For many business owners, Public Relations (PR) efforts are a black hole, an unknown that makes them hesitant to invest time and money. Handled correctly and approached with realistic expectations, PR can be one of the most cost-effective tools in your marketing toolbox.

Here are five things every business owner should know about PR:

Fact #1: PR offers you several things that you can’t buy with a paid ad. Articles are considered to be more credible than advertisements, so whenever you or your business is featured in an article, the reader considers the information more credible than whatever you say in an ad (where you are obviously trying to sell something). Articles—even short ones—usually say more about your business than will fit in all but the largest ads. Articles also have the benefit of being what someone else (the reporter) says about you, and hence are seen as more credible than what you say about yourself.

Fact #2: There are several important differences between advertising and PR. When you pay for an ad, you pay to have it run in a specific issue or at a specific time. A press release may generate an article six months after the release is sent out. Neither you—nor the PR professional—can control the timing. With an ad you have written and paid for, you control exactly what the ad says. While you can write a press release yourself, the article that actually runs is likely to be edited or changed by the reporter.

Fact #3: Short of owning the newspaper or the magazine, no PR practitioner can guarantee an article will get placed. Your publicist can put the information in its most attractive form in front of the best-positioned editors at the right magazines, and through personal follow up, can highlight the reasons they should be interested, but no one can guarantee placement unless they own the magazine.

Fact #4: One-shot PR doesn’t work. Unless you are announcing a special event for the calendar page, releases don’t get 100% pickup (and even with a special event, 100% placement is rare). There are many reasons for this, even when the release is properly written and sent to the right person. They include:
# The editor has already planned the next several months (or full year) of articles and doesn’t have room.
# It reminds them of something else they’ve run recently.
# They like the general idea, but this particular release doesn’t strike their fancy.

# They file it with future ideas, then leave the company, and the new editor pitches the old file and starts over.
# There are too many possible article ideas and not enough space.

Your best odds of getting stories placed is to send out a new release every month—or as often as you can come up with something newsworthy—and stay on the editors’ radar.

Fact #5: Value is created even without immediate placement. Your publicist has researched the best newspapers/magazines for your target audience, identified the editor most likely to be interested in your story, written the initial release, emailed it to the editor/reporter, and followed up by phone or email. After that round of distribution and follow-up, editors will be aware of your company, and the next time they get something about you, they will be more receptive and already know who you are.

The customer’s timing to buy is not always your timing to sell. That holds true for editors as well as product buyers. Successful marketing and PR means keeping a consistent presence so that when the editor is ready to tell a story about your topic, he thinks of you. The key to success is being in front of the editor often enough that you are the subject of choice when an article about your specialty fits with their editorial need.

The value of one positive article can recoup the effort put into the PR process, and can create much more business than a single ad. The biggest secret to successful PR is patience.

Gail Z. Martin owns DreamSpinner Communications and helps companies in the U.S. and Canada tell the Real Story of their business through exceptional writing and marketing. Gail has an MBA in marketing and over 20 years of corporate and non-profit experience at senior executive levels. She is also the author of The Summoner, a fantasy adventure novel.

Sign up for a FREE email mini course, FREE marketing conference call and a FREE teleseminar on Telling Your Real Story, at http://www.DreamSpinnerCommunications.com Find out more about Gail’s books at http://www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com Contact Gail at 704-595-9581 to start telling the Real Story of your business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gail_Martin

Direct marketing—including catalogs and Internet sales—is a $1.85 trillion industry in the U.S. that accounts for 7 percent of total U.S. sales, according to the Direct Marketing Association. Direct marketers make their money by understanding exactly what customers want and giving it to them. Here are five key public relations lessons to learn from direct marketing:

Target your message

Successful direct marketing is targeted. It gets the right offer in the right format to the right people who have an interest in or a need for a manufacturer’s product. Direct marketers spend millions of dollars creating and refining mailing lists and subscriber profiles to find just the right consumers to buy their product.

Direct marketers don’t try to be everything to everybody. They use their budget wisely to reach only the people who are their best prospects and reach them frequently enough to encourage new sales and spur repeat sales.

How targeted is your message?

Do you write your brochures, advertisements and radio commercials with your typical customer in mind? Is your message telling them how they can solve their problems, achieve their dreams, or meet their needs? Direct marketers know that customer benefits outsell product features. Targeting your message to your most likely buyers will make the best use of your budget and yield the most sales.

Test your message

Direct marketers base their ad copy, list purchase, media buys and graphic design on research and industry information. Testing is a basic part of successful direct marketing. Direct marketers will take two versions of an ad—one with slightly different copy from the other—or two different lists, or two different regional versions of the same magazine—and run their campaign tests. All the research in the world can’t substitute for testing. Research gives you a theoretical answer. Testing validates your theories in the real world.

Many business owners give up on marketing if their first ads don’t send customers flooding into their stores. Or they abandon advertising in a magazine if one ad doesn’t make the phone ring. Direct marketers know that it is often the message—not the medium—that needs to be adjusted to speak more persuasively to the customer. Don’t be too hasty to give up on a whole type of advertising because one effort did not bring a crowd. Change your ad, re-write your mailing piece, adjust your list and try again. When the right message reaches a receptive potential customer, sales happen.

Change your definition of success

Direct marketers are patient. They understand that testing is essential to capture sales. But they also have a realistic idea of success. Depending on the size of the campaign, the type of product and the break-even cost, some direct marketers consider a response of 1 – 5 percent to be very successful. They know that large percentages aren’t realistic.

