Bloggers and Press Releases
For some reason or another, bloggers seem to just not use press releases. I don’t quite understand this since public relations and media coverage (online and offline) is a very cost-effective way to promote a blog or any other website/company for that matter. To help blogger’s get started with public relations, I have created a guide to writing and submitting a press release online.
When writing a press release, the most important thing you need to come up with is a topic. A new post isn’t a good topic for a press release. Instead, you can issue a press release when you launch a new blog or new section of a blog, or form a partnership of any kind with important companies/people. The best way to determine if a topic is good for a press release is to ask yourself, “Is this topic good enough that people would read about it a newspaper or magazine about blogging or the subject the blog covers?” If it is, write the press release, if it isn’t, scrap it and don’t waste your time.
Now you actually have to write the press release itself. I have included an outline below that you can use, but before you start with that, I have one big tip. DO NOT make your press release promotional. If you make it a sales pitch it will be discarded by journalists (most of the time). Instead, make it informative like a news story. Read some of the press releases of companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google, and others to get a sense of what I am talking about. As far as length is concerned, make sure that you give a good amount of information on the subject without rambling. Journalists have only a short time to scan press releases so get your point across quickly. They will contact you if they want more information.
The Press Release Template
Title [Something Short and Sweet]
Description [ 2-3 Sentences About What the Press Release is about. A short summary
City, State, Date – The first paragraph should answer the following questions: who, what, where, when, and why? If you include those 5 elements, you have a great press release introduction. Who is the press release about, what is it about, where and when did the event take place, and why is it significant.
The second paragraph of the press release should expand on the topic of the press release. If you launch a product, give a description of the product and why it is the best. If you launched a new section of a website, tell why people should read it and what they can find there.
“Next, you want to include a quote from a company official / site founder.”
This paragraph should include information on pricing [if applicable] and expand on any information from the quote or in the second paragraph of the release. Product availability should also be here if it has not already been mentioned. [again, only if you are selling a product].
“Here you want a quote from an industry expert or a satisfied customer.”
Finally, end the press release by a few sentences on a website that they can visit for more information.
###[Ends the Press Release]
For Additional Information, Contact
Contact Name:
Company Name
Telephone Number
Fax Number
Email Address:
[The contact information will help news sources contact you for more information. Most online press release distribution outlets also require you to enter this information in separate fields when submitting the press release.]
Finally, you have to submit a press release. If you have money to spend, pay $80 or so to get basic distribution to PRWeb.com They are one of the leaders in online press release distribution. If you have a tighter budget, the following outlets have free submission packages: PRLeap.com, PR.com, PR9.net, PRFree.com, I-Newswire.com, Free-Press-Release.com, ClickPress.com, and PRUrgent.com.
Last but not least, get the e-mail addresses of the editors/writers for some prominent newspapers, magazines, and web sites that relate to your niche and send them a message with your press release, providing a story idea.
You can find the PowerPoint that accompanies this BlogOnExpo Session here
This post was written by the guys at DoItRight Public Relations, a public relations company focused on making affordable press release services available to all with prices starting at just $20.
