press release in the 21st century with effectivness and punch became more apparent.

    That's what PressReleasePR is about: presentation, reception, the death of advertising and rise of PR. That's optimized, RSS-enabled PR. Read all about.

    Right here.

        


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  • PR Opinions - from Tom Murphy
  • PR Musings - Stuart Bruce
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