That scenario is particularly painful for Internet beginners lacking advanced researching skills of more seasoned Netizens. Nevertheless, is there a way for most inexperienced surfers to ascertain initial merits of a particular offer?

There is a general procedure to dissect and examine most Internet Marketing offers, in broad terms. The bulk of offers can be classified into two categories: Dream Merchants and Web Specific Products. They have unique qualities that are very obvious once you study them. Follow me and I'll show you how to recognize each one.

The Dream Merchant:

I'm going to describe a real world, brick-and-mortar analogy to help you understand what Dream Merchant sells. Let's say you walk into a retail outlet and sales clerk mentions an idea that's going to make you rich! He sounds very excited and full of enthusiasm!

He then continues to tell you all benefits you'll get from "great idea." Curiously, every time you ask him what it is, he never gives you a strait answer! He continues to pump you up while never revealing what it is he's selling. By now, your expectation is at a fever pitch; you gotta have it!

So you corner silver tongued sales clerk and ask him, point blank. He then produces a little book and informs you that it contains "great idea" and it will cost you $100! You pay for book and he quickly scampers out door with your money. As you open it, it says: Do to next guy what I just did to you!

I know above scenario is rather simplistic but it does occur all time on Web. That kind of business is selling you a dream! The dream is product! You must continue to sell dream to next guy. Do you want to become a Dream Merchant? I don't think so!

Beware of any company that requires an up-front investment to become an affiliate member. They pump you up with dreams of big money and good life. Then pressure starts for you to purchase all kinds of products from them. Some of items are ordinary household supplies; quite mundane! Let's face it: When was last time you heard anybody getting excited about dishwashing liquid?

Web Specific Products:

by Bill Stoller, Publisher Free Publicity, The Newsletter for PR- Hungry Businesses http://www.PublicityInsider.com/freepub.asp

To many marketers, press release is something of a "one size fits all" proposition. You want to get media coverage, you knock out a press release, send it to some journalists and sit back and wait.

Of course, smart Publicity Insiders already know that’s a prescription for failure. You know that your press release has to have a "hook", be well-written and sent to appropriate journalists in an active, not passive, manner. But there’s another part of puzzle that even savvy publicity-seekers sometimes miss -- you can’t just write "a press release", you have to write right kind of press release.

There’s no such thing as a "one size fits all" release. Smart publicists have variations of press release model ready to be go, depending on occasion.

(Note: for a general introduction to press release writing and formatting, see: http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp

Let's look at some releases suitable for "harder" and more timely news...

The News Release

To some folks, "news release" and "press release" are interchangeable. Not to me. I use phrase "news release" to refer to a release that, well, carries actual news. Let’s face it, most of what a business has to say to a journalist isn’t exactly "stop presses" kind of stuff. But, on occasion, something of real significance occurs. A merger, a stock split, a major new contract, winning a national award...something that’s truly timely and important. For these sorts of events, don’t mess around. Craft a solid, hard-hitting News Release that’s written in pure journalistic style (lead includes "who, what, when, why and how", language is in 3rd person and completely free of hyperbole). Use journalism’s "inverted pyramid" -- most important information at top, next most important info in second paragraph and so on down.

Tell entire story in headline and subhead. Again, don’t get cute -- get straight to point. The headline "Acme Corporation Selected by Pentagon to Supply Troops with Widgets" is far better than something like "Guess Who’s Making Widgets for Uncle Sam?" or something "clever" like that. In subhead, fill in some details: "$18 Million Contract Largest in Company’s History". Talk about getting straight to point! You’ve just given journalist meat of story before she’s even read your lead.

Add a "dateline" (Akron, OH) at beginning of your lead (first) paragraph. In dateline, use your company’s home town (or location where some news has broken. You can be a bit creative here, if it helps maximize your impact. For above example, you can dateline it Washington, DC and say that "The Pentagon today announced that it has selected an Akron company...").

In distributing release, use e-mail, fax, distribution service such as PRWeb or PR Newswire, or even overnight courier. The goal is to get it into journalists’ hands on same day you distribute it.

Executive Appointment Release