Aplus.net Blog

SEO, advertising banners, email blasts: of course, there’s no guarantee you’ll always catch the attention of your target audience and attract them to your Web site or blog. But good PR can be the secret weapon in your arsenal of marketing tools to nudge your customers along. Increasingly, there are more and more resources available on the Web at places like PRWeb. And with the exponential rise in online media outlets, getting your publicity distributed widely on the Web is easier than ever.

It all starts with a good press release – a release that is concise, focused and follows a standard, time-tested format to convey your message quickly to the media. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Your news should be “newsworthy”: An effective news release tells a story, provides useful information about your company, product or service. Don’t try to make a sale with it, and avoid the use of “I” and “we” (which make it sound like an ad) other than in quotations.
• Stick to the facts – and write in a professional tone
• Start with a strong headline and subhead and answer the 5 “W’s” (who, what, where, when and why) within your first paragraph
• Remember your audience: write for the media – the journalists who may turn your release into a larger print, TV, radio or online feature
• Always include hyperlinks to your site to increase your visibility and in news sites, news searches and standard search engines

There’s a lot of good advice out there, too. Check out “Why Every Business Should Write Press Releases” from Daly Communications Group and “Let Your News Sell You…” from the blog Newsworthy.