The advantage of using online press releases to drive traffic is that they get ranked on Google so easily. Online press releases are one of the most efficient ways to get the word out and drive a massive amount of traffic to your sites, blogs or squeeze pages. News sources are considered authority sources so you can get some easy traffic from Google, Yahoo! or MSN news.

But what makes a good press release?

You could hire an expert to write one for you but it is not cheap. If you plan to write one yourself you must follow the following guidelines:
(1)    Try to write a press release that is not too long. News should be compressed as short as possible – somewhere around 500 words and generally within 2 to 3 paragraphs. You must also contain clear headlines that summarize the entire press release.
(2)    A press release must be written in the ‘third person’. Imagine if you are a reporter. Your job is to talk about the latest breaking news. Just like a news release, a press release talks about a certain event without much ‘vested interest’ in it. In other words a reporter should be a sales person – you should be someone who is reporting news from a neutral perspective.
(3)    Learn to use words like, “According to mister so and so…” You can report your news as though you are quoting other people because it lends credibility.
Now that we are clear what constitutes a good press release, you can start to talk about your network marketing company by doing a review on your network marketing product. Talk about your product in terms of benefits and useful information.

There are two types of press releases – free ones and paid ones. When you submit to paid press release sites you get the advantage of faster rankings and more quality backlinks. You also remain on the top ranking for the press release because you have less competition (of course, people don’t want to pay for anything). The only trade off is that you have to pay money to get ranked there.

The free ones, on the other hand, are good if you are on a tight budget. However, you have to keep posting press release after press release because there will always be people posting free stuff online.

Here are some press release sites you can submit your press releases to:

PreWebDirect.com
PRLeap.com
WebWire.com
IMNewsWatch.com

Be sure the links you are directing to contain good information. Your goal for writing a press release is to drive traffic and capture leads.

The Klimb NewsWire announces an online model for the distribution and the sharing of news and press releases. The news wire began operations in early 2009 with the anticipation of offering a no cost solution to disseminating news to up and coming companies, established businesses and corporations, publicity authorities and to individuals seeking to spread recent developments alike.

The Klimb NewsWire recognized the importance of the distribution of press releases to inform the general public of recent events and to allow the conveyor a way to spread that news via the internet without taking on high costs to achieve it. Klimb examined the operating practices of many of the top current news and press release services and determined that the costs to disseminate news with those services were discouraging and often left promising blue sky companies without the ability to affordably promote and properly share developments with potential readers and or customers.

As such the Klimb NewsWire has focused on offering a free service to businesses and individuals to draw attention to the news or press releases that are recent and worthwhile. The Klimb Model has been to anticipate increased traffic to the Klimb NewsWire home page from visitors searching for new or relevant news. The news wire anticipates taking advantage of the many advertising opportunities provided to convert a small number of visitors into advertising participants which will provide the newswire the operating capital necessary to sustain existence and to provide growth.

The news wire will employ a number of successful methods to spread client news throughout the internet. The news wire has established contacts with social media sites and other high traffic outlets to provide updated news feeds which will increase the exposure of the site and the news that the site’s clients will benefit from because of increased exposure to their own sites and relative news. The news wire will continue to establish news distribution partnerships to increase reach and readership.

The site added functionality for external news editors and journalists to subscribe to specific content. That functionality is free with the aim of delivering targeted news or press releases to the subscribing journalist member. The news wire recognizes that editors and journalists alike scour many sources of new news to discover developing stories to promote and as such have provided members of the mainstream press the ability to specify an area of interest.

The Klimb NewsWire has made a dedication to promote each and every news piece or press release with the same effort in the belief that all news is equal and deserves the same attention. The news wire believes it is incumbent upon the source of the news to make it relevant and to draw further attention. Great news articles will benefit the news wire and send visitors to the site, which is its objective.

Visit to submit a free press release

A press release is a news release or press release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. Typically, it is mailed or faxed to assignment editors at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, and/or television networks. Commercial newswire services are also used to distribute news releases. Sometimes news releases are sent for the purpose of announcing news conferences.

