Writing a press release is somewhat intimidating if you have never tried doing it before, but like everything else there are some tips you need to learn before you begin that will make your task easier.
Consider these 10 simple tips as your blueprint to success.
1 – When writing your headline, make it a short and compelling keyword phrase.
2 – Your summary should be brief and concise. A compelling summary should not read more than four sentences at the maximum. A two to three sentence summary should be what you are trying to achieve. Your summary should focus on only the main points of your press release
3 – Your opening paragraph is also a summary of sorts, but because you are trying to include all of the main points of your press release in your opening paragraph, it will be somewhat longer than your summary.
A good opening paragraph is nothing more than a re write of your summary, and can be as long as several hundred words. You can elaborate on your summary to better describe it, but keep it to only one paragraph.
Remember that the people that read press releases only have a short time to wade through and sort out what they consider “worthy”. Lengthy opening paragraphs, unless they prove to be super compelling and newsworthy, will get ignored.
4 – The body of your press release is not intended to SELL anything, so don’t do it. The body is where you provide supporting bullet points and teasers to generate interest if you are able to.
5 – When writing a press release, ALWAYS write in the third person as if you are a reporter interviewing yourself. Initially, it’s a bit difficult writing in the third person, but with some practice it doesn’t take long to get used to it.
6 – Present facts and cite your source or sources, but don’t make them active links. It’s not absolutely necessary to present a bunch of facts in your press release, but if you can do so; it does make your press release look a little bit better. Cite your sources as just domain.com.
7 – It’s a good idea and actually very important to use quotes from yourself when writing your press release. Remember that you are interviewing yourself; so ask yourself some questions and then answer them.
Role play with a microphone if you want to get the feel of it; but ask yourself some questions and include at least two quotes from yourself.
Some news services will place quotes in bold print or use them as a teaser for the press release. Having at least a couple of quotes will help your press release become more visible.
8 – When writing a press release it’s a good idea to inform people why they should go to your website for more information.
Don’t be too overt when you do it but it’s perfectly fine to tell readers that they should visit your website to get a free report, free sample, free video, free information, or even trial software.
9 – Use a closing paragraph the summarizes the key points you are trying to make in your press release. You have to give readers a reason to go to your website or they won’t go.
10 – When writing a press release, make sure that you have a paragraph at the end about your company. An “about paragraph” should be about your company and how long your business has been in existence, etc.
If you have no company, write a little bit about yourself and why you created your website or blog and what you hope to achieve. Keep it low key in a single statement and make it only one sentence long.
If you have an interesting picture of your product or something related to your target market, include it. If you want to include a picture of yourself, that’s also acceptable.
Writing a press release will create a surge of traffic and back links when done properly, so follow these tips and consider them your blueprint to success!
It’s important to pay attention to advertising laws regardless of how small or large your home based internet business becomes.
If you fail to pay attention to advertising laws; it could cost you your business and everything else you own in this life.
Many newcomers to the Internet often start their home based Internet businesses on a shoestring and learn by doing.
They subscribe to membership sites to learn about Internet marketing, throw up some blogs or a website, and gradually grow their businesses as they learn more and more about what to do.
It doesn’t matter if you have just started a small home based internet business, or have an ongoing business with millions of dollars in gross sales; you need to comply with and pay attention to advertising laws.
Of all the advertising laws that can potentially affect your business, the areas below are what most frequently cause problems with both large and small businesses.
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Product Misrepresentation
Pay attention to advertising laws regarding misrepresentation of products.
This is a “biggie”. You must give your consumers an accurate representation of what you are selling them.
Always provide text, audios, photos, or videos that accurately describe your product or service.
For instance, if you are selling antique fishing lures on your website; you must describe all nicks, chipped paint, rusted hooks, or missing hardware that the lure exhibits.
Provide close up pictures of the lure from several angles, to accurately show any defects and if the box is included with the lure, provide the same for it. You cannot touch up the photos to make the lure more sale-able to the consumer.
You must also not misrepresent the facts as you know them about the product.
If the lure is a replica or a refurbished 1917 antique vintage lure “THE FLY ROD WIGGLER”; you MUST state in the text description that it is a replica, or that it has been repainted.
You cannot misrepresent the facts by omitting that information, or suggesting that the lure is a vintage original, when you know as a matter of fact, that it wasn’t.