A campaign’s success also depends on its purpose. Some offers are made just to generate leads in order to build a better mailing list for the next offer. Those campaigns are focused on screening out non-buyers, not necessarily on selling product. Getting 1,000 names of people who are interested out of a mailing of 10,000 people on a list might be very successful under those conditions.

Make sure you have defined success in a way that is realistic and based on solid criteria.

Tailor your offer

Direct marketers know that the magic is in the way the product is offered. Are you selling closet shelving—or an organization system? Is your product an air cleaner—or a way to reduce indoor air pollution?

Even the way the price is stated makes a difference. If you’re having a sale, is the price half off, fifty-percent reduced or two for one? Direct marketers know that different ways to say the same thing get different responses. Make sure that your offers are tailored to what encourages your customers to take action.

Know your customer

The most important lesson is to understand your customer. Find out what the customer is really purchasing when he buys your product. Direct marketing success happens when in-depth customer knowledge is used to tailor an offer, create a targeted, customer-oriented message that is tweaked and perfected through testing, and that produces profitable results.

Even if your business doesn’t currently use direct marketing, you can apply its wisdom to your public relations process to increase your business success.

Gail Z. Martin owns DreamSpinner Communications and helps companies in the U.S. and Canada tell the Real Story of their business through exceptional writing and marketing. Gail has an MBA in marketing and over 20 years of corporate and non-profit experience at senior executive levels. She is also the author of The Summoner, a fantasy adventure novel.

Sign up for a FREE email mini course, FREE marketing conference call and a FREE teleseminar on Telling Your Real Story, at http://www.DreamSpinnerCommunications.com Find out more about Gail’s books at http://www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com Contact Gail at [email protected] to start telling the Real Story of your business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gail_Martin

When the media comes calling, do you know how to handle the situation to gain positive visibility for your company? Often, small business owners miss out on great opportunities—or turn a potentially positive situation into a negative one for their firms. Dealing with the media does not have to be scary or confrontational.

A writer or reporter working on a story will often contact local businesses for one of three reasons: to get an expert opinion from inside a particular industry; to obtain a reaction to a trend or recent event from a local business; and to gain background information on a complex subject. All of these reasons give you a great opportunity to position yourself as an expert and a leader. Use these five tips to work with reporters, and reap the benefits in good publicity.

Answer the phone. I’m amazed at the number of business people who shy away from taking a call from a writer or reporter. Writers are calling to get an industry perspective or to gain a quote from an expert—you. You can’t be quoted if you don’t answer the phone!

Respond promptly. Writers work on deadline. A reporter for a daily newspaper may have only a few hours in which to gather information before the story is due. A magazine writer may have a few days. So many times I’ve seen business owners put off returning a call only to find out that the article has been written without their input. Think of the opportunity to get quoted positively as a free ad for your company. It’s a gift. Don’t keep the giver waiting.

Avoid paranoia. Although it is fashionable in some circles to be cynical (and even hostile) to the media, the truth is that most reporters are just trying to do a day’s work—which for them is writing articles and stories. Unless your firm has done something wrong, the writer is rarely “out to get you.” Some companies create a negative story where none previously existed by treating reporters as the enemy or by responding in an adversarial way. Give the writer the benefit of the doubt. You certainly don’t want to volunteer any negative information, but you can use the power of the pen to showcase your company in a positive light. Never say “no comment.” It always makes you look guilty or scared. Even in a bad situation, say something that offers insight into the actions you plan to take or the way you hope to turn things around.

Think before you speak. I’ve heard people complain about being misquoted by writers or even made to look bad. In reality, the reporter most likely used the person’s exact words, which may not have come across very well when the person read what he actually said. You can avoid having this happen to you by taking a moment to collect your thoughts instead of blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. Asking for a moment to think through the question is perfectly legitimate. Most writers will be willing to wait. After all, the writer wants a good quote, too! So take a moment and say what you really mean. It will look better the next day when you read it in print.

Avoid puffery. Avoid the urge to brag. Saying that your company is the best, the only or the first in its industry creates liability for the writer unless you can back up your claim. Talk about your services and what makes your company different, but avoid overstatements that are likely to get your quote deleted.

By using these five tips, you can leverage a writer’s question into great visibility for your company. Always be sure to spell out your name even if the writer forgets to ask, and make sure he or she has your correct title, the full name of your business, and even your email address for any follow-up questions or clarifications. By making the most of the chance to be quoted, you are putting good public relations to work for your company—for free!

Gail Z. Martin owns DreamSpinner Communications and helps companies in the U.S. and Canada tell the Real Story of their business through exceptional writing and marketing. Gail has an MBA in marketing and over 20 years of corporate and non-profit experience at senior executive levels. She is also the author of The Summoner, a fantasy adventure novel.

Sign up for a FREE email mini course, FREE marketing conference call and a FREE teleseminar on Telling Your Real Story, at http://www.DreamSpinnerCommunications.com Find out more about Gail’s books at http://www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com Contact Gail at 704-595-9581 to start telling the Real Story of your business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gail_Martin

Do you have a crisis management or crisis communications plan for your business or organization? Do you believe your business or organization is too small to need a crisis communications plan? Or do you believe that crises only happen to others?

If you are like the majority of businesses and organizations today, especially small to medium sized ones, you answered NO to the first question and probably YES to the second question. And I hope you answered NO to the third question.

Well, I cannot emphasize too strongly that no matter how big or small you are, every organization should have a crisis management and crisis communications plan.

