How to write a press release AND get it published

Written by Steve Nash


Continued from page 1

3.1) The Title of your press release is vital - some say that 90% of your time should be spent on your title; make it bold & boastful (hot and shocking!)

3.2) Opening sentence continues what you are talking about inrepparttar headline

3.3) Tell your story in headline and leading paragraph

3.4) Use specific, powerful (and true) testimonials - use convincing case studies

3.5) Use a powerful guarantee, and draw attention to it

3.6) - No more than 5 bullet points - No .DOC files - No attachments - No HTML

3.7) Change passive words to active; userepparttar 129781 words YOU; and link selling points

3.8) For each sentence ask yourself 'So what?' - remove if there is no good answer

3.9) Edit your copy ruthlessly, over and over again!

=> Step 4 - Example Layout Of A Press Release

This is a simple example of what a press release should look like (more or less):

-- Benefit (tell me more, 36-40 chars) <For immediate release> <Simple contact><p><Sub-heading><p><Leading Paragraph> -- What / why needed / how it will help (40-75 words) -- Include quotes<p><Main Paragraph(s)> -- Who aimed at (the facts) - who cares?<p><Final Paragraph> -- Summarise; call to action<p><Full contact details><p>=> Step 5 - Is Your Press Release Ready?<p>1) Is your press release published on your website?<p>2) Better still, do you have an online press pack?<p>3) Do you know what to do or say if a reporter calls?<p>=> The missing ingredient - K-I-S-S<p>Phew! A lot to take in, I agree! The main trouble with doing all of<IMG height=12 src="/the2.jpg" alt="repparttar 129782"> above is that your press release will be... L-O-N-G!<p>Yes,<IMG height=12 src="/the2.jpg" alt="repparttar 129783"> vital ingredient to your press release,<IMG height=12 src="/the2.jpg" alt="repparttar 129784"> one factor that WILL increase<IMG height=12 src="/the2.jpg" alt="repparttar 129785"> chances of getting your news published is to:<p> Keep It SHORT Stupid (yet another K-I-S-S !)<p>Not convinced? Ask yourself these questions, then:<p>* How many of these press releases do you think editors get to read every day?<p>* How many long, badly-worded releases will they read before eventually becoming instantly put off just by<IMG height=12 src="/the2.jpg" alt="repparttar 129786"> length of a press release?<p>* And how much more likely do you think a press release will be read if it's a SHORT, quick read.<p>Keep your press release short, simple as that!<p>=> Appendix: Expert press release resources<p>If you want to know more about writing a press release then I can recommend<IMG height=12 src="/the2.jpg" alt="repparttar 129787"> following resources (but do still remember to keep your press release short, eh?):<p> * Articles<p> 10 Tips For Better Press Releases by B.L.Ochman http://www.whatsnextonline.com<p> Using And Writing Press Releases by Craig Lock http://www.nzenterprise.com/writer/creative.html<p> Publicity STARTS with a Press Release by Kate Schultz of http://www.ezineuniversity.com<p> How to Write Press Releases that Get Published - Paul Krupin http://www.roibot.com pnr.cgi?R26045_press<p> * Links<p> http://www.iboost.com/promote/press_releases/index.html http://www.pressreleasenetwork.com/ http://www.webpromote.com/products/prelease.asp http://www.ereleases.com/ http://www.web-source.net/web/Press_Release/ http://drnunley.com http://myws.sitesell.com/shopping101.html<p> * Press release distribution http://www.prweb.com - distribute your PR for free http://www.downesmarketing.co.uk/freepr.html http://www.emailwire.com http://www.sourcewire.com<p>=> And finally...<p>So there you have it - my checklist to writing a press release. If you need to learn more then do visit<IMG height=12 src="/the2.jpg" alt="repparttar 129788"> above links. And then just make sure that you follow<IMG height=12 src="/the2.jpg" alt="repparttar 129789"> checklist, and:<p> * have a story to tell * think like a journalist * format<IMG height=12 src="/the2.jpg" alt="repparttar 129790"> press release properly Do keep your press release short, then keep an eye on those publications - seeing your site in print is a great feeling! <br><img src="images/ata.gif"><br> <p>Steve Nash is editor of a twice-monthly newsletter called Promote! Promote! Promote! Subscribe by sending a blank email to pppromote@getresponse.com . To learn more about writing good copy for your press release, website, email (or anything) visit Make Your Words Sell NOW! and learn from a net copy-writing master - http://myws.sitesell.com/shopping101.html<br><br><br></font></td><!