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Making Unsubstantiated Claims
You must be able to provide a reasonable basis of proof for every factual claim in your advertising copy.
Pay attention to advertising laws regarding unsubstantiated claims especially for services you provide. The substantiation must exist before you make any claims.
Just because someone may be able to realize the benefit that is stated in your advertising, or just because a couple of people have achieved the results that you tout in your advertising; is not sufficient enough when your claims lead people to believe that any average consumer can achieve the benefits you have advertised.
It’s important to pay attention to advertising laws and fully understand them. In this case, you must be able to substantiate factual claims with iron clad proof that there is a reasonable basis for each claim.
Newcomers sometimes use copy with claims such as “tests prove”, or “recommended by physicians”, or “leading experts state that …..”. If you use copy with these statements; be prepared to provide proof that will stand up to scrutiny.
When you are making nutrition, health, or safety claims; there is a high threshold of substantiation you need to adhere to.
You had better have solid reliable evidence in the form of an independent double blind study to support your claims, or a study group of sufficient size to provide reliable data.
Simulated real situations can get you into trouble if don’t fully disclose all the facts.
Retouched “before and after” photos or videos, such as showing someone easily cleaning silverware by dipping it only once into your cleaning product; when in fact it was dipped several times; will will cause you problems, if you don’t provide full disclosure.
Never try to pull the wool over your consumer’s eyes with simulations that do not portray actual facts.
People making testimonials must actually use your product or service! If you pay someone for their testimonial, you need to disclose that fact unless the person giving the endorsement is well known, a celebrity, or an expert in the field.
Merchandise and price comparisons can get you into trouble if you don’t compare “apples to apples”.
When you use “sale” or “reduced” or “$1,500 value”, you must have the product offered at that price or value, for a reasonable time.
If you suggest that the product or service you are selling is sold elsewhere online for $50 more than your products; you must be able to furnish proof that the item has been selling for that price.
Don’t throw around terms like “inventory reduction sale”, “inventory clearance”, “going out of business sale”, or “special purchase”.
These terms should only be used when you are actually having an overstock inventory clearance or you are actually going out of business. Some stores seem to be going out of business for years, yet remain on the Internet or still maintain a storefront.
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Guarantees and Warranties
If you advertise a guarantee or a warranty, you must spell out the terms and limitations that apply.
If you do business by mail. You must spell out your refund and return policy.
If you have an “unconditional money back” guarantee for unsatisfied customers; you must also state if your shipping and handling costs are included, or if any restocking charges apply for larger, more expensive items.
It’s important to pay attention to advertising laws and to comply with them, if you plan to maintain your credibility and run a professional home based Internet business.
Understanding how Googlebots work is necessary to Search Engine Optimization and maintaining your website’s discoverability.
With billions of pages on the web today, you can no longer just build an attractive website, fill it with great content, and expect people to come by and visit.
Although building a website with original compelling content is a basic requirement for any good website; in order to be truly successful, there are other considerations you need to keep in mind.
- Is your web site discoverable?
- Are your web pages easily crawlable for the Googlebots?
- Can the Googlebots understand what your web pages are all about?
- Are your pages optimally showing up in the search engine results?
Once you have created a great website, getting discovered is the most important next step to surmount. When your site is ready to be indexed, you have to make sure that Googlebots know about your site’s pages.
If one or more quality sites have already included a relevant link to your web site, Google may already be aware of your pages. In fact naturally acquired relevant links to your site, are a great way for the Googlebots to learn about your website’s pages.
You can jump start the indexing process, by using the add URL tool at http://www.google.com/addurl/, if you would like Google to know about your newly constructed web site. Simply submit your URL to start the process.
To let the Googlebots know about all the pages on your website; you need to submit an XML sitemap.
A sitemap helps the Googlebots, as well as the other search engine robots, find the pages on your website easier and makes them more understandable.
Sitemaps are especially useful on sites that have a large number of archived pages, websites with few incoming links, and sites with lots of dynamic page content.
It takes only a few minutes to create a general XML sitemap, or a sitemap for other types of content like videos.
It’s important to know that the XML sitemap is not the same as an HTML sitemap for human visitors. An HTML, visible sitemap, compliments an XML sitemap, and allows your visitors to more easily navigate your website.
By understanding how googlebots work; it becomes easier for you to maintain your Search Engine Optimization efforts and develop a truly successful website.