If you read the newspapers or watch the news on TV or hear the news on the radio, you know that crises happen every day. No person or organization is immune from crises. Think about such recent crises as fires, bank robberies, corporate scandals, sexual harassment, product recalls, death of top executives, closing a facility, etc.

So what should you do? The answer: develop a crisis management plan in 2 parts. The first part is the crisis management plan (how your company or organization will deal with the crisis at hand to minimize negative impacts). The second part is the crisis communications plan (how you will communicate with the media and the public about the crisis).

Too many companies prepare one without the other. Both are critically important. Your goal needs to be that most crises will never get reported in the media because you handled the situation skillfully enough that it never became visible to the media. And the development and implementation of a good crisis communications plan will help make sure of that.

Some great tips and techniques for your crisis management program can be found on the Public Relations Society of America website. General principles that can positively affect your actions and communication in a crisis situation.

Crisis communication planning can help you deal effectively with those unexpected disasters, emergencies or other unusual events that may cause unfavorable publicity for your organization.

Before the crisis, successful communication will depend, in large part, on the preparations you make long before the emergency occurs.

During the crisis, your focus is to deal with the situation, gather accurate information and communicate quickly.

Reporters provide few surprises in a crisis situation.

Your spokesperson should be forthright in dealing with media questions. There are, however, some questions he or she simply cannot and should not answer.

Your spokesperson should not respond to media questions with "no comment" because this answer can imply a lack of cooperation, an attempt to hide something or a lack of concern. There are more appropriate responses when he or she either doesn't have one or is not at liberty to give certain information after the crisis.

My goal with this article is to cause you to think about taking some initial steps to prepare yourself and your organization to start the development of a crisis management and communications plan. Don't wait until “it hits the fan” to start your planning. If you would like to learn more about this subject, you can contact Glenn Ebersole at [email protected]

Crisis Communications Planning or What To Do Before, During Or After It Hits The Fan By: J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr., Chief Executive of J. G. Ebersole Associates and The Renaissance Group

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Glenn_Ebersole

Media interviews can be difficult even for those used to public and media attention —but they can be downright terrifying for those who’ve never been in the media spotlight before.

For many who’ve never interacted with the media, fear of the media usually stems from a feeling of lack of control in the process, and concern over the reporter’s motives in doing the interview. Will I be able to answer the reporter’s questions? How will I know the reporter won’t make me look bad?

Reporters of course, understand many of their interview subjects will react this way, and good ones will do what they can to put their interviewees at ease. Reporters though have a tendency to believe people’s fears about the media are for the most part, groundless. As a media trainer and former reporter, I know it’s not that simple. Facts often don’t speak for themselves and interview subjects can indeed look foolish, inept or worse, even if that wasn’t the reporter’s aim.

The goal of media training is to teach you how to serve both reporters’ goals and your own, truthfully, factually, and with confidence. Media training is designed first and foremost to allow interview subjects to understand how to exercise the control they often don’t even know they have over the process.

The first thing for the novice interviewee to understand is that he or she is in far greater danger from a reporter who doesn’t get it, than from a reporter who is out to get you. The vast majority of reporters want to get the story right. If they work for a mainstream news organization, there are standards they must meet and higher ups to hold them accountable to those standards. That’s not to say reporters don’t sometimes get it wrong. It means if they’re a professional, they have a stake in getting it right and value their reputations. That means you need to concentrate on telling them what they need to know to get it right. I firmly believe that it’s always in people’s best interests to engage the media rather than shun them. Here are some basic rules for media interviews for you to keep in mind:

No Spin: Don’t lie to a reporter. Ever. It doesn’t mean you have to tell all, explain all and reveal all. It means you need to maintain your credibility at all times by making sure the veracity of what you say can be counted on. It also has the advantage of reducing the need to correct statements later.

Preparation is key: Reporters are looking to tell a story others can relate to or at least find a connection with. Think beforehand about the main points you want to make with a reporter and how you want to get those points across. This is called messaging and it’s a vital part of any interaction with a reporter.

Think about why you’re being interviewed: You are probably not speaking with a reporter just to provide them with raw data. More likely, you’re there to provide some kind of perspective. Concentrate then on the bigger picture regarding the issue or the event; as an expert, an observer or a participant.

Less is more: Speaking to reporters requires getting to the bottom line as quickly, and as quotably, as you can. Deliver the supportive data, facts and backup information after you’re sure you’ve delivered your message. Try to make your message as accessible as you can to the greatest number of people (no jargon, slang, or “inside language”) and if you tell a story, make sure it’s a succinct one that makes the point you really want to make.

Practice, practice, and practice: It takes a while to get comfortable with developing messages, reducing them to a few well-spoken statements, and staying on message through questions. The more you do it, the better you will get. No matter which reporters you speak to, trade, local, regional or national, print or broadcast, follow the same process of knowing who you are speaking to, for what reason, and determining what you want to say.

Media interviews should be a process of mutual gain. The media gets information, perspective, an interesting story or point of view, and you in turn get to reach the audience watching and listening to that segment of media. So give reporters what they’re looking for—access, good quotes and reliable information—and you’ll be rewarded with access to their audiences. Don’t let your lack of experience stop you from engaging with the media and with the public you want to reach.

Aileen Pincus is a former local and national television reporter, Senior Hill Staffer and leading executive communication coach, training corporate, government and non-profit executives in the art of communication. http://www.thepincusgroup.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aileen_Pincus

Business cards are one of the most common and seemingly un-creative communication tools in today's business world. This is exactly why you should make your business cards stand-out, and make an extraordinary and lasting impression compared to the competition for attention.

