10 New Rules for Online Press Releases

Here are 10 new rules for online press releases that will help you get better results from your Internet marketing:

1. Write for consumers, not journalists. Today’s online press release is really written more for the consumer of your products and services rather than members of the media. The media may, indeed, pick up your release and create a story or interview you based on that release. However, what is more likely to happen is that a consumer who is searching online for a solution to his problem will stumble across your release and be compelled to take the action that you specify in the release.

2. Set a goal for the release. Do you hope to sell more ebooks, drive traffic to your site, sell tickets to an event, or promote a teleclass? This is how you measure the success of today’s press release.

3. Determine your target audience. Just like with any other marketing effort, being able to address the needs and concerns of your target market is key to creating a successful press release. If you have more than one audience, you may want to create more than one release.

4. Include your call to action. Do you want to invite the reader to pick up free information on your site, register for an event, or buy your newest book? The call to action that you desire needs to be included in the final paragraph of your press release.

5. Create a compelling headline. The headline for your release needs to be compelling and interesting enough to get the searcher to open and read your release. If you struggle to come up with compelling headlines, take a trip to your local supermarket and read the headlines on the magazines that are placed near the checkout lanes. Women’s magazines, Cosmo in particular, have excelled at the headline game for years, as it is the headlines on the cover that help them sell magazines. Study their headline formulas and see how you might apply them to your own business.

6. Promote all activities. No longer are press releases reserved for newsworthy events. Submit a press release for anything that happens in your business: the launch of a new website, your presentation at a conference, the release of a new ebook, election as an officer to a professional association, etc.

7. Optimize for searches. Before completing your release, do a quick keyword search using the free keyword research tool at Wordtracker.com. Optimize your release for 2-3 relevant keyword phrases for which you want to be found that have a fair amount of search traffic. Include these keywords in your headline, sub header, first paragraph, and body of your press release.

8. Write for longevity. In the days of the traditional release, a press release was only available for a short period of time and then disappeared forever. Online press releases, however, hang out for years on websites and can be found in searches several years after their initial release date.

9. Include links. Unlike the releases that appear in print media, your online press release can contain several links to various pages on your site. You may want to direct readers to your home page, to a specific landing page or product page, or to an event registration page.

10. Pay for release. There are many free press release sites online. The dirty little secret of these free sites is that your release is never submitted anywhere. It just sits on that free press release site, never to be seen again. If you truly want your release to be seen online, pay for that privilege. I use and highly recommend PRWeb.com for this service. For their basic submission free of $80, you can get more than ample distribution of your release all over the Web.

Press releases are a great tool to help you in your Internet marketing efforts. Begin slowly, and plan to submit one release per quarter at first, and then move to monthly, and perhaps eventually to weekly. By doing so, you’ll make your site more relevant to search engines, drive more visitors to your site, and position yourself as the well-known expert in your field.
Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at http://www.OnlineBizU.com.

Related articles

• How to Write an Online Press Release (weblogbetter.com)
• Write Press Releases that Grab Peoples' Attention (evilmasterreport.com)
• Quick Tips to Optimize Press Releases for Search Engines (customerthink.com)

Internet Marketing Mistakes That Can Harm Your Online Business

Producing income on the net is quite a intimidating project for anybody all the same the challenges seem worse for most newcomers, particularly those who are technically challenged. If you're debating marketing online or operating in any sort of internet marketing there are a few basic pitfalls that you should think about.

Procrastination is far and away the biggest pitfall with regard to net business success. If you fall under the trap of "putting things off", you'll be sentenced to failure. Be sure that you get a uniform habit of taking action. Even if you consistently make errors it's imperative that you take action on a uniform basis.

Spending your money wisely is crucial and key to your long term success. If not managed decently, this simple error will stamp out your spirit and put you out of business instantly. If you don't have revenue to try each any every alluring offer that claims to help your business... Do not spend the money! The fact is, most net business essentials can be found free of charge. Think and assess cautiously before you make purchases for your online business. You'll need more money as your business keeps growing.

