One of the tired and true method writers have used to promote their books and build platform involves writing press releases and news releases. These days, however, you don’t necessarily want to send these directly to the media. You want them available to the general Internet-searching public as well as to the media. Why? Because everyone, journalists included, looks for what they need–even expert sources–on the internet. Therefore, you want your press releases discoverable in cyberspace.
What’s the difference between a press release and a news release? A press release serves as a very brief introduction to a subject and an expert and often features quotes from that expert. The release might pose a problem, then offer a solution or two and then entice the reader to find out more, but this is done in the third person. The purpose of a press release revolves around getting the media to contact the expert for an interview. A news release functions more like an article, or even a blog post, while still serving a promotional purpose. It can be a bit chattier or may be written in the first person. Basically, the expert—you—writes a news release as a way to pose a problem or address an issue—like press release—and then offers advice on how to overcome that problem or issue. The best news releases include several tips for readers to utilize.
There are many places to submit releases. One of the most popular, for example, is PRWeb.com. This company offers a range of press release distribution services from $89 to $499. The key to using this service—or any service—successfully is to write a release with a title and copy that includes well-chosen keywords. These are the most common words used in search engines to search for your subject matter. Once your release goes “live,” it can be found by anyone searching the internet using those keywords.
Although posting a release occasionally on a site like PRWeb.com can bring great results because you can get your news out to journalists, bloggers and consumers, I believe you can get more bang for your buck by singing up for a expert site, like ExpertClick.com, which also publishes the printed Yearbook of Experts. This service, for which you pay yearly, allows you to post news releases and press releases on their wire service daily. I don’t know of another existing service like ExpertClick.com.
Just as PRWeb.com’s most expensive service exposes your press release to the media, Expertclick.com offers the opportunity to post 52 news releases per year that are read primarily by the media when you join. This allows you to help journalists find you, to show journalists the issues about which you are writing and speaking and to ensure that media professionals know you welcome their contact. Plus, your releases are also on the web for anyone to find.
The news releases you posts with ExpertClick.com build your author’s platform:
- via daily and weekly headline feeds going to more than 11,000 journalists;
- via LexisNexis, the leading professional search resource;
- via Google News (if your releases are picked up);
- via instant posts at the News Release Wire website;
- via instant links to your ExpertClick.com profile and to your website;
- via the printed Yearbook of Experts;
- via RSS feed you can connect to your Twitter or Facebook profiles, and
- at ReviewBook.com for book releases.
I’ve been contacted by journalists because of my ExpertClick.com account, and now during my book launch, I’m posting releases on a regular basis, making the cost of my account really pay for itself. I couldn’t afford to post a release every day using PRWeb.com or any other news release service.
Of course, the links back to my blog or website that come from these press releases and the articles that appear on Google help my search engine page ranking as well.
If you are interested in an account at ExpertClick.com, you can save $100 by signing up using my affiliate discount link, www.ExpertClick.com/discount/Nina_Amir, or call them at (202) 333-5000 and mention my name. I highly recommend the service (obviously, or I wouldn’t have written this article). The people at ExpertClick are always helpful and have high integrity. They are there to serve you and to help you succeed as an author.
And here’s the thing: In this day and age, journalists and all types of media representatives do not want your press release sent to them individually. They are going to find you in some way shape or form via an online search. If they don’t look for what they need on Google, they are going to look at what comes across the newswires or go to a service they trust, like ExpertClick.com. If you want to be found, you want to use releases in a way that works…today…not in the past.
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