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Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
By: Jim Conley II, MerchantSeek.com

Getting the media's attention can give your site exposure like
you've never seen before. News releases, most commonly
referred to as press releases, are documents that inform
reporters and editors about announcements that you believe to
be newsworthy. News releases are far more effective than
most current advertising because of the fact that they are very
credible. Credible content will get you attention.
Unfortunately, many news releases find themselves in editor's
trash cans because they are not effectively written.

Is it Newsworthy?

A news release isn't for everyone. Here are some of the
primary uses of a news release:

* New employee additions
* New product/service offerings
* Website announcements
* Mergers, partnerships & strategic alliances
* Announce upcoming events

Advertisements and sales letters are not newsworthy. If you
write a blatant advertisement for your company you can expect
to find your news release in the trash can. Editors want to
publish information on topics that are unique and new. For
example, let's say you offer this fantastic product that is not
available anywhere else. This is something you would
definitely want to emphasize in your news release. But, on the
other hand, saying your product is "the best" or "#1" is not
newsworthy. This is just hype. If it really was the best people
would have already known about it. Like Yahoo!, for example.
It's the most visited directory on the Internet. They don't have
to say they're the best because many people already believe
that.

Parts of a News Release

There are many ways you can present your news release to
reporters and editors. The three main parts that make up a
news release, however, are:

* Headline
* Body
* Contact information (either at the top or bottom of the
release)

To develop an interesting and newsworthy release you have to
make effective use of each part to grab the attention of the
reader. Let's take a look at each individual part in detail.

The Headline

The headline is the first thing editors read when they pick up
your release. This is why it is so crucial that you put a lot of
thought into making it effective. Your headline must attract
attention and draw the reader in to find out more. Some
example headlines might be:

* Teen Sells Web Business for $10 Million!
* Lawn Product Inhibits Grass Growth, Never Mow Again!
* Drive 50,000 Visitors to Your Site in 3 Days Or Less!

The Body

As I mentioned earlier you need to keep your news release to
one printed page. This means you don't have enough space to
explain everything there is about your newsworthy topic. And
you shouldn't try to jam it all in. You want to entice the reader
to contact you for more information.

In the first paragraph of your release you want to answer the 5
W's (who, what, when, where and why). You immediately
want to get to the point and tell the reader what your release is
all about. Editors get thousands of news releases everyday and
their time is very limited, so you want to make sure you get the
gist of your release to them as quickly as possible. Don't try to
impress the reader with a whole bunch of hype and exaggerated
claims.

Add a human side to your news release. A story about the
topic you're focusing on is something editors really like. You
will want to bring a unique angle or twist to your news release.
The fact is, people like to read about other people's
accomplishments and successes. This angle is a great way to
create interest, which is the whole point of writing a news
release in the first place. Another good idea is to make use
of quotes from leaders within your company.

Always remember to have a professional proofread your news
release before sending it off to the media. This simple, yet
most neglected step is so important. This shows you're are
serious about your topic and adds value. You'll have put too
much time and money into this marketing technique to end up
having it thrown away.

Contact Information

Once you have the reader interested in finding out more, you
should give them several ways to contact you. Here's the
contact information you'll want to provide in your news
release:

* Full name of contact person
* E-mail address
* Mailing address
* Phone number of contact person
* Fax number
* Website URL

Offering multiple ways that editors can contact you is
important. One editor may wish to e-mail you versus another
who would rather call and talk to you on a one-on-one basis.

Don't use a free e-mail address in your contact information.
You need to present yourself professionally. Always use your
websites e-mail address. (i.e. you@yourdomain.com)

Make sure the phone number you post is one that readers can
call to get in direct contact with you. Editors won't press half
a million buttons just to get in contact with you. Remember,
their time is limited.

While having your website URL point to your homepage is
OK, a better idea is to make up a "press room" page and place
that link on your news release. On this page you can include
other news releases about your company, place your contact
information, company history and more. Perhaps even a Press
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section.

Maybe writing a news release for your company isn't for you.
If this is the case you will want to look into hiring a company
to write one for you. Many of the news release distribution
companies I'll mention later in this article will not only be able
to send out your release, but also write one for you at an
additional cost. Dr. Kevin Nunley (http://www.drnunley.com),
a very well known marketing expert, offers a number of web
promotion services including both press release writing and
distribution at very reasonable costs.

Targeting & Distribution

Just like any other advertising campaign it is very important to
strategically target both your audience AND your media.
Sending a news release about lawn care to a publication about
cookware is useless. When looking over a media list take time
to weed out the ones who wouldn't be interested in your topic.
Only send your news release to editors who are looking for
stories like yours. Another tip to get your news release noticed
is to make it personalized. Instead of using "Dear Editor" use
the editor's name when you send it off.

You have a few options to choose from when it comes to
distributing your news release:

1. Outsource to a news release distribution company. Typical
cost is around $200 to $300. If you're limited on time this is
the distribution solution for you. The advantage of outsourcing
your distribution is that many companies can target your news
release to the right industry.

If outsourcing is your choice, these companies can help you
out:

* http://www.newsbureau.com
* http://www.businesswire.com
* http://www.prweb.com

2. Buy a media list and do it yourself. A well known company
that sells media lists is Gebbie Press
( http://www.gebbieinc.com ). Once you've filtered out your list
of contacts you can use an e-mail merge program like
MailKing ( http://www.mailking.com ), MailLoop
( http://www.mailloop.com ) or WorldMerge
( http://www.worldmerge.com ) to send out your news release
from your computer.

3. If you're on a budget right now you may just want to
compile a media list yourself.
http://www.ideasiteforbusiness.com/cpress1.htm offers three
pages of media contacts you can send your news release to via
e-mail.

Just like article writing, news releases are yet another fantastic
way to gain free publicity. The key to making an interesting
and informative news release is to remember to answer the 5
W's (who, what, when, where and why). Put yourself in the
editor's shoes, ask yourself, would this information be
beneficial to my readers? If effectively written, and targeted to
the right niche market, you will be able to reap some huge
benefits from this old marketing technique for many weeks and
months to come.

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Jim Conley II is the CEO/Founder of MerchantSeek. MerchantSeek allows merchants from around the world to search FREE for a Merchant Account Provider that best fits their businesses needs and budget. Visit us at http://www.merchantseek.com/