1. Make your press release newsworthy and not just advertising for your business. The media wants you to pay for the advertising they offer.

2. Send your press release to the media that relates to it only. Blanket press releases to all media is a waste of everyones time.

3. Press releases should never be more than one page long.

4. Put your header, contact information and release date at the top of your press release.

5. When writing your press release use short sentences and double space your lines.

6. Your header and first few sentences should grab the readers attention.

7. Use the body of the press release to talk about your business, and products or services you have. One way to do that is to tell a story about your business.

8. Proofread your press release several times. This is important. You do not want a press release going out with spelling or grammar errors.

9. Do you have a website? Write a press release about the new products or services you’re offering on your web site.

10. Create a press release about the results of an online survey or poll you have completed.

11. Submit a press release about a trade show or seminar you’re hosting or attending.

12. Write a press release about a no cost class you are teaching that would be of interest to the public.

13. Create a press release about your opening of a new web site, or any awards your web site has one.

14. Write a press release about a free internet newsletter you’re publishing.

15. Create a press release about online products or services you’re giving away.

16. Submit a press release about a business association or club you’re starting.

17. Write a press release about a famous person that’s endorsing your business.

18. Create a press release about a partnership you are creating with another business.

19. Submit a press release about a new book or e-book you wrote.

20. Write a press release about major sponsorships you’re doing online.

You can see there are many different ways to use press releases to announce what is going on in your business. Can you think of any others? Thanks to the internet it has become easier to create and announce press releases online.

One of the best ways to get free publicity and build expertise is to garner media attention. Although it takes time and work to get noticed by reporters, the foundation of a good publicity campaign is the press release. If you want build a relationship with media professionals, many times a press release is your way in.

However, not all press releases are created equal, and most of them wind up in the trash. If you want members of the media to call you about stories you pitch, or the stories they are already working on, you have to send the right message in your press releases. To make sure your media savvy is communicated effectively, consider the following five elements that every solid press release should contain.

1. The Foundation – Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How

Facts are the foundation of every news story, and when reporters need fundamental, factual information they often turn to press releases first. This is why who, what, when, where, why, and how is so important when you’re creating your press releases. So, before you start writing, take a few minutes to organize the facts about the news you hope to communicate in your release. This information will be the foundation for the entire document, and you will reiterate it in the opening paragraph of your release so reporters don’t have to read more than a few lines to get the gist of your message.

2. A Catchy, but Brief Headline

News headlines communicate to readers what the story is about, they capture attention, and they do it in ten words or less. If you want your news release to capture attention, then you need a title that works the same way the front page headlines sell papers – you have to entice your audience to read more.

In the case of a press release, your readers are reporters and editors, so your headline has to give them a reason to keep reading your release by presenting your news in a catchy and informative manner. For example, “New Book Reveals the Secrets to Weight Loss Success.” Or, “Local Business Goes Green.” These examples grab attention, inform the reader, and do so in ten words or less, which is exactly what busy reporters and editors need to see.

3. A Hook

Once you’ve gotten your readers’ attention with a catchy and informative headline, you need to hook them with…well, a hook. In writing, a hook is something that excites your reader and compels them to keep reading, such as a startling fact or statistic, a compelling question, or a common problem.

Recall the examples presented above – if you’re writing your release to announce your new book on weight loss, then you might open your release with an interesting fact or statistic about weight. For example, “Over half of Americans will diet this year, and less than five percent of them will succeed at losing weight and keeping it off.” You will obviously have to be able to back that up with research, but this hook communicates a common problem and a startling statistic all in one.

For the example about the business going green, your hook could be, “The average small business dumps over two tons of recyclable paper products into landfills, and one local business leader has had enough.” Again, you have to be able to back your statistics up with research, but this hook compels the reader to keep going just to see what this fed-up business owner is going to do. Immediately follow up your hook with your who, what, when, where, why, and how information – state all the facts about your news.

