Testimonials and Letters to the Editor

Of all the marvelous opportunities offered by the Internet
to get publicity without paying for it, two of the least-
used methods are writing testimonials for companies, books
and Web sites and penning letters to the editor.

Every time you're happy with a service performed for you or
a product you've purchased, instead of simply saying "Thank
you" or keeping your contentment to yourself, consider
writing a blurb expressing why you were satisfied, pleased
or ecstatic and emailing it to the company responsible. End
your message of praise, "And feel free to quote me on this,"
and very often the recipient will do exactly that. So long
as you follow two additional guidelines, when your
testimonial gets added to a well-trafficked Web site, you
can count on it generating click-throughs to your site.

First, within the body of your praise, mention what you do
or what your company is up to. For example, "Your
whooziwhatsit performed like a dream when we used it during
our new all-female production of 'Hamlet'" or "For anyone
like us who helps recruit college presidents and other
educational leaders, your service couldn't be more
valuable." Second, include your site's URL when you sign
off. Use the full "http://www" format, and anyone becoming
curious about you from your comments can easily hop over and
visit you, even if the site using your words didn't install
a formal hyperlink.

The same tips apply when you read a book that you liked in
your professional field of interest. Even if you bought it
at a real-world bookstore, you can submit comments about the
book at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and elsewhere. In
your review, find occasion to state how the book was
valuable to you in your line of work, namely such and such.
For example, "I read this book when our company, WashWorks,
was launching our portable washing machine. It warned us
away from so many pitfalls of new product introduction that
TravelWasher became an immediate success. Thank you!" Add a
few more points that you appreciated in the book so this
doesn't sound like bald self-promotion.

When you read an article about or for your industry that
hits home, do the same. Write a letter to the editor
agreeing or disagreeing with the piece or adding some
perspective the writer didn't mention. Such letters must be
timely - submitted within a week, usually, of the original
distribution of the article. They must also be concise -
100-200 words is ideal. As previously explained for
testimonials, they should also contain a substantive and
interesting reference to what you do.

Some publications select just a few letters for their print
edition and publish more at their Web site, while others
receive so little feedback that they use just about
everything. When you're responding to an article in a high-
circulation print magazine or a Web site read by many movers
and shakers in your industry, your letter gets distribution
to recipients you might not have had access to otherwise.