Press Releases

Writing press releases: 9 out of 10 miss this critical element

One of the most valuable elements of a press release—a link that lets the reader click through to a website—is missing from 9 out of 10 press releases submitted to BusinessWire.com, one of their own press releases says. I find that statistic difficult to believe. But based on the press releases that people email to me, I… Read More

Write press releases for spiders, not just for humans

When you write a press release, who is your target audience? a. Journalists b. Search engine spiders that crawl the Internet looking for copy that includes the keywords people are using to search for certain kinds of information c. Consumers and end-users who can find the release online, visit your website and download a free ebook, or… Read More

Writer of ghoulish Anna Nicole press release responds to criticism

Because this is a business blog, I have to be careful to mind my manners and not say anything that I wouldn’t say in the executive suite of the same CEO who might be reading what I write here. I just learned another lesson about manners and good business. Respond thoughtfully and professionally when other bloggers or… Read More

Press release tips from a Tennessee city editor

So you think your computer is ancient? Many journalists are working on computers that are even older than yours. So says John I. Carney, city editor of the Shelbyville Times-Gazette in Tennessee in his list of tips titled “Have Pity on Your News Staff.” It’s must reading, even if you’re dealing with journalists who work on… Read More

Video press releases alive and well

Will somebody please tell the folks over at ClickZ that video press releases are alive and well? A post yesterday indicated the writer wasn’t aware of how often video is being used successfully in press releases. A link to an audio or video clip can be incredibly powerful. Readers simply click on the video link and watch a short video of you… Read More

Do Business in Your Bathrobe Day Feb. 12

If you’re one of those entrepreneurs who’s luck enough to have a home office, and you enjoy the luxury of doing business in your bathrobe, generate a little publicity. Kristie Tamsevicius, at left, founder of Webmomz.com, has chiristened Monday, Feb. 12, has Do Business in Your Bathrobe Day. “Bathrobe Day” has generated publicity for her and other entrepreneurs in… Read More

Press releases: How to make old news sound new

I just got a call from a Publicity Hound who asked how to make old news sound new. He’s writing a press release stating that his state bar association drafted a resolution to support something that somebody else did. But they passed it on Monday. And today is Thursday. He might not have the press release done until… Read More

Press release, marketing buzzwords to banish forever

Blogger and former journalist David Meerman Scott, who I interviewed several months ago on “The New Rules for Press Releases,” has written about banishing gobbledygook and buzzwords from press releases. I thought of him this morning when I opened the press release from The Creative Group, a California firm that surveyed advertsing and marketing execs about the most annoying and… Read More

Press release tip to lure the media

I’m betting 9 out of 10 of you won’t bother doing this because it’s too time-consuming. But if you do, you’ll see more media outlets using your press releases and calling you for interviews. This exercise is courtesy of Paul J. Krupin, whose company writes and distributes press releases. He calls it the “3 I Technnique” which is short for… Read More