4. A Useable Quote or Two

As you go into more detail about the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your news, providing as much detail as you can in as few words as possible, you will start to craft the body of your press release. In doing so, you should also provide quotes that the reporter can pull directly from your release to use in his or her story. Reporters love to get information directly from sources. By providing a quote or two in your release you make the reporter’s job that much easier, and better your chances of getting mentioned in the paper.

In crafting your quotes, make them inclusive so the reporter can pull them directly from your release and use them without having to explain much background – this makes your words easy to work into their story. And choose quotes that really summarize the information you present and highlight the impact of your news. For example, “We believe that these ‘green’ strategies will not only make our business more environmentally friendly, but also more efficient for our customers,” said Joe Business Owner. “And we hope other businesses in the community will follow our lead to reduce waste.”

5. A Call to Action

Once you’ve wrapped up all your main points, you have to close your press release with a call to action. If you want reporters to call you for an interview, that should be your call to action. If you want them to cover your event, then you have to say so. Within the call to action, you should state your contact information (which also should appear in the top right-hand corner of the release, and across from the words, “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,” written in all capital letters in the top left-hand corner).

If you have photos, or photo opportunities are available, mention them in your call to action. And if you want to invite members of the press to your event, restate all the important details of the location, and where and when you will be available for additional information and comment if a reporter wants to talk more.

Press Release Success

Media mentions are like free advertising for your business, so everyone should issue press releases on a regular basis. Even if you don’t get written up in a feature-length story after your first few tries, media professionals will at least keep your contact information on file for the times when they do need your expertise. And by keeping your name in front of them will better your chances of getting noticed. When you use these tips for creating and improving your press releases, you better your chances of getting into the paper without buying expensive ad space.

By : Vick – http://www.tipscollections.com

Get Free Traffic From Press Releases

Press Releases have continued to be an important tool for businesses, non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, and social activist groups across the web. Few pre-internet communication forms have translated so easily to web publications. It is easy to add a press release to your web site or blog. You can even post them in forums across the web to drum up discussion on the topic. A press release should announce something of value, be it an event, a new release, a change, a promotion, or whatever it is, you should be sure it is well written, interesting, and reaches your target audience.

The goal of the press release is typically publicity.

The strange thing about press releases is that few people actually release them to the press. In cases of large corporations, governmental agencies, or large NGO’s there is generally little coverage of the press releases in main stream media. For your press release to be effective, you should make sure you send it to the appropriate newspaper reporters, editors, magazine reporters, bloggers, and other writers for publication with widespread audience. This could mean finding the email of the small business editor of your local newspaper, or of all newspaper reporters covering this beat in the country. It mostly depends on your client, or if you are doing it yourself, your audience. However, if you fail to submit the press release to the various people that cover this news, it will be just another post on the internet. It is doubtful those same reporters will seek out your press release unbidden.

If you are working regularly with press releases, it will them be necessary to create custom mailing lists for their distribution. If you have multiple clients, some of the contacts may overlap, but many will be distinct only to the individual campaign involved. So you will have to create a custom list of reporters, editors, web masters, and bloggers before you send out the press release, otherwise you will have to do it from scratch every time. If you build these mailing lists while browsing the web and doing other work, over time you can create lists of hundreds of good sources who work in the field and can republish the details of your press release in their newspaper, magazine, or blogs.

If you are really seeking publicity for a client or web site, you can also submit your press releases to TV news outlets and look to promote a reference in a specialized report, or market analysis. This usually works well for new gadgets and software releases, but it depends on the weight of the information and product involved. Another way is to have your press release read, video taped, and then posted to a video hosting site such as YouTube or others. The budget of the account involved will determine whether it is a highly produced script or a guerilla marketing campaign. These are just some of the things to consider when writing a press release, most important to remember is networking.

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Although some companies have an in-house PR department to manage Press Releases, for many companies, it may not be possible to distribute the Press Release or Press Statement to all media channels due to resource and manpower constraints. This is where companies providing Professional Press Release Distribution Service become essential. A Press Release is generally used to inform the public through news and print media of an event or issue, or information for the general public, which concerns the company. Press releases are also a useful tool to create visibility about a company and its activities. In the present day and times, with the whole world connected to the Internet and most Internet savvy individuals spending many hours every day searching and browsing for information, knowledge, services, products, etc, an Online Press Release Service is extremely crucial for a company, to create online visibility on the internet, through proper and affordable Press Release Distribution Services and gain widespread media coverage.

