March 30th, 2010 Press Release Marketing 101 -getting The Most Out Of Your Press Releases
Using press releases for marketing purposes for promoting anything from new web sites to new product announcements have become increasingly popular lately as business owners learn the powerful benefits of using press releases.
Press releases have been used over the past few years by quite a few smart business owners and marketers that have seen first hand how they can help their business get the recognition they need in marketing new products or services both offline and online.
But a lot of businesses have been reluctant in using press releases as they were unsure of how to properly construct a simple press release or how to distribute them for maximum effectiveness.
Using press releases can be a very effective marketing tool and seo strategy if constructed and implemented properly.
Learning to write a powerful optimized press release can often drive tons of targeted traffic to your web site while providing multiple back links that can lead to increased page rank and numerous top ten search engine rankings for your targeted keywords.
The real secret behind writing any effective press release and to gain maximum exposure for your new product or service is to plan your release out carefully even before publishing it.
A poorly constructed or planned press release is just a waste of your time and resources. You want to target the message of your press release for the purpose it was meant for.
So, the first thing you must do before writing is to figure out just what do you want to accomplish with your press release?
- Do you want to create some brand awareness for your web site or products?
- Do you want to add additional subscribers to your newsletter or ezine?
—Or are you trying to promote a new product or service you have developed or are marketing?
Once you’ve decided what the most compelling reason is for your press release, you can then get down to the business of writing it.
The first thing you may want to do is sketch out a rough draft of your press release to see how it flows. Does it provide the needed information to get the word out and has it been properly formatted?
Most press releases have a certain format that they follow. If you’re unsure of how to format your press release correctly you can view a sample press release template here at http://www.prweb.com/pressreleasetips.php#template .
The number one most important aspect of your press release is your headline.
Get it wrong and you will limit the effectiveness of your release.
Your headline is what the search engines are going to pick up on first. The headline is what normally gets listed first once indexed so make sure you use it advantageously. List any key points here, using your keywords or a catchy headline so that it will grab your reader’s attention.
Also try to keep your headline as short as possible as Google gives more weight to keywords if not surrounded by irrelevant words. Again planning is essential.
If promoting a new site include the URL in the headline. If promoting a product or service then include some keywords in the headline.
Some press release services use a summary box. I normally write a catchy one-paragraph recap of my press release using some of my targeted keywords.
Without being spammy, I will normally optimize my press release by using some of my targeted keywords in the first and last paragraph. I will also include some of them throughout the release for a keyword exposure of approximately 2-5% saturation.
Tip: if you’re promoting a web site, I will normally mention my URL around three times within the release for the maximum benefit.
One of the first questions I had when I first started writing press releases was what was considered a great release? What did it consist of and how was it constructed?
Being curious, I emailed my contact at http://www.prweb.com/ and asked them if they could show me a few press releases that they considered as excellent examples.
These releases have received their editorial scores of 5 on their scale of 1 to 5; with five being the highest.
They sent me three of them for review and you can see each one of them here:
http://prweb.com/releases/2005/2/prweb136748.htm
http://prweb.com/releases/2005/2/prweb149213.htm
http://prweb.com/releases/2005/2/prweb203448.htm
Study each one of these against the press release template to see what is required for an effective release.
Note: to get additional exposure for your press release via www.emediawire.com you have to have an editorial score of 4 or higher. So it is to your benefit to write the best release you can the first time around.
Once you have studied the examples and want to try submitting you own press release you need to know which ones are the most popular ones being used.
Here are some of the press release services I have used and found to be effective:
http://prweb.com/
http://www.pressbox.co.uk/index.html
http://www.webwire.com/default.asp
http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/
With most of press release services you can submit your press release for free or via paid inclusion. Paying for inclusion gives you the benefit of faster indexing into the search engine news services and natural search engine result pages.
Normally your release will be picked up by Google news within a few hours after its release. From there it will normally show up in the natural search results within a few days or a week.
I have used both of these services in the past but have found that paying them at least the minimum amount for their distribution services will allow you to view your stats online. It will also allow you to choose different categories for my press release to be displayed in, giving your release a chance for wider coverage.
So using press releases can and is a very effective marketing tool that you can use for promoting your web site or affiliate products if done correctly.
By using press releases, I have been able to create a steady flow of targeted visitors to my web site and affiliate programs while generating dozens of back links to my web site.
Even though the effects of each individual press release may be short lived, they still have provided me with both free and inexpensive ways for getting hundreds of new visitors to my site and quite a few top ten positions in Google for my targeted keywords.
So isn’t worth while to at least check out the benefits of using press releases in your marketing methods? A little work now could reap amazing results.
Ted Kushner
http://www.articlesbase.com/affiliate-programs-articles/press-release-marketing-101-getting-the-most-out-of-your-press-releases-54784.html
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on March 30th, 2010 at 15:35
Introduction To Catering?
