Happy Hump Day! The week is already halfway through it seems. Good
news for those of us who have the luxury of weekends off!
Let’s celebrate it today by talking about press releases.
I’ll admit, in the past I’ve been pretty slack about putting them
out. But boy did I learn my lesson!
Last week I published a press release. A free one, mind you.
Within hours I was at the top of the search results for multiple
high-traffic search terms.
Thanks to this, I now have a brand new client that’s paying me
$6,597 to launch a new product. I’m stoked about this product too.
It’s got a number of HUGE names behind it, which means that it’ll
be a massive launch.
Not to shabby for two hours of work!
So, how can you write a press release that’s going to get ranked
well AND bring in good business?
1. Find a good website to release your PR at. I’ve had excellent
luck using PRLog.org. I use their free service, which practically
guarantees me good rankings, which stands to say plenty of readers.
2. Write as if you are a reporter. The idea of a press release is
to get in the news, not just on a PR site on the web. Keep that in
mind when writing.
You can use fancy-schmancy wording, but overall you just want to
state facts, give quotes, and sound official. Read your newspaper’s
website to see what I mean.
3. Create a quality headline. Just like on your website, the
headline will be the first thing read. Make sure it tells the
reader exactly what the article is about and why they should take
the time to read it.
4. Write a full summary. In 2-4 sentences sum up your whole
article. This is what the reporters who are looking for news want
to read. Make this catchy, informative, and readable.
5. Who? What? Why? When? Where? and How? All those questions need
to be answered in your press release.
Again, read through your newspaper to see how reporters write and
you’ll be putting together money-makers in no time!
Give it a shot and put three or four PR’s out and see what it does.
You’re going to get loads of traffic, plenty of new deals, and
quite a busy office.
I dare ya. Do it.
July 1st, 2009 at 8:21 pm #Jamie
Hey Chris, thanks for writing about this.
I’m going to have to try Press Releases out if they are having this big of an impact on you! You always have these great tips to share with everyone. Its a joy reading your stuff, as always.
July 7th, 2009 at 6:04 am #Cheryl
Thanks for the great press release tips. Especially the website you shared. I hadn’t heard of that one.
As I was reading your post it also got me thinking this is a great way to practice creating stories. Stories are a great way to sell without selling both in your copy and when selling face-to-face.
The challenge is getting your story down to its punchiest;-) And when you talked about the 2-4 sentence summary the connection hit me. You could take the summary you wrote for your press release, zip it up a bit and use it in your copy or when talking to someone.
What do you think?
July 7th, 2009 at 3:40 pm #Chris Ramsey
Hey Cheryl,
I think you’ve got it. In Network Marketing, the biggest thing people learn is to have an ‘elevator pitch’. While I don’t really bother with this type of marketing, if you’re interested in it, a quality 20 second intro is a MUST.
July 7th, 2009 at 10:06 pm #Who are the Best Sales Teachers? | Increase Sales Coach
[...] Chris Ramsey was talking about writing a press release when it hit me… Writing a press release is an excellent way to learn your story telling chops while potentially driving some new prospects your way. [...]
July 8th, 2009 at 2:37 am #Leanne Hoagland-Smith
Chris – Thanks for the website as I too was not familar with it. This is a strategy that I share with all my clients who have limited budgets.
Cheryl – You are right on about the power of stories. I am reading this book – Elements of Persuasion: Use Storytelling to Pitch Better, Sell Faster & Win More Business. The authors have some great tips to compliment what Chris write about in this great posting.
July 8th, 2009 at 4:04 am #Chris Ramsey
I haven’t really posted too much about it lately, but hypnosis is one of THE most powerful tools in my box.
If you’re interested in learning how to tell stories like a true master of persuasion, you have to read “My Voice Will Go With You” by Sidney Rosen.
It is a compilation of stories from the legendary hypnotist Milton Erickson. Just reading through the book will create real change in your life, he’s that good.
July 8th, 2009 at 8:45 pm #Twitted by linksgoogle
[...] This post was Twitted by linksgoogle [...]