Some Press Release Distribution Services companies specializing in offering Online Press Release Service also combine Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with very high quality news distribution, thus making the press releases more visible to the top search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN. These Press Releases come up in searches when users search with a search term related to the client company and the Press Release, thus creating visibility for the company. These Press Release Service companies ensure widespread coverage of the Press Release, drawing the attention of bloggers, journalists, and general public alike. Press Release Distribution Services companies also ensure that the Press Releases and announcements reach the people interested in the client company and its activities, company news and information, etc, and provide links in the Press Release content for the interested individuals to follow back to the companies website, thus ensuring targeted traffic.

To increase a client company’s online Internet presence, and thus the potential for increasing sales and revenue, the Press Release Distribution Services employ teams of experienced professionals with years of experience in writing and optimizing Press Releases in many diverse areas for many companies involved in many different fields like Real Estate, entertainment, etc. This does not mean that these companies offer Press Release Service only for big companies or large Multinational corporations only. Press Release Services are very affordable and are also available for individuals like members of the legal and medical profession, small business professionals, and small companies too, with different packages and services available according to requirement.

In the modern world today, as in the good old days, it is important to remember that – “Out of sight is Out of Mind”, which simply means that if a company or an individual is not visible continuously and regularly in the print, news, and online Internet media, the world will soon forget they exist, and move on to something more interesting. Everyone wants fresh and interesting news and information on a regular basis and abhors stale news and soon forgets an individual or company, which is not in the news on a regular basis. As a company or individual, aspiring to be visible on the Internet, it is important and crucial to hire the services of a company providing Professional and experienced Press Release Distribution Services.

The Search Landscape is Changing

The Web Search landscape is constantly changing. One of the hottest trends that emerged at the San Jose Search Engine Strategies conference was the fact that people are refining their searches – they’re using the subcategories on the search engines like images, maps and, most of all, the news tab.

Online News More Popular Than Newspapers

Mainstream print media is not enjoying this shift in media consumption – the Audit Bureau of Circulation reported this week that newspaper readership is down another few percent, while the news engines and news websites continue to attract more readers. Yahoo! News now has the largest online news audience in the world.

Most People Read Their News On the Web

Online ad revenue earnings online are rising steadily too. The advertisers know where the news audience is. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project more than 75 percent of all web users read their news online.

Optimizing Press Releases – One of Top Three SEO Trends

A new 285 page report just out from Marketing Sherpa, Search Marketing Benchmark Guide, identifies optimizing press releases for Yahoo! News, AOL News, Google News and other news engines and sites as one of the top three SEO trends for 2006. Online press releases make a great response device for the search-using public, says the report.

Writing a Press Release – Ten Reasons Why Press Releases Are Important

More and more people are using online news sources to find information on products, services, companies and ideas. Most news stories and press releases are read by the public looking for data.

A correctly optimized online news release can get you to the top of page one for your chosen keywords in the news engines within 24 hours.

If there is a relevant and timely news result on a keyword, both Yahoo and Google are displaying this news item above the number one organic position in web search.

You reach your target audience directly – no reporters or editors to filter your message.

You know that when someone reads your news release they are interested in that subject – they asked for it by keyword.

Online releases can be tracked – for the first time you can get statistics of how many times your press release was accessed or downloaded. With the proper web analytics in place you can track click throughs to your website too.

The article will get picked up and published on other relevant sites increasing the number of people who see your content and visit your site.

If your article has been correctly optimized, it will have keyword links in it. Every time your article appears on another website it builds more relevant inbound links to your site, which positively affects your search rankings.

Optimized online press releases migrate from the news search to the web search within a week or so and they can show up in the web search on your keywords.