Also, advanced printing and design techniques are found in most printing houses, and their cost is more than reasonable.

Following are some ideas to get your business card the attention it deserves!

   1. Cards as collectible items: Print a "series" of business cards. The entire series would include the same basic information on your business services and contact details. However, you should create some 10-20 variations of the cards, and encourage clients, suppliers, partners, etc. to collect these as they would collect other collectible items.

      Each variation of the card could highlight a different product or service that you sell, could include a different image, a new success story, a quote related to your business or market, and so on.

      You might also offer a prize for those who manage to collect the full series (and make some variations of the cards more rare and harder to obtain).

   2. Cards supporting your chosen charity: Social awareness is a growing concern of businesses world-wide. It is also recognized as an important part of public-relations efforts. Why not show your concern for good causes on your business cards as well?

      You could print on the back of the cards a sentence such as "We support the [your chosen charity] fund. Join us - call this number to donate...".

   3. "Client in the center": Many businesses claim to place their concerns for their client's needs in the center. You could emphasize such a message if you leave room in the center of your business card, and fill-in the client's name and company before handing them their personalized and client-focused version of your business card.

      This could be integrated, for example, in your job title - e.g. "David Brooks, Client Manager for Palmer Enterprises, Inc." (emphasized part is filled in by hand).

   4. Cards with basic tools of trade: Many professions have basic tools of the trade. Architects use rulers and measure angles, bankers calculate interest rates, tailors write down various measurements, etc.

      You could include some of these basic tools on your business cards (perhaps on its back-side). The best approach would be to identify and design a simple and re-usable tool, that may be used often by the person you give the card to. This would make them look at your card and use it time and time again. They would also associate future needs related to that line of work with that tool on the card and with your name.

Amir Elion is a management and innovation consultant and facilitator. His Practical Creativity website on http://www.best100ideas.com includes numerous creativity and innovation tools. The ideas on this article as well as other creative ideas in many fields and creativity tools, may be found on the free monthly Creative Ideas Newsletter: http://www.best100ideas.com/newsletter.shtml

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amir_Elion

Okay. So we've just been hearing things about those rosy cheek guys who can manipulate variables and make things appear as nice as they can. And they do get successful. They can make people believe even if sometimes, they don't even believe in what pops into their minds. In this case, the person just have the power towards public relations.

But you see, things don't go always this way. Even the best PR men can mess up. What more for those who don't have naturally good public relations? Do they always have to settle on getting the attention of the many for all the wrong reasons?

Surely, not!

Communication tactics is not something that we all have. In fact, many among us have the basic problem on communications that normally lead us straight away to not being listened to, or worse being understood.

Public relation is a discipline and a faculty that is directed towards the exchange of ideas and interaction among the organization and the individuals that are concerned to make constructive representation.

Creative presentation of ideas is the core of public relations. While virtually the majority of us can talk, too few can really talk their minds well. Too few people can also talk for other people, organization, companies or causes.

But with discipline and focus on this field, you will surely find ways to know and master the art. You may ask, why should I hone my skills in public relations?

Well, for one there is money in this field. This has already become a career since it is now also considered a lucrative business. Companies need public relations men to talk their products out and deliver these into the market. Organizations require PR people to inform the public of their causes. During elections, one of the people being sought after is the public relations guy. So are certainly a number of crucial jobs that cater for this field.

So, what if you just don't have the capacity for public relations but would want to become one?

The answer depends largely on who you are, what skills you have, the special talents you can use with regards to public relations, on your ability to cope up with training, name it.

But to start with, you can try developing your skills in speaking in front of the public first and in interrelating with other people. Surely, you would not go into the public relations field if you are not confident enough to face different kinds of people or you are not willing enough to face them.

The next thing you would do is to try the following:

Research- Any field or industry knows the value of information. Now, there is not much trouble in here since research is a relatively cheap commodity. As a starter, you can begin with researching the fundamentals of public relations and all the fields it covers. The key point here is open-mindedness. Remember that you are just embarking on the field so whatever it is that you are delving into, you have to accept them. Be critically minded though.

Explore the highways- Knowledge without practical application is vain. You have to practice what you have learned. The public relations world does not let average individuals do the job. You have to be perfectly fit for the field so as to make an edge.

Sometimes, we just have to accept our own limitations. That way, we would learn ways to improve and to acquire what was given to us in its barest minimum and what was not actually given to us.

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on business ideas or brainstorming checkout his recommended websites.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mario_R._Churchill

The most important thing to remember about a Press Release is that it is one tool in a successful Public Relations campaign. Some believe the words “Public Relations” and “Press Release” are one and the same in meaning; others realize that a press release is a very useful tool in the overall public relations arsenal.

In my 20+ years of working as an active public relations professional, with experience in a variety of industries, one of the things I enjoy the most is writing a press release. A press release should convey, in a concise manner, a message that is accessible to a wide variety of audiences. The press release in its best form can be read by a reporter or editor who then wants to write or broadcast about the subject to their audience, which then becomes your audience when it is published.

As an example, consider a press release I recently created for a software company. The software package they had created had a very specific purpose, and therefore a “niche” audience. In order to best convey their message, and create a press release that would build awareness of their product, I interviewed the company’s principles extensively, and also researched the media that served their intended audience. I then wrote a press release that targeted that audience through very specific media outlets.

