Steps to a Writing an Effective Press Releases

Want to get the most media attention and spotlight for your business? Then the first place to start is with a GREAT press release. Now I can almost see half of you leaving now, dreading the thought of having to write one of these. But wait!! I'm going to show you easy methods to make your press release work for you and get the attention it deserves. Ready? Let's go.

We'll briefly go over the basics because of their importance. Editors want to see things done the RIGHT way. I would bet that a lot of good releases simply get tossed out just because they aren't set up properly. To a busy editor, that all too familiar "10 second glance" says a lot for you and your business; it let's them know if you've done your research enough to warrant that release to be placed in their newspaper or magazine.

Here are your essentials:

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" on the top left of the page.

Your contact name, phone number, e-mail address, and website follows.

Headline is next, normally in bold and centered on the page. Summarize what the release is about and capture their attention. Spend almost as much time on your headline as you do writing the release. It's that important. The press release body starts with the location of the release and the date (Margate, Florida, May 5, 2005.)

Most press releases are between 200-500 words, and no more than a page. The first paragraph has the most important information. Don't save the best for last, it won't get read. In this paragraph answer the questions, who, what, when, where and why? It is recommended that you write press releases in the 3rd person and use short sentences and paragraphs. Do not go over board, trying to dazzle the editor, it won't work.

Target your release. You will be sending your release to a specific audience so make sure that in your release you keep to what would appeal to that audience. What don't they know that you can add? Nothing works better than getting an "AAH HAA" when an editor is reviewing your release.

Provide statistics. Do some research and find some relevant information that applies. You can easily do this through Google. Once you find your quote, do a Google search or Yahoo quote on that particular topic. However, don't stop on the first Google link and take that for gospel. Research it a bit further. Have it come from a respectable company or magazine.

Include relevant quotes from experts in your field that will reinforce what you are saying. Approach authors, leaders in your Industry, and other experts that back up the facts you are stating in your release. They will normally appreciate the added publicity and you get the quote you're looking for. For example, as an author I'll often get asked to provide a quote for an article on home-based businesses or the virtual assistant industry. I welcome the opportunity as it provides me more publicity. Also, if you have a satisfied client that you feel will add credibility to your Release, add a quote from them as well. The first time you mention the expert, write out their full name. Then list them by last name or Mr. and Mrs. Smith only. I normally prefer the last name.

The last paragraph should be your call to action. You've talked the whole release about your business or product, now tell them what to do with the knowledge they just acquired.

At the bottom of the release include ### to indicate you are done, followed by a short bio. Make sure if you include your website that you include http:// in front of it for search engine recognition. Your bio should include your information, any books authored, etc. Double check this for accuracy. At this point, you're tired and done with the Release. But if it goes out to the world with the wrong web address, the valuable time spent even writing the Release has been wasted.

That's it! The basics for writing a press release. Now one other thing I'd like to add in, they work! They truly work. I've had a recent release get accepted by PRWeb (and yes they do reject bad ones!), and then go on to hit several other major newspapers and media outlines and the Google alert, which resulted in our paper in the area contacting me. You want to set up a Google news alert for your name so that you can follow the path and see when you make the news so you can follow up. Also, PRWeb at http://www.prweb.com has complete guidelines for setting up a good press release. Go with the extra money and spend $20.00. It's worth it to get the additional exposure.

Diana Ennen is the author of numerous books including Virtual Assistant: the Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA, Words From Home, Start, Run and Profit from a Home-Based Word Processing Business & the Home Office Recovery Plan. She specializes in publicity and book marketing and is president of Virtual Word Publishing http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com and http://www.Publicity-VA.com. Articles are free to be reprinted as long as the author's bio remains intact.