If you add the releases to your website and put them into an RSS feed you increase your visibility. Soon your articles will be showing up in news aggregators, Yahoo News and Google Blogsearch.-SEO & SEM Service Providers

One of the best ways to get free publicity is by writing a press release and sending it to your local media.  The problem is that your local media gets bombarded with press releases day after day and the majority of them end up in the waste basket.  So how can you increase the chances of your press release actually making it to print?  Follow these guidelines and more often than not, your press release will turn into a news story that gets you the free publicity you seek.

Over the years, we’ve identified these 22 traits to help your press release stand above the crowd. Feel free to download our sample press release to follow along.

Trait #1 – Make sure the organization you belong to is very clear.  Placing this information at the top is a good start.

Trait #2 – If your press release doesn’t contain news, you may as well not even send it.  Promise news at the top with “NEWS RELEASE” in a larger font than the rest of the press release.

Trait #3 – One of the main traits of news is that it is current.  Since you are offering news, make sure it is as current as possible.

Trait #4 – Get the name of the person you are sending your press release to and place it in a prominent position.  Be sure to double check the spelling.

Trait #5 – Provide a specific contact person with a phone number where they can be reached. Don’t make contacting you a challenge.

Trait #6 – It’s important to inform your contact when specifically you’d like your press release to be run.  If you don’t have a specific date, be sure to allow for immediate release.

Trait #7 – Just like your other marketing materials, headlines are a must.  Include a newsworthy angle in your headline for best results.

Trait #8 – Where is your press release being released from?  It’s always best to use a local angle, so try to place the story from a local perspective.

Trait #9 – Try to tell your entire story in the first paragraph.  If everything else is cut, at least you got your main points in.

Trait #10 - Turn the story in a personal angle as soon as possible.  Use quotes from known individuals if possible.

Trait #11 – Use subheads to highlight important parts of your story.  People are busy and only read the parts that interest them, so include subheads for each of your target markets.

Trait #12 – Beware of sexism and humor.  What is funny to some groups may be offensive to others.

Trait #13 – Use quotes from each of your target markets.  Be sure to include quotes from groups that read the publications you have targeted with your press release.

Trait #14 – Use later paragraphs for dispelling or confirming rumors. It’s always best to cover your bases with a little objectivity.

Trait #15 – Include quotes from senior executives to build credibility. News releases are taken a little more serious when the boss’s name is on the line.

Trait #16 – Could the local community perceive your news in a negative manner?  If so, highlight the potential positives.

Trait #17 – If promising a specific future result, be flexible.  Not reaching your specific results on time will always bring bad publicity.

Trait #18 – If space permits, allow your executive to inject some human interest to the story.  Use these quotes as a transition back to a more positive tone.

Trait #19 – Is there an executive that matches the demographics of your target audience?  If so, place them in your target audiences shoes to close the story with added trust.

Trait #20 – The notation “-30?- is the standard way of concluding a press release.  Keep your press release to one page!

Trait #21 – Including photographs is a great way to gain more attention for your story.  Make sure the photos you submit are easily reproducible and will hold their quality in both color and black and white.

Trait #22 – If you have other media you’d like to include or have available, be sure to provide the information here.  The more peripheral media you have available, the easier it is to use your press release in a story.

The most important things to remember are to include a newsworthy angle that is of interest to the local community or specific readers of the publications you send your release to.  By including as many of these traits in your next press release, you will drastically increase the likelihood of gaining some free publicity for your small business.

This is one of the most frequently asked questions I get from clients. It isn’t that one is better than the other. Both have their purpose. However, the purpose for each is far different and you should not get article marketing confused with press releases.

Of course good copywriting is essential to both a press release and article marketing. And both are optimized to contain your keywords for seo purposes. But the relationship between article marketing and press releases ends there.

Article Marketing is the distribution of well-written, informative articles to article directories in the hopes that they will get syndicated by or reprinted on other websites and blogs. Article marketing helps with link popularity for this reason.

Article Marketing helps with branding you as an expert in your field and can drive traffic directly to your website if readers like the article.

Press Releases are written to announce a newsworthy event. They are distributed to news websites, news agencies, news blogs, newsletters, etc. They are not the same as an article.