Here’s a “checklist” that comes from my experiences – again, I’ve been writing press releases on an almost daily basis since I was a sophomore in college, so I believe I have it down to a science. But I am also actively researching new ideas, and new approaches, as the press release continues to evolve in use and purpose.

Why would the media be interested in this story? If it’s not of interest, it probably should be released. There are organizations that send out press releases about everything and the media no longer takes them seriously.

Research your subject – know everything you can learn about the product, the company, the spokesperson (or the person you may be quoting in the press release).

Research your audience – know which media outlets would be best for you to “pitch” to most effectively. Don’t write a press release about a sports event and send it to a Business writer!

Write, edit, revise – Put the ideas on paper (or on screen). Write a draft that expresses what you have learned about your subject; don’t worry about spelling or grammar at first. Be certain you have the message correct – don’t be afraid to ask your client or your subject follow-up questions. Edit for spelling and grammar, and share with your client or subject for additional input. Revise your draft accordingly, use your computer’s spell check program (it is your friend), keep a dictionary and a thesaurus near you at your desk, and be certain you understand fully what you are writing about – you may get a call from a reporter with a question based on what you wrote, and you don’t want to get caught unprepared.

In this phase of the writing, double-space your copy. It gives you greater room for editing (and writing in the margins).

Err on the side of being brief rather than verbose. The media are usually very busy, and they have a short attention span. Write a good headline, and a great first paragraph (or lead).

Your headline should be concise and compelling – remember, people scan quickly.

To find out what style is most acceptable to the media, consult a “Style Book.” I have used the “Associated Press Style Manual” since 1981; it’s available in most book stores. I also recommend “The Wall Street Journal Guide to Business Style and Usage.”

Always include a contact person’s name, e-mail address, telephone and/or cell phone number at either the top or the bottom of the press release.

Use a Press Release distribution service. Choose the distribution circuits most appropriate for your news. Business Wire (my personal preference) and PR Newswire are the two main distribution services for press releases. Visit their web sites, see what is being sent out over their wire services, and understand where your press release might fit. They are very reasonable price wise (for example, Business Wire charges for the first 400 words a flat rate based upon your selected distribution circuit, and then a rate for every 100 words over and above 400 words). You will be able to select distribution circuits – by geographic location, by industry or sector, and by specific trade groups or industry groups (i.e. Philadelphia – Health Wire – Advertising, Marketing, Professional Services, Consulting, Senior Citizens, and Software trades). With both, you will get optimal search engine placement, as well as free inclusion of your company logo and links to all appropriate web sites (i.e. corporate web page). Additional fees are involved for inclusion of photos and charts, but in many cases, it is worth the expense.

Avoid issuing a press release exactly on the hour or half-hour – you’ll be able to avoid a crowd of competing news.

Business Wire and PR Newswire require that you open an account (or membership) with them prior to sending out a press release through their service. I will use Business Wire as my example, as I am most familiar with them. For my clients, I have set up individual accounts, with a logo on file, a URL for their corporate web site, and a brief background (CEO’s name, company address, public or private, number of employees) that can be linked to each press release from that client. Using their Business Wire Connect web site, I am able to upload press releases from my PC to the Business Wire newsroom, and select the distribution channels through a click list on the site. Once the press release is submitted through Business Wire connect, I have a receipt on screen, as well as a receipt that is sent to me via e-mail. Once the press release has cleared the wire (in other words, been sent out to the distribution circuits I’ve selected) a second e-mail or a phone call follows letting me know what time it went out, and what code number is associated with the release for tracking. Within 24 hours of the press release distribution via Business Wire, I receive a “tracking report” from the company that lets me know who received it, who opened it, who posted it on their web site, etc.

Have your Press Release posted on your web site the day you “release” it! Nothing is worse than a company sending out a press release to the media, driving people to their corporate web site, and that corporate web site is out of date! Establish an “online press room” with current press releases. I recently met with a potential customer who asked me if I knew anything about his company; I said yes, that he hadn’t updated his press room on his web site since April 2002. Keep it current!

Be certain that all internal constituencies at your company receive the press release too! Whether it requires posting on an Intranet, sending an internal e-mail to all employees, or tacking it to a bulletin board in the break room, it is always important to keep everybody in the loop. You don’t want employees at a company to get calls from someone outside the company about a press release and have them express ignorance.

If you do include employees in the loop, be certain they also know that there is a public relations person at the company who should field all calls from reporters. You do not want the receptionist getting quoted, you want the spokesman for the company to respond or designate the “responder.”

Find the media members that cover your industry – whether locally, regionally, nationally or just in a trade publication – and send them a personal e-mail with the press release as an attachment. Let them know who you are, and why you have sent it, and give them a resource if they have further questions.

As an example, let me share the process I recently used for my software client. The software product is intended as a payroll/accounting tool for baby boomers who are hiring and employing household care givers for the elderly (live in nurses, etc.). In one particular instance, I knew that the July 2006 issue of MONEY Magazine featured a cover story on “Your Family’s Wealth,” and a feature on “Software that Makes Money Simple.” One particular story was entitled “When your parents need a hand.” I reached out to Penelope Wang, the reporter whose byline appeared on the story, by calling the phone number listed in the MONEY Magazine masthead (listing of staff at the front of the magazine). I then left her a voicemail message that I was sending her a press release about my client, and gave her my contact information. I then e-mailed her the press release, again with my contact information and alluding to the voicemail message. When I called her the next day to follow-up, she was aware of the story, and expressed interest in including my client in a future article.