Anybody that is good with Catering and would like to help me out with a couple questions, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you a bunch to those willing to help!
1. The document a caterer uses to stipulate the terms, conditions,
and contents of the services he or she will provide each client
is called the
A. client agreement
B. menu
C. press release
D. brochure
2. One of the keys to running a lucrative catering business is to
A. charge for overtime work.
B. transport foods to a site.
C. keep the menus simple.
D. charge a lot of money
3. You can use a standard caterer’s symbol, such as a chef’s hat, on your business card as
your
A. logo.
B. slogan
C. gimmick.
D. trademark.
4. Suppose you’re a caterer who specializes in cooking and serving meals in the client’s
house.What type of catering service are you providing?
A. No-service catering
B. Partial-service catering
C. Full-service catering
D. On-premise catering
5. Which of the following is the best way to get your catering business started?
A. Research your area and develop a marketing strategy.
B. Wait for your excellent food and service to build you a good image and reputation.
C. Leave your business cards every appropriate place you can.
D. Get involved with local organizations and become a speaker.
6. Which of the following would you want to do when developing a marketing position?
A. Position yourself in an untapped consumer market.
B. Go after the same demographic as other area caterers.
C. Market yourself as a general caterer willing to accept any type of job.
D. Emphasize your inexperience and gain clients by charging a much cheaper price.
7. A new caterer, working off premise, typically invests less than _______ to open a catering
business.
A. $15,000
B. $10,000
C. $5,000
D. $2,000
8. On your business card, you position your business as “the area’s most creative cookery.”
This phrase is your
A. slogan
B. business name
C. logo.
D. parameter.
9. The planned effort to present a unique image through newspapers, community events, and
other visible places is called
A. advertising
B. branding
C. public relations.
D. press release.
10. Leon is catering a luncheon. He is only supplying the food. What kind of catering service is
he providing?
A. Social
B. Public
C. Corporate catering
D. No-service
11. What can you expect when you ask clients for testimonials?
A. They’ll want to come up with full-blown ideas.
B. They’ll know exactly what you want.
C. They’ll take the time to write up a testimonial and mail it to you.
D. They’ll be happy to approve a testimonial you’ve written.
12. Which person is most likely to become a successful caterer?
A. Sapana is independent and loves to solve problems. Nothing rattles her. She is a
creative person and a great cook.
B. Tony is an outgoing, energetic individual who loves dealing with people. He often
gets so caught up in what he’s doing that he forgets to do things like balancing his
checkbook or returning phone calls.
C. Steve is a friendly, flexible cook who enjoys making people happy so much that it
gives him a stomachache if they aren’t pleased with his efforts.
D. Jonah is a versatile cook who is determined to make his fortune overnight. He has
tried many get-rich-quick schemes, but knows this one is a winner.
13. To determine the price to charge for your service, you’ll need to calculate the costs of the
material, labor, and what other two elements?
A. Location and overhead
B. Overhead and profit
C. Food and supplies
D. Finder’s fees and entertainment
14. You operate a small catering firm specializing in sit-down dinner parties that you prepare
and serve yourself with no helpers. A client of yours loves your food so much that she has
asked you to cater her daughter’s wedding reception for 300 people, to be held in her back
yard. It’s your first chance at a big event and you’re not really set up for it.You don’t have
the equipment, you don’t have the staff, and you don’t have the connections to musicians;
however, you’re tempted. What would be your wisest decision?
A. Accept the job and use this chance to make all the contacts you need to expand
your business.
B. Agree to make the food if the client will subcontract all the other services herself.
C. Turn down the job, explaining why you can’t do it, and wish her luck finding someone
else.
D. Turn the job down; however, give the client the name of a high-quality catering firm
that can meet her needs.
15. Everything at the small sit-down dinner party has gone beautifully.You go to finish off the
evening with a flare by bringing in the customer’s fondue pot, which you filled with melted
chocolate and plugged in to keep warm several minutes ago, while you chopped up the
fresh fruits to dip in it. Now the chocolate has hardened! What did you most likely do wrong?
A. You bought the wrong chocolate.
B. You didn’t get the timing right.
C.
on March 30th, 2010 at 20:37
like i said in your previous post. SHAME ON YOU THAT IS A TEST YOU’RE POSTING ONLINE AND ASKING OTHERS TO DO YOUR WORK FOR YOU! how do you expect to become a chef or food service worker by expecting strangers to answer your test and homework questions for you. I may get a thumbs down but as a graduate of the CIA in NY and working my a@@ off in the food service business for 25 years to see someone cheating or being lazy makes me sick to my stomach. I am retired from the food service and still cater private events for the love of the culinary ARTS, but you must learn by doing and reading and asking questions to help yourself not a whole homework assignment or test. SHAME ON YOU!!!
References :
retired chef
cook book author