Most press releases I see submitted aren’t newsworthy at all however. People are using press release distribution to send out articles. They have article marketing and press releases all mixed up.

I read press releases that sound like sales letters all the time. Pure self-promotion is not a press release at all. It’s a sales letter sent out through a press release distribution center.

People who see these know the difference. News agencies who could be printing or redistributing your press release to a wider audience can see the difference at a glance.

If you do not know how to write news, you do not know how to write a press release. Unfortunately, many of the people on the web who offer to write press releases for money don’t really know how to write press releases either. They know you don’t know the difference between a press release and an article or sales letter either, so they get away with charging money for the service.

Go to any press release website. read the press releases. You’ll see more than 50% are self-promotion or just articles. If it doesn’t read like something you would read in a newspaper, it isn’t a press release.

You can do a press release in the first person or from the company perspective, but you have to be announcing something that is newsworthy. Something new happening. Something that people will want to know about. A merger, an acquisition, a partnership, a new website launched, (Can only be done once!), a new blog launched, are all things that can be newsworthy and must be presented as a news item, not as a “Come Visit MY Website Please!” article.

Press releases do even better if written as a reporter would write about your announcement. The Reporter, (press release writer), can even interview you and others at your company for quotes to use in the press release.

People are hungry for news. A press release should only be distributed if there is news to announce. Yes you want to optimize your press release for the search engines but SEO is not the number one purpose for distributing a press release.

Announcing something newsworthy is the first reason. You only optimize it because it is being distributed on the web and that is the secondary purpose for the press release, not the first.

If you want good results for the money you spend on a press release, do them sparingly and only when you have something newsworthy to announce. You’ll get more bang for your buck, more traffic, more people reading about you, and you’ll make back your investment every time.

What is a Press Release?

Press releases are among the most effective ways – if not the most effective way – to get one-way links from high traffic news sites, but you must follow a certain set of guidelines or it will be nothing more than wasted time and your press release will never be published. A press release is a statement of announcement used for publishing and distributing company information or business news throughout the Internet via web media distribution channels. General news releases, event announcements, business news, new product release announcements, and social media news all qualify as valid content for a press release.

How Press Releases can help your SEO and Web Marketing

Press releases play a very important role in SEO and web site marketing. Currently, one-way links are more valuable to your search e rankings than ever before. This is due to the fact that two-way links – most often referred to as “reciprocal links” – have decreased in value with regard to Google’s “Page rank” system, with most others soon to follow if they have not already. With that in mind, playing an active role in generating news for PR web can serve as your best resource for getting one-way links and generating new traffic to your site without paying a dime. Be aware however, that credible PR web sites have strict criteria for the content that they publish. For example, it absolutely must be newsworthy, grammatically correct, without spelling errors, it must sound professional, and it must give the impression that a decent amount of time was put into it.

The benefit to you is that you may publish your company details including the services you offer, your web address and contact details along with your press release. Be careful not to make your press release sound like an advertisement though, or it will not be considered for publishing. The key here is to go into it with the objective of creating something valuable and informative for the reader.

There are a lot of news websites available that provide free services for publishing your news releases. The real advantage though, is that these websites provide services for distributing that news to subscribers of their news feeds. What this means, is that while you may publish your release to five PR web sites, it will likely end up on twenty or thirty different sites if it follows the criteria stated above. The important thing to remember is that the more valuable and informative that you make your content, the more it will be picked up by additional web sites. Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing your press release:

Tips for writing an effective press release:

1) The press release headline should be short, clear and to the point. Treat press release headlines and sub-heads as the ultra-compact version of your entire press release content.

2) Your press release summary should be informative. Try to avoid the use long sentences and lengthy paragraphs.

3) Start your press release with the “5 Ws” – who, what, when, where, why, and sometimes how. This will make your press release more enlightening and attractive to the editors of the sites you are publishing to.

4) Don’t forget to include your company information below the press release content. Prepare a brief summary of your company services with the contact details, your website name, and email id for communicating. Most PR sites offer a “company bio” section, which appears under the published release.