Finally, don’t forget to follow-up. The Press Release is only one tool – you can use it as “entry” to a relationship with a reporter, an investor, a customer – but that requires a phone call, a personal meeting, a personal letter or e-mail. A press release in a vacuum will not get you the attention you intended.

Jim DeLorenzo started his public relations career in the early 1980s while he was still a student at Villanova University (outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). He’s worked in a variety of industries, including sports and entertainment, technology, financial services and professional services. In 1999, he opened his own strategic public relations consulting practice (operating as JHD Enterprises, LLC). He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]. Additional information is available at his web site, http://www.JHDEnterprises.com

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For decades, companies have spent tens of thousands of dollars each year on the crafting, execution and distribution of press releases containing vital information about their recent achievements, acquisitions, product launches, and innovations to a wide array of news organizations; hoping and praying that the authoritative voice of the media will deem their release newsworthy and share it with you and I; the general public.

Unfortunately, many traditional marketers and PR professionals often scratch their head in amazement because they have written press releases in the past and did not receive any media coverage and/or customer interest. If that's the case, the lack of response can be attributed to variety of reasons (i.e. you have a horrible product/service, the press release was poorly written, the press release wasn’t optimized, and/or there was a flaw in the distribution of the press release). Whatever the case, it just didn’t work.

Optimizing a press release basically means that you should add relevant keywords and key phrases throughout the body of the content. This means that prior to actually writing the release, there should be substantial research done in order to identify the appropriate keywords you will be targeting. Additionally, you should be aware that your press release will not only be read by journalists, bloggers and the general public, but it will also be read by search engines (or algorithms) to determine the press release’s relevance and categorization. Nonetheless, the press release should naturally flow while a person is reading it.

News websites like Google News, Yahoo News, and MSNBC receive hundreds of millions of website visitors everyday; and an exponentially increasing number of consumers, journalist and bloggers are getting their news from this channel of news websites offered by search engines and blogs. This is why it is absolutely imperative to adopt a press release optimization strategy as part of your overall marketing mix; not doing so will cost your organization media attention, buzz, and a boatload of website traffic.

For the most part, distributing a press release is much easier than optimizing it. There are several distribution channels that can do this for you; some are free while others can become very expensive. The most popular are PR Newswire or Business Wire; there are a ton of them out there. Ideally, you should use a press release distribution service that can target your press release to members of the media that specifically cover your market or industry.

Also, remember that distributing a press release can take some time before you yield any significant offline results. Of course, it's almost guaranteed that you will receive a significant amount of web traffic during the first couple of weeks after the release; however, that doesn’t mean that an editor at the New York Times might read your press release and write a story about in the future.

In conclusion, press release optimization and distribution is a highly effective marketing tool that has the potential to generate new revenue streams, leads, mass publicity, and an increase in brand awareness for your product or service. Additionally, a well written press release that appeals to the media’s hunger for a good story and that is properly optimized with keywords that you want to rank for can naturally increase your one way links; a search engine optimization tactic that is essential to rank high in the search engines.

For more information of press release distribution, please visit our online marketing blog. Hypegen Marketing Group specializes in web site promotion strategy, SEO and article syndication for small business clients.

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“Did you get my article in yet?” That question, when asked by a PR person or business owner, is enough to set a reporter’s teeth on edge. All it manages to convey to the reporter is that you don’t bother to read his or her publication or tune into their program. To give you a leg up in dealing with the media and in the spirit of learning from our mistakes, we’ve compiled a list of things never to do, when dealing with the media.

1. Ask “Did you get it yet?” It’s sort of the PR equivalent of a kid asking “Are we there yet?” All it does is waste time and irk the reporter. It is better to ask if the reporter has any questions about what was sent.

2. Ask “Can it run on the first page?” That’s like someone telling you how to run your business. Determining story placement is an editor’s job. It is presumptuous to ask them to run it in a certain location or to complain if you don’t like the placement.

3. Ask “If I buy an ad, will you run my story?” That’s bribery and any legitimate reporter will be offended. Save your advertising questions for the advertising department and your editorial for the report. Of course, if advertising offers to help you get free editorial (and you can ask them how to go about it if you’re buying an ad), that’s a different story. Grab it.

4. Don’t send a release about something the reporter doesn’t cover. Do your homework. Determine who is writing about your areas of expertise – and send your material to that reporter. That way the story will appear in the section of the paper that will be of most benefit to you.

5. Don’t bombard the paper with releases. Target your release to the people at the media outlet most likely to use it. If you don’t know, call the publication and ask an editorial assistant. You’ll be appreciated for doing so.

6. Don’t vanish. There is absolutely no point in sending out a release if you’re not going to be available for an interview. By hook or crook, make yourself available, find another spokesperson – or don’t bother sending a release.

7. Ask “Why wasn’t I quoted?” That’s questioning the reporter’s and paper’s judgment. Often times, you may have been cut out for space reasons by an editor. Better to work on your “quotability factor” by giving sound bites that are just too good to be cut.

8. Say “Call me when it runs” Read the publication or view the program and find out yourself when it runs. A reporter doesn’t want or need to be bothered.

9. Lastly, be considerate of their deadline, not yours! Most importantly, whenever you call on a reporter be courteous and ask if they have a few moments to speak with you if they are not on deadline. If they are, phone back later. The reporter will appreciate it and it will help you build your relationship with that person over time.

Wendy Marx is president of Marx Communications, a public relations and marketing communications firm that helps B2B companies and entrepreneurs build their brands through innovative promotional strategies. To learn more and sign up for her free marketing and PR tips, visit http://www.marxcommunications.com or email [email protected].