-- google_ad_section_end --><!-- google_ad_section_start(weight=ignore) --><td align="top" width="10%"></td><td align="top" width="45%"><h2>10 TIPS FOR BETTER WRITING</h2><font size="2">Written by Tim North</font><br><br><script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-5766870852072819"; google_ad_width = 234; google_ad_height = 60; google_ad_format = "234x60_as"; google_ad_channel ="9238851329"; google_color_border = "CFB9A1"; google_color_bg = "CFB9A1"; google_color_link = "000000"; google_color_url = "431B02"; google_color_text = "431B02"; //--></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> <font size="2"><br>Continued from page 1<br><p> Niles: But Miss Fine's age is only ... Fran: Young! Miss Fine's age is only young!<p>4. Excessive punctuation: Only one exclamation mark or question mark should be used at a time. Consider<IMG height=12 src="/the2.jpg" alt="repparttar "> following over-punctuated examples:<p> Buy now!!! Great bargains!!!!!!!!!!<p> Excessive punctuation looks too much like hysteria and detracts from your credibility. Avoid it.<p>5. Headings: For long works, establish a clear hierarchy of headings. Microsoft Word's heading styles are great for this. (They also allow you to automatically create a table of contents.)<p>6. Hyphenating prefixes: Most prefixes don't need a hyphen; i.e. we write "coexist", not "co-exist". There are exceptions, though. The prefixes "self-" and "ex-" are almost always hyphenated.<p>7. Numbers: Numbers of ten or less are normally written as words.<p>8. Quotation marks: Users of American English should use double quotes (" "). Users of British English should choose either single quotes (' ') or double quotes and stick with them for <IMG height=12 src="/the2.jpg" alt="repparttar 129778"> whole document. Incidentally, British English usage is increasingly moving towards single quotes.<p>9. Spaces: Modern style is to use a single space at<IMG height=12 src="/the2.jpg" alt="repparttar 129779"> end of a sentence, not two. Also, most punctuation marks (e.g. commas, full stops, question marks) are not preceded by a space.<p>10.Tables: Set table text one or two points smaller than<IMG height=12 src="/the2.jpg" alt="repparttar 129780"> main body text and in a sans-serif font such as Arial or Verdana. Avoid vertical lines as they tend to add unnecessary clutter.<p>Armed with these simple guidelines, your writing should be well received every time. Good luck! <br><img src="images/ata.gif"><br> <p>Tim North info@betterwritingskills.com http://www.BetterWritingSkills.com<br><br><br></font></td><!-- google_ad_section_end --></tr><tr><td>    <a class="mlink" href="How_to_write_a_press_release_AND_get_it_published-29781.htm"><</a>Back to Page 1</td></tr></table><script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-5766870852072819"; google_ad_width = 728; google_ad_height = 90; google_ad_format = "728x90_as"; google_ad_channel ="8831454965"; google_color_border = "CFB9A1"; google_color_bg = "CFB9A1"; google_color_link = "000000"; google_color_url = "431B02"; google_color_text = "431B02"; //--></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="770" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="48" align="center" background="images/bg_nav_bottm.jpg"><span class="style3">ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005<br> <a href="terms.html" rel="nofollow">Terms of Use</a></span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> </table> <script type="text/javascript"> var HASH_ESCAPED="%23"; function TrackIt(adUnit){ if (window.status) { var adDomain = escape(window.status.substring(6)); var pyPage = document.location.pathname; var params = document.location.search; var hasAnchor = params.lastIndexOf(HASH_ESCAPED)!= -1; params = hasAnchor? 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