How To Create Your Internet Business Press Release
I wrote a post previously on How To Use Press Releases To Gain Exposure For Your Website? If you haven’t read this, please take time to read this first. If you have, let’s move on. Before you release a press release to the market you must spend time preparing and creating the right elements. Spend more time here and I can assure you that you will have greater success when you speak with the media. They want to know that you are knowledgeable in your area of expertise and don’t want to waste time. So let’s begin with preparation…
The Secret Is In Preparation!
The key to dealing with the media is demonstrating your ability to act quickly and to have information ready when people ask for it. Before reaching out to the media, develop the following:
- A good media release (some hints follow)
- A few backup ideas, in case the first one you present is knocked back by the journalist
- A one-page biography of yourself highlighting your experience and capabilities, which shows them you are a credible source
- A list of sample questions for the journalist to ask you (this can be especially helpful when working with radio stations, particularly the smaller or underfunded ones)
- A digital image of yourself, such as professional photos available for download at 300dpi
- Samples of your product (or if you’re providing a service, testimonials from customers who have tried it)
By providing a journalist the information they need, it makes the process of writing a story very easy for them and they will appreciate your efforts.
How To Use Press Releases To Gain Exposure For Your Website?
If you want to establish credibility and create brand awareness in the shortest amount of time, utilising the media is a more effective approach than paid advertising. The goal is to get the media to write great stories about your Internet business and yourself using press releases. It allows you and your website to reap the benefits of free exposure, which is considered to be three times more valuable than paid advertising. By having a third party such as a journalist write a story about you, your brand message becomes more credible and effective. Their coverage offers an impartial endorsement that tells their readers you are an honest person, and that your services or products provide substantial value.
Understanding How The Media Works
Our society is very time-poor, and this fight for attention includes our journalists and writers. They have to scan through literally thousands of articles, ideas and proposals a day to pick the best ones that will capture the reader’s attention. If we want to stand out among the thousands of articles a journalist will receive daily, we first need to understand what they are looking for.
Most journalists will ask — where’s the angle or the hook to this story? What is going to appeal to my readers that will make a great story? For example, if the heading of a story reads, “Man takes dog for a walk,” then people will not be interested. But if the heading reads “Man takes flying dog for a walk,” that story will grab the reader’s attention.