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Google News Updated : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:49:09 GMT States probe possible voter registration fraud - Chicago Tribune ABC News States probe possible voter registration fraud Chicago Tribune - 1 hour ago Questions about possible cases of fraudulent voter registrations were being raised this week as officials in several states investigated hundreds of questionable or duplicate registration forms submitted by an advocacy group. Carnahan statement on ACORN registration mess Kansas City Star Republicans try to tie Obama to vote fraud cases Boston Globe ABC News - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Inter Press Service - MyFox Tampa Bay all 1,193 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:48:10 GMT A Cautious Approach to Gardasil Shot - U.S. News & World Report Canada.com A Cautious Approach to Gardasil Shot U.S. News & World Report - 34 minutes ago News today cheering the fact that 1 in 4 teen girls has received the Gardasil vaccine sounds to me like some serious spin from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the government agency pushing girls as young as 9 to get the shot. Cancer Vaccine Used by 25% of Girls 13 to 17 New York Times Quarter of adolescent US girls received HPV vaccine Reuters WebMD - dBTechno - Wall Street Journal - eFluxMedia all 463 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:14:13 GMT Eagles' Westbrook out for Sunday's game - Sports Network Sports-Odds.com Eagles' Westbrook out for Sunday's game Sports Network - 28 minutes ago Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook will not play on Sunday at San Francisco. Westbrook, who has been hampered by a sprained ankle he suffered in the Week 3 victory over Pittsburgh, fractured his ribs in ... Brian Westbrook: Ruled Out Rotowire Les Bowen: Eagles vs. 49ers: The pick Philadelphia Daily News WILM News Radio - NFL News - Kansas City Star - The Associated Press all 642 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:20:18 GMT Coleman calls off negative ads - Minneapolis Star Tribune MinnPost.com Coleman calls off negative ads Minneapolis Star Tribune - 24 minutes ago By Patricia Lopez, Star Tribune ...and it has nothing at all to do with several outlets (including one of Franken's ads) letting us know that a Coleman ad that wants us to … read more see Franken looking out of control/angry, is actually video of ... Coleman: I'll remove negative ads and urge others to do same Pioneer Press Coleman says he'll pull negative ads to focus on economy Minnesota Public Radio KAALtv.com - The Hill - The Associated Press - OpEdNews all 460 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:25:04 GMT UPDATE 1-Bush says US moving quickly to solve market crisis - Forbes Canada.com UPDATE 1-Bush says US moving quickly to solve market crisis Forbes - 1 hour ago WASHINGTON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Friday the US government was moving aggressively to address the financial markets crisis, but he acknowledged that anxiety was feeding on itself as stocks continued to plunge. Bush appeals for confidence CNNMoney.com Bush Says Markets Must Remain Calm Despite Challenges Washington Post Reuters - The Associated Press - TheStreet.com - CNN all 1,456 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:33:45 GMT NATO agrees on Afghan drug role for military - The Associated Press Boston Globe NATO agrees on Afghan drug role for military The Associated Press - 1 hour ago BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - NATO defense ministers Friday authorized their troops in Afghanistan to attack drug barons blamed for pumping up to US$100 million (euro74 million) a year into the coffers of resurgent Taliban fighters. NATO Joins Drug War in Afghanistan Voice of America NATO to Hit Drug Trade in Afghanistan New York Times AFP - Bloomberg - International Herald Tribune - Times Online all 1,309 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:11:48 GMT Help Support Breast Cancer Awareness With Lifespring Health - MarketWatch ChattahBox Help Support Breast Cancer Awareness With Lifespring Health MarketWatch - 1 hour ago Lifespring Health will be Donating $5 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation Each Time you Shop Online This Month SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct 10, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- October is breast cancer awareness month! Go "Passionately Pink for the Cure" on Oct. 17 Atlantic News Telegraph Panera Bread to sell pink bagels Times Herald-Record SkinInc.com - BurlingtonFreePress.com - Chambersburg Public Opinion - Penn State Worthington Scranton all 68 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:05:31 GMT Datafeeds For Blogs Amazon RSS Feeds

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