How to Write and Submit Online Press Releases Like a Pro
Online press releases have the power to drive traffic to your company's site, boost your online reputation and reach customers to let them know about important company information or industry news. Read this article to learn how to write a successful press release.
Writing online press releases can help boost your business's online
credibility significantly as well as help you get valuable information out to your
customers and potential customers. If there is a particular event coming up, a
current promotion or exciting news dealing with your company, it's a great idea
to share that information with people who are interested, your customers.
Sending out press releases
to journalists as well as distributing them to online press release sites and
bloggers on a regular basis will increase your sales and build your online
reputation. However, in order to begin, you must first know how to write a good
press release that won't hurt your business. In order to write a successful
press release you need to know what information to include. Here are 8 things
that you must keep in mind while writing a press release.
1. Think about who you are trying to reach.
Keep in mind the audience you are trying to speak to and don't veer off course.
Don't use technical business jargon that your readers won't understand.
Remember that many people who read online only skim, so keep the paragraphs
short and interesting or you'll lose your readers.
2. Come up with an
enticing headline. What good is a well-written press release if the headline is so boring
that no one will click on it? Make sure your online press release's headline
describes what the PR is about in an interesting way to lure readers in.
Remember to keep it short, you only have a few seconds to catch a Web surfer's
attention.
3. Find news-related
material to write about. Timely, news-worthy press releases will grab readers' attention. Write
about a new product or service, industry trends, helpful tips that deal with
your business, receiving an award or involvement in a charity, sponsoring an
event, opening a new office, etc. The topics are endless; you just have to keep
your eyes open for an interesting news story.
4. Include the 5 W's. When writing the press release, make sure to
always include information such as "who, what, where, why and when." This is
particularly important when you are writing about an event.
5. Always include
quotations. Using quotes gives a human interest appeal to the story and makes it
more interesting. Include at least one or two in every press release you write.
6. Keep style in
mind. When writing an
online press release, inverted pyramid style is the best. This is what
reporters use for news stories, because it present the most newsworthy
information at the beginning followed by the less-crucial details. Writing in
inverted pyramid style catches the attention of readers and ensures that even
if they drop off after a few paragraphs and stop reading, they still got the
most important information.
7. Include keywords. In order to get your press release indexed in
Google as fast as possible, make sure to include at least 1-2 keywords. There
should be a keyword in the title as well as a few in the body of the PR. This
will help people who are searching online stumble across your press release,
and they'll be more likely to read it.
8. Provide contact
information. Every press release needs to include the name, phone number and email
address of at least one contact within the company. This will be the person who
will take the phone calls and requests from reporters or others who are
inquiring about the information in the press release. Also include the name and
address of the company.
After you've written
a press release, the next step is to distribute it. There are many press
release submission sites online, however, this task can be extremely tedious
because each PR should be submitted to several sites. Also you should be
submitting a new press release to multiple sites frequently. Here are 3 tips
for distributing online press releases.
1. Come up with a
plan. Establish goals that
you want to reach with your press release campaign and figure out a plan so you
can reach those goals. Remember that every press release your write and submit
should act as a stepping stone to eventually accomplishing those goals.
2. Make a long-term
commitment to submit. When press releases are submitted to multiple sites, it helps build
links as well as generates more traffic back to your company's Web site.
Sending out press releases on a regular basis will earn your name recognition
and increase your chances of gaining readers.
3. Proofread before
your submit. Press release sites have strict rules. Make sure to copy and paste your
press release perfectly and always double check your work. Take advantage of
the "preview" button to make sure your PR doesn't have any HTML or formatting
issues that will make it hard to read.
Source: Free Guest Posting Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
About Article Author

Wendy Suto, President and CEO of Search Circus, specializes in search engine optimization and search engine marketing including online press releases for over 10 years. Certified in SEO, Wendy Suto only follows natural and organic search engine optimization guidelines with proven results. www.SearchCircus.com
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