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The world of Public Relations and Press Relations is certainly interesting indeed. Sometimes articles in the news are really ad-vertorials and not actually stories or articles at all. That indeed can be a huge problem. Sometimes if the news about your company is too good people will think that you are paying the newspaper, magazine or trade journal reporter, author or writer of the article or story.

Case in point, recently a public relations and press-relations expert say an old article about our company in the Wall Street Journal and said I read your Wall Street Journal Ad. But it was not an advertisement article at all. It was a story and it was not even about our company, but rather our company was mentioned in a few paragraphs along with some other companies too.

That was a story or article not an advertisement, but then I see why she thought that now after I recently re-read it. There have been a couple stories involving our company in the WSJ over the years. It is also telling how someone can be so skeptical of good news about companies. As if to say all entrepreneurs and companies are some how dishonest. In fact it is quite telling of an anti-capitalist belief. What is more fascinating and something I have come to observe over the years is that it is interesting how individuals are portrayed in the media.

The media is a good tool, but dangerous too. They love to build you up, but will not hesitate to tear you down. Politics are deadly and it all about momentum during the weeks of voting. So you have to be careful, another reason why media relations is so vital to brand. The interesting thing about that particular Wall Street Journal article is that I actually remember it.

I talked to the guy for 30-minutes and explained my business enthusiastically, of course I love my business, it was my baby. I am retired now; yet in that half-hour of conversation the two paragraphs or so they wrote was interesting. Reporters are often like that, same with the USA Today article and the Franchising Trade Journal articles about our company. I tell you that the moral of the story is that press relations are important. I hope this article will propel thought in 2007.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

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Indeed, these are wonderful times we live in. I prefer to call this the Disruptive Age - an age where almost anything, anyone (and not to mention, any country) can disrupt even century old concepts, beliefs and businesses. An era where the old gives way to the new with ease, a time when anything is possible!

This era has also seen a resurgence of some old business concepts like public relations which have reinvented themselves and have taken a prominent central stage in all other businesses. Till some years ago, it was rare to find someone who understood public relations, and today while many understand it, not everyone who does uses public relations to do what it is meant to do, viz to build brands. Reputation is the most basic building block of brand image, and public relations is arguably one of the most reliable tools of reputation building, making it indispensable to brand building in the current disruptive era.

For practitioners of PR in India, 2006 will be considered a watershed. It is the year when public relations shifted gear into overdrive and, as a result, also became more visible. Stealing some limelight from their older cousin advertising, PR professionals must surely be smirking with glee in knowledge that their moment has come and it is now their time for a place in the sun.

Those who chose PR as their career are already reaping the benefits of their choice – though the rapid growth of the industry has another effect which is not entirely productive or harmonious with growth; it has created an enormous demand for good quality personnel. This demand-supply gap is stretching servicing new businesses to the limits, and it is no longer unthinkable for a professional in this field to be offered double the salary for a change of jobs. Just about everyone, the placement consultants, the professionals and the PR companies are hearing pleasant music from the ringing of the money tills.

The growth of this sector is also evident from the sudden globalization of the business. Almost every global giant in public relations has already set up shop in India or is actively considering it. In fact, India will be a defining part of the growth strategies of even the big five agencies. Consolidation is another strong indicator. Like the advertising deals in the 80s, there is a fervent race for international PR agencies to consolidate their position in India. Signs of takeovers, mergers and acquisitions are already very visible. I personally know of at least 5 to 6 of India’s high growth agencies (including ourselves) who are evaluating potential alliances. The knocks on the door just don’t seem to stop!

Two questions crop up pretty quick after reading the above. One, where’s this business coming from? And secondly, will this last?

One of the critical and seemingly contradictory factors responsible for this sudden spurt in growth is the fact that due to an increasing tendency of merging differentiations. Brands are feeling the pinch of a lack of a distinctive personality. In a world where the choices are a plenty, every stakeholder is looking for a perfect match to his or her needs. A world full of clones is hardly going to represent choice, or be interesting, fun or productive.

Let us consider it established that brand distinctiveness (as we will call it here), is a core driver for the existence and evolution of a brand. Also consider it established that PR is the most innate driver of this ‘distinctiveness’. If the two are true, what will be the answer to the question – ‘Will this phenomena last?’

There are two parts to this answer. The first part is generic and almost philosophical – one that says that nothing lasts forever. This trend is cyclical and we’re all happy to be riding the wave. But, if you become more specific and ask the question, will this industry outpace others and witness a boom in the next two decades –‘Without doubt’, would be my unhesitating answer.

The reasons – firstly, brand trust is an essential. Without trust in the brand, there will be no brand. Secondly, distinctiveness is as basic to survival and growth of a brand, as air is to breathe, water to quench thirst. Distinctiveness is the unique ‘me’ of a brand and therefore an essential in meeting the increasing demands of the consumer. Added is the fact that customer demands are inversely proportional to customer loyalty. So unless brands have an aura of uniqueness about them, it will be difficult for any consumer to identify with the brand.

If you read the above paragraph again, you’ll see that public relations is the only communications tool that can help achieve both effectively. Building credibility and trust in the organization, brand or individual are innate objectives met by any PR campaign. Creating a distinctive identity is the creative design of the campaign that attaches relevance to the public relations deliverables

The field of public relations is already growing at a hectic pace and we can only expect it to accelerate in the years to come. But, of course, the industry will need to innovate in order to answer the critical demands of accountability, transparency and relevance. PR has become like an essential nutrient for the growth for any company irrespective of industry and it is entirely upto the professionals to ensure that they do everything to maintain the credibility in their industry.

