Monday, 10 December 2012

Ways To Make Money Free


It's time to develop your writing skills and start developing an arsenal of press releases to fire off to the media. How do you peddle your story in a way that offers a valuable story idea to a reporter and encourages him to write a story about you? But now what? You've convinced your marketing manager or company president that adding publicity into your marketing mix is of great value - congratulations!

The Backbone of Publicity - The Press Release

Anything that smells of self-promotion will not get picked up by the press. Write your release like an objective reporter. This is not a sales pitch, remember though. Why your story is worth writing about, and then explain why your product is unique and different - and most importantly, and how, why, where, when, what, communicate the who. You must think like a reporter, to get noticed. Chances are the reporter or editor receiving your "news" is doing the same with your release. Which ones do you skim over? Which ones grab you and urge you to read on? Pick up a newspaper and glance at the headlines. The trick is writing your press release in a way that engages the reporter to want to learn more about your business or product. The release is actually the primary means of communicating to the mass media the facts and background for a news story - your story. It has just evolved over the years, it is not; while some may argue that the press release is dead.

By showing how you fit into the bigger story as opposed to why you are the story sometimes gets you even more publicity on a broader scale. Can you start a trend with your story? What are the latest trends or fads in your industry? You can also tie yourself into something bigger.

This information supporting your story idea will go a long way in showing a reporter that your idea is legit. Use this objective praise in your release, if you have customers willing to give a testimonial about how great your product is or statistics from nationally respected researchers. The Delete button will wipe out your release immediately, if you use this type of language! And jargon, sales speak, this is why you want to steer clear of marketing, again. Journalists have their own reputation to protect so they're more apt to pursue a story based on fact and significant proof. They have seen many companies with the "next big idea" fall flat on their face. Many journalists are skeptics, however, sadly.

The Blank Screen - Don't Panic!

Long-term relationships with the press, give them the details they need from the beginning and you'll be on your way to building positive. Golden rule: don't make journalists work to find information. Writing in a clear and concise manner will put you miles ahead of many people who regularly send out press releases, while the ability to write well is definitely a bonus. Don't worry too much if you're not the next Great American Novelist.

Include: For the actual nuts and bolts of the release, now?

Which includes information that supports your lead or story pitch, )
- a headline
- where the news is coming from (also known as a dateline and typically the town where your business resides)
- your lead-in as to why this story is so important
- the body text of the press release. - the date
- contact information (who should the reporter call or email for an interview to learn more?

Communicate those thoughts through supporting facts. Or the largest, number one, reporters and editors don't want to hear marketing speak about how your product is the best. Use facts to support what you're saying. Steer away from fluffy adjectives, keep it clean and crisp.

More and more people want to know exactly where their food is coming from, with the recent food scares in spinach and tomatoes. But this one was unique in that it addressed a growing trend - food traceability, there are so many "new" software packages out there, granted. " I had one client who wrote a press release about a new software package they were introducing to market. You have a good shot at garnering some "ink, and a little bit of creativity, some great quotes with substance, with all the facts, if you write tight. You are becoming a reporter and writing a story (your press release) as you might see it published in a newspaper or magazine, essentially.

Now get out there and tell your story! The VAR earns an A+ and reaps the rewards of a story about his company. The VAR wrote such a fantastic release with all the correct information that the reporter didn't have to do any work! This is great and successful press release writing. " Reality check: You want them to copy your release verbatim! How can they do that? "This is plagiarism, you might say, now. With one of the staff reporter's byline, it was the VAR's press release verbatim! A news article appeared in the state's primary newspaper, two weeks after it was distributed to the media. It included all the facts and it sounded newsworthy, however. But the release was nothing fancy, the VAR wrote a basic release about the new software that addressed this trend. The growing trend now is to buy and eat organic or locally grown foods, as a result.

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