PROMOTING YOUR WEBSITE

PART 1

You’ve got your product.  You’ve designed a great website and now you sit back and wait for the visitors to roll in, right?

WRONG!

Marketing remains an integral part of the internet.  Website visitors just don’t appear out of the blue.  No, you have to go and look for them.  And what better way than to start with your local newspaper!

Yes, the newspaper.  I know you want to ask, why the newspaper when I have evolved to the internet.  But yes, we still need the printed media to start getting the word out.

But it needn’t cost you an arm and a leg.  You could get free publicity, if you do it right by sending out a Press Release.

How to Write a Press Release.

A press release is one of the primary ways you can communicate news about your company to the media. Reporters, editors, and producers are hungry for news, and they often depend on releases to tip them off to new and unusual products, company trends, tips and hints, and other developments. In fact, much of what you read in newspapers, magazines, or trade publications, hear on the radio or see on television originated in press release form. Unfortunately, the average editor receives as many as several hundred press releases each week, the vast majority of which end up getting "filed." Your challenge is to create a release that makes the journalist want to know more and discover that your story is one they must tell.

Use these 10 tips to write a release that will get noticed.

1. GRAB ATTENTION WITH YOUR HEADLINE!

The headline makes your release stand out. Keep it short, active, and descriptive; in other words, use something like "Tom Named Man of the Year" instead of "Tom Gets Award."

USE ONE OF THESE ATTENTION GRABBERS IN YOUR HEADLINE (NOT ALL OF THEM AT ONCE):

  Announces

  Launches

  Acquires

  Introduces

  Releases

  Unveils  

  Appoints

  Celebrates

  Enters (enters into agreement)

  Opens

  Ships  

  Signs

  Makes

  Participates

  Showcases

  Joins

  Expands

  Adds

  Now

  Hosts

  Closes

  Issues

  Presents

  Reports

  Partner(s)

  Tests

2. Put the most important information at the beginning

This is a tried and true rule of journalism. The reporter should be able to tell what the release is about from the first two paragraphs. In fact, chances are that's all they may read. So don't hide good information. And remember the "5 W's and the H" - make sure your release provides answers to Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.

3. Avoid hype and unsubstantiated claims

A writer can smell a sales pitch a mile away. Instead of making over-inflated statements, provide real, usable information. Find legitimate ways to set you and your company apart. To promote your business, write a release that answers questions about your business, rather than one that provides only general statements about how great or interesting your business is without saying why.

4. Be active and to the point

Use language that will get the reader as excited about your news as you are. If they are not excited, why would they interview you?

5. Keep your release to one page

On the rare occasion, you can opt for a second page if it is necessary to provide critical details. Otherwise, if you can't state your message in a page, you're not getting to the point.

6. Include a live contact

Make sure your release has a person the journalist can contact for more information. This person should be familiar with all the news in the release, and should be ready to answer questions. And issue the release on your company letterhead - it looks professional and gives the writer another way to reach your firm.

7. Keep lingo to the minimum

If you're in a technical field, try not to use technical terms. Many reporters are not as intimate with your company or your industry as you are. Real English, not lingo.

8. Stress benefits

This falls into the category of "don't say it, show it." Avoid saying something is "unique" or "the best." Instead, show how people will benefit - i.e. save time, save money, make their life easier, etc.

"Why do people need to know this?"

9. Be specific and detailed

The reader needs to be able to visualize a new product, or know how a new service works. If in doubt, have someone unfamiliar with your product or service read the release and ask them to describe what you trying to say. And it's better to use too many details than too few. 

10. Proofread, Proofread, Proofread

Don't trust your word processing program to catch errors in grammar and spelling. Have a few people read the release before sending it out.

Sample Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A=Z WEBSITE DESIGN

Klerksdorp, North West - March 6, 2008 (Klerksdorp)- Three years ago, Jake van Rens was at one of those proverbial crossroads his life. Having been the victim of downsizing after a corporate merger, he faced the decision of whether to continue working for someone else or to start his own business.

Armed with statistics on growing banana consumption, articles on the explosive growth of the internet and a third mortgage on his house, Van Rens started the Banana Hut and its Bananadana Club Newsletter.

His goal was to build a semi-virtual company. He would handle all the marketing, accounting and order taking from his home-based office, while the order fulfillment and warehousing would be outsourced.

His internet site is fast loading with quirky banana characters, a section on the history and lore of bananas, a contest for newsletter subscribers and over 40 different things to do with bananas. Customers can order banana duds and collectables via a secure shopping basket system or via phone.

The internet site opened in March 1999 to the roaring sound of emptiness. In the world of the internet, if you build it they will only come if you tell them you exist. Fortunately he also started to promote his site.

Now, two years later, the Banana Hut's internet site brings in 60% of the company's revenues. Van Rens has added a Baboon language section to his website and has a growing base of customers. Over 40% of the company's revenues come from repeat business and customer referrals. About 20% of his business comes from overseas customers.

His advice to anyone who is thinking of starting an online business? Don't get carried away with the hype and forget about the basics of selling. Study the direct marketing field in terms of catalog structure, language, delivery systems, guarantees and style.

And the Banana Hut? Is it surviving? "Business is five times ahead of 1996", says Van Rens. "If we continue at this pace, 2009 will be a very good year for bananas."                                                                                             

You can check them out online (www.banana.rep) or call for their free brochure 017 432 2343.

Interview Contact: Jake van Rens, The Top Banana
Telephone: 098 888 8888
Email address goes here
www.banana.rep

Banana Hut
1 banana ave, 
Klerksdorp, North West, 2571
Tel 071 432 2343 or Fax 082 288 2222

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When to Send Your News

Daily Newspapers
Business and general assignment reporters working for newspapers and online dailies turn around stories within 24 and 48 hours. However, feature writers are working on stories weeks in advance of publication date. Press Releases about special events or with holiday tie-ins should be sent a minimum of three weeks in advance so the reporter has ample time to research and write the story.

Monthly Magazines
Monthly publications close editorial content two months in advance of the issue date. It is not unusual for writers to be deciding on story content for a December issue in September. Stories with a holiday theme should be sent to allow the reporter ample time for research and coverage.

Radio and Television
Radio or television stations may plug your Website or product and perhaps be interested in having a representative from your company appear on one of their programs. Because interviews can be held over the telephone you might receive a call in the afternoon for a show airing that evening. Be prepared. Designate someone from your company as the spokesperson and have them prep for the show. In some cases you can ask the show's producer for a list of questions you will be asked. Plan how you will reply to the questions. Also plan how you will respond to the interviewer if they ask questions you do not wish to answer.

Press Release Checklist

  Company Letterhead, Name, Address, Phone Number, Web Address

  PRESS RELEASE in all caps

  Contact Person's Name

  Immediate Release or Release Date(all caps)

  HEADLINE or TITLE in BOLD/CAPS

  BODY-Date/City-who,what,when,where and why.

  Catchy Text

  Sum it up...

  Basic Font, Double Spaced, Page Numbers, and ###

  Action Plan/Calendar

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