Prior to deciding on a product or market that you wish to target, make certain that you've executed thorough market research. If you don't, it can be a very long time before you recognize that you're involved in pursuing earnings in a market that isn't right for you.
You must acquire an unquenchable want to grow. Continual growth of your marketing knowledge and your view with regard to online marketing activities is crucial.
When beginning an online business there's lots of tasks that you need to address. This doesn't always mean that you have to do it all yourself. Naturally, you can do it alone however it will make the road ahead much harder. Leverage your efforts by seeking assistance in areas that are not your best strengths.

When you begin to pursue your online business, you'll beyond question have those that won't have faith in your long term success. Conversely, you'll have other people that will encourage you. Surround yourself with confident thoughts and uplifting individuals to help you sustain your belief in yourself.

Producing an online business that consistently returns Internet income is no small project, but if you perform consistently and stay centered in a couple of key areas it's certainly something that can be achieved. Avoid these pitfalls to help you as you go after your internet marketing goals.

Using An Autoresponder for Marketing and Sales

Maximize your marketing and sales with some auto responder Improvements. Try some of these marketing promotional pieces, the tried and tested 2 step mailing process. Guaranteed to boost you profits.

1. Collect vital customer satisfaction information by publishing a survey to send via auto responder to those who sign up on your site in exchange for a free eBook, software or trial period at your membership site.  This type of information will help you understand their needs, likes and dislikes better.

2. Publish free reports to send via your auto responder. The reports should be related to your business or website and contain info, ads and links to your sites. People love getting freebies.

3. Instead of publishing all of your customer testimonials or endorsements on your website, publish only a few there. And set up an auto responder form that invites visitors to receive a complete list of testimonials. Give them a power-packed list; it's more effective to include all of them.


4. Instead of answering each customer question that is e-mailed to you, publish "Frequently Ask Questions" and make them available via auto responder to those who sign up. To save time and support headaches.


Mix and match. Change your auto responder strategy to change your auto responder results! Also top sales pros confirm that it often takes seven or more communications or sales messages before prospective customers make a purchase. They also confirm that it’s generally easier to sell to a referral, because someone they know gave positive testimonial about their products or services.

What would happen if you combined both of these powerful ideas? A nifty and thrifty two-step. Try this two-step tip:

1. Publish a price list of all the products and services that you offer in an insert, direct marketing package and or pdf to be made available via auto responder. You could also include order forms, product descriptions, and other sales material. Then send to the people in #1 above with monthly updates, announcements of new sales and products services, and a request for referrals.

2. Collect leads with your auto responder. Ask for mailing addresses and telephone numbers, too, for additional ways to follow up with each person. When you download the e-mail digest of everyone's e-mail addresses and other information from those who requested additional information from your auto responder, follow up multiple ways. Send postcards. Call. Mail sales letters and other promotional pieces.

This can help to improve your closing ratio and reach out even farther at the same time.

SRGM Coaching Consultant
Skype srgm.me

SRGM Coaching Consultant at OneTrueMedia.com

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

How Personal Business Coaching Can Help You

So many times when we get an idea of starting a business, figuring out
where to start can be overwhelming. Numerous questions will sometimes
surface..such as what am I good at, how do I implement the skills I
have to make money? Or if you know the answers to these questions, you
may need guidance on what your next step is in order to increase your
profits. Will your online presence be in the form of a blog or website
and what are your marketing strategies. Maybe you need assistance in
article writing for branding yourself or you may want to have a lead
capture page to build a list of prospect to market your products or
services too. Regarding your prospects do you know who your ideal
clients are, and what are your distribution channels for finding those
clients? Now days relationship marketing, sometimes called
conversational marketing is key, in finding clients and business
partners that will joint venture with you. What a personal business
coach will do is help you in all of these areas so that you get
clarity about your business goals and guide you to the right resources
that will help you to succeed. A personal business coach can also
assess your level of skills so that you start out on the most
appropriate level for you, and give positive feedback and support.
This is by no means the full scope of help that you can receive by
engaging with a personal business coach but this does give you a small
summary of how a personal business coach can help you to increase your
earning power in your business or simply to help you get started.

Shirley Matta
SRGM Coaching Consultant
http://srgmcoachingconsultant.info
Skype> srgm.me