An anonymous quote which aptly summarizes the way the public relations industry is moving can be found in “Yesterday we were learning and still finding our feet; today we run to race the storm, tomorrow we will fly and find the wind beneath our wings.” - Anon

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Press releases can help you gain exposure for your business, products or services and increase your visibility and credibility online.

It's the editorial feel and informative nature that separates it from tradtional advertising. This is a critical distinction. Journalists are trained to weed out and scrap any press releases that come off sounding like a thinly-veiled ad.

The idea is simple, "If you want to advertise your product or company you can buy the ad space like everybody else. If you want me (the journalist) to give you free publicity, you better make my job easier by giving me something that helps my readers live or work better; helps my paper or magazine sell more copies or more ad space, or helps attract more interested visitors and advertisers to my web site."

You can target traditional media like magazines, newspapers and major online news portals or look to "grassroots" media, like influential site owners and bloggers.

An email press release should be a brief (350 - 500 words) and objective announcement about your company, product or service to the media. Paragraphs should be no longer than 3-4 sentences.

Spend time developing and writing from a unique angle that matches the mindset of your target audience. What you consider "newsworthy," may be considered "old news" by a journalist. Try to find supporting, unbiased information that adds credibility to your angle.

As you draft and edit your press releases, keep looking at it from the journalists and then the intended reader's point of view. You have to answer two simple questions:

1. "Why should I the journalist/reader care?"

2. "Why should I stop what I'm doing right now and read this press release?"

Note: It's considered poor etiquette to attach photos and other documents when contacting reporters through email. It's better to post that information on your site in an online media kit—including any photographs, biographies, white papers and other product/company information.

If you are working with a very small budget and possess some creativity and writing skill, you can get away with writing your own release and submitting it through free submission services. If you have the money to hire someone, there are many press release services available, with prices all over the map. If you have a larger budget, you can use a service that will write and distribute releases for you. Press Release Guidelines

* Submit to media that reaches your target market.

* The first line of the email message should read FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

* Compose a compelling e-mail subject header and headline (less than 10 words).

* Cover the “five W's” in your first paragraph.

* Write for a journalist, not a customer (make it “newsworthy”)

* Position your story as a solution to a business or consumer problem or highlight your expertise in an area of interest/trend.

* Provide electronic contact information including an e-mail address and telephone number for the press contact and web address of the company.

* Include testimonials of key clients or endorsement from a 'non-biased' sources (with permission).

* Give a brief personal or company background at the end of the release.

* Don’t rely on spell-checker to proofread for you.

* Close the release with -30- or ### which are generally accepted indicators for the end of a story.

Example

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Peanut Boy Introduces Squeezable Peanut Butter

PLANTERS, Mass. – January 16 (Tike Press)- Paragraph One…

Body Text/Paragraphs

For more information, visithttp://www.peanutboy.com.

Peanut Boy is a certified organic manufacturer of innovative food products based out of Planters, Massachusetts.

Interview Contact: Nina Coleman, VP Marketing
Telephone: 555-526-0509
[email protected] email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view ithttp://www.peanutboy.com

Peanut Boy Foods, Inc.
1010 Roasted Way, Planters, Massachusetts, USA 02389
Voice 555-526-0509 (USA 011)

# # #

Linda Bustos is the Marketing Director for Image X Media, a Vancouver web design and Internet marketing firm She also blogs about social media

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Bustos

It seems to me that some web users are completely unaware of the importance and the power of a good press release.

I’ve read recently somewhere a user’s assertion that really scared me:

    "Press Releases have been devalued a lot by Google, so they’re no magic answer."

Who cares whether Google values or devalues a press release?

Press releases are not addressed to Google, but to the people! While online press releases might generate positive “secondary effects”, such as inbound links, this is not their main purpose.

You might be surprised to learn that press releases are really powerful online media tools. I am not talking just about immediate results, but also about results that can be seen in time, sometimes weeks, even months, after… "releasing the news".

I am still amazed that people confuse advertising and publicity. Could it be because in the dictionaries these two terms are synonyms? Then I’ll not write “publicity” anymore, but public relations. Advertisers focus on the “now” and on the direct sales.

Public relations experts focus on the long-term relationships with the industry, clients, media and business partners. Public relations generate “credibility”. Sometimes PR experts present news about a company in the form of relevant press releases.

If online PR officers should focus on keyword optimization to ensure broader exposure, offline things are easier. But offline press releases don’t have such huge chances of coverage as it happens online! From my point of view, using the Web for certain public relations campaigns is far more worth than using offline channels.

Press releases are read by journalists online or offline, and if they decide a story is worth publishing, they might write an article or publish it "as is".

To make a long story short, an online press releases has the following purposes:

    * to give journalists information that is useful and accurate about a product, service, company and even a person;
    * to gain public confidence and strengthen public image for a brad, company or product;
    * to inform the market of a new or improved product or service.

The purpose of a press release, I have to repeat that till it is clear, is not to make a sale, but to “announce” in a sober, neutral and realistic manner news about products, services and changes. The press release is not a story that should be published word for word. It’s just a tool to grab the attention of the editors.

And that… is something that really doesn’t concern Google!

Mihaela Lica, the founder of Pamil Visions, has professional qualifications in journalism. She worked for the Public Relations Directorate of the Romanian Ministry of Defense for 4 years and since 2002 she lives in Germany and works as a public relations and media consultant.

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