| Promotion Tips Press Releases Press releases should target either general interest or special interest media. Your targets should include print, broadcast, and internet media. General interest media includes your local newspaper, Time magazine, and some of your local radio and television stations. Special Interest media includes trade publications and broadcast media that focuses on some niche area of interest. The important thing to remember as you pursue this avenue, is that your press release must be newsworthy, ie..., news, if it is going to be published and generate the traffic to your website that you are seeking. You should also recognize that what's news to one organization isn't necessarily news to another. Your local newspaper, the Littleville Beacon, may think your having a website on the internet is big news. After all, nobody at the paper has browsed the internet themselves yet and they don't know anyone else who has a website. So by all means send a press release to the home town newspaper. Time magazine, on the other hand may not be so impressed. They may not have actually browsed the web, but someone met somebody sometime at a cocktail party in Manhattan who did. So its not news. Yet if you have the right kind of site you might get into Time. How? Well, if its a special interest site it might correspond to a special interest section of the publication or be involved in a special event of the time. For example, the periodical has a section that covers politics and your website is the be all of all times on politics. Or you might get lucky and send them your PR Release on your model railroading website just as they are putting together a special report on how model railroading is taking the nation by storm. Of course, you will not know that, but if you send enough PR releases out you just might get lucky. You could get on the radio. Does one of your local stations have a talk show that covers computers? Perhaps there's a local talk show that's about crafts and hobbies. Your website on model railroading might be an appropriate subject to talk about when you call into the show. Hey, you're doing a public service here. Don't be shy. Special interest media would include Model Railroading Magazine, NetGuide, ComputerWorld, and a variety of programs on public television and radio. The closer the fit of what your website covers and what this particular media covers the more likely you will get coverage. If a particular media is a super fit for your site, like if there were a publication called Model Railroading on the Web, you should probably make a special effort and maybe tailor your release to meet their specific needs. You might even call the editor for the department you are targeting to reinforce your message. Writing the press release should not be too difficult. Keep it brief. About two pages double spaced is about right. Always include some direct quotations as if you were being interviewed. For example, "Mr. Churilla stated that his Eureka! Internet Search Engine is the greatest thing since sliced bread." With some good direct quotes, the reporter can write the story as if he actually bothered to interview you. Since reporters are very busy people, this extra touch will be very appreciated and your website is more likely to get some press coverage. A well written press release can be used verbatim by some trade publications. The trade publications that have no paid subscribers and a lot of advertisers often don't have a lot of reporters hanging around looking for something to do. The editor just might pop your entire release, unedited (He's busy too.), right into the Industry News Column. E-mail to VIPs If you read in the paper or hear on the news, that Congressman I. M. Polluted has given up on budget and welfare reform and has decided to coddle up to the Model Railroading special interest in congress, you should sent him a fax, letter, and/or e-mail announcing the great resource that you have made available free to the web-walking public. Representative Polluted might just be so impressed by your public spirit and the incredible content of your web page that he reads it into the Congressional Record the next day. And 60 minutes may find that so noteworthy that they send Andy Rooney out to cover the story in his next chat. Imagine, your life will never ever again be the same. Special Interest Groups You should notify all the other home pages dedicated to Model Railroading that your website has arrived. They will probably want to link to your page. If your website is all about Macintosh HTML programming, you should probably look for Macintosh websites and user groups (SIGs) and the same for HTML websites and SIGs and let them know your website is out there. Generating links and word of mouth advertising will expand your reach and bring in more traffic. You can find these special interest groups by using the Eureka! Internet Search Engine. Use all regular forms of Business Communications If you have built your website as a means of generating traffic to your business and/or business website, be sure also to publicize your website by putting it on your letterhead, your business cards, your invoices, your advertising, and any other form of communication you use regularly to keep in touch with your customers and to pursue new prospects for your business. Don't believe in the axiom, "If you build it, they will come." They won't come if they don't know about it. Don't forget to put a brief description or the websites name along with its URL in your signature file for your e-mail system(s). Every time you e-mail someone you want to automatically advertise your website. |
