Press releases are an often-overlooked way to market your business. A well-written press release can significantly increase your sales, reveal your company to the masses, and greatly enhance the image of your business or products. The press release is essentially a sales instrument, marketing a company’s goods or services, an individual, an occasion or any combination of these.

The purpose of a press release is to give reporters knowledge that is useful, truthful and attention-grabbing. However the reporter picking up the release isn’t interested in assisting you with making money or directing visitors and therefore potential customers, to your website. It is important to always keep this in mind when you set out to write a good press release.

Writing a press release is an art in itself if you are to accomplish both the journalistic requirements but at the same time achieve the real reason you are writing the press release in the first place, and that is to increase sales.

So How Do You Write An Effective Press Release?

Here are five fundamental guidelines to keep in mind:

1. Press releases must conform to an established standard – Reporters get so many press releases a day, they have established excepted standards that you must adhere to merely to have your press release looked at, let alone distributed for publication.

2. Press releases should be printed on company letterhead if being mailed or faxed. Press releases may be sent by e-mail, fax or snail mail.

3. Press releases and news stories are lackluster to reporters without a ‘human interest’ angle – If you are going to write a press release to sell a product, do not begin with how grand the product is; begin by relaying the obstacle that the product will overcome.

4. A press release is a simulated news account, written in third person that endeavors to make obvious to an editor or reporter the newsworthiness of a specific individual, occasion, service or product.

5. Don’t panic – One of the hardest components of writing a press release is deciding what is too lengthy and what is too brief. Many business owners feel panic-stricken when it comes time to compose a press release. By classification a press release is simply an announcement arranged for circulation to the media so keep this in mind before you garner “writers block” before you even begin.

The essential components of a good press release:

1. Headline or Title – The heading of the press release should grab hold of the reporter’s imagination. The title of the press release should be brief and titillating, expectantly snatching the interest of the reporter and making an impression on them in enough measure to entice them to read on. Ideally it should be under 80 characters.

2. Summary – The summary paragraph is a little longer outline of the news, giving more detail of the news in the headline in one to four sentences. The summary uses sentence case, with standard capitalization and punctuation.

3. The body of the press release – The body of the press release starts with the date and city the press release is derived from. The essence of the press release is very fundamental as suggested in the above guidelines; who, what, where, when and why – with human interest. The first paragraph of the press release should contain in brief detail what the press release is about. Keep sentences and paragraphs short, about three or four lines per paragraph.The content of the press release, beginning with the date and city of origin, should be typed in a clear, basic font (Times New Roman, Arial, etc.)

4. Should it be necessary for your press release to exceed one page, the second page should indicate ‘Page Two’ in the upper right hand corner.

5. Never embed HTML or other markup languages in your press release. The standard press release is 300 to 800 words and written in a word processing program that checks spelling and grammar before submission. Do not include an e-mail address in the body of the release.

6. The end – The last paragraph of a conventional news release should contain the least newsworthy material, but for an online release, it is usual to reiterate and sum up the key points with a paragraph like this:

For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release (or for a sample, copy or demo), contact Jane Publicist or visit [website address here]. You can also include details on product availability, trademark acknowledgment, etc. here.

7. About XYZ Company:

Include a short corporate background, or “template,” about the organization or the individual who is newsworthy before you list the contact person’s name and phone number.

Contact:

Jane Publicist, director of public relations
XYZ Company
555-555-5555
[website address here]

8. Journalistic standards have set basic stricture to identify the end of a press release: ###. Three # symbols, centered directly underneath the last line of the release indicate the end of a press release.

So there you have it; the “everything you always wanted to know about press releases but were afraid to ask.” Press releases are a valuable “tool” in your marketing toolbox and don’t be afraid to use them often.

Brad Hodges Enterprises is a global Internet Marketing company specializing in Article Marketing/Publishing, Health-Wellness, Travel, Internet products and services reviews and home
based business opportunities and products.
Company website: Brad Hodges Enterprises
Email: info@bradhodgesenterprises.com
For more information on this article see our Build Your Business Toolbox Website

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-marketing-articles/the-power-of-press-releases-1417192.html

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Recession – it’s all around us. You hear of hundreds of thousands being given the boot out of their jobs; of executives receiving hundreds of thousands a year now working as blue-collar workers at a very tiny fraction of their previous salaries; government bailouts to corporate giants; stimulus bill to jumpstart the economy; lower consumer spending in almost all commodities; and foreclosed homes and rising homelessness. Need we say more?

Fortunately, you can earn a second income from the comforts of your own home. You need not necessarily put up your own home-based business, or turn a simple arts and crafts hobby into a full-fledged income generator, or source capital to fund the home business. All these are commendable ways to earn extra income from the home but nowadays, the money lies in the Internet.

However, the Internet can be fraught with dangers and risks for the uninitiated individual. With the plethora of scams out to prey on unsuspecting home entrepreneurs, it is best to have an online mentor who will walk you through the paces of making money on the Internet. Your online mentor ought to provide you with the right tools and resources to earn extra money online.

With that being said, here are tips to help you find the right online mentor for your money-making needs:

First, you have to be able to access personalized customer support from the online mentor. Various avenues for asking questions and lodging complaints must be provided for you such as via e-mail, fax and phone line numbers, business address and online customer representatives. You have to be able to get fast and satisfactory answers and responses. The customer support system shows that your success as an entrepreneur is their business.

Second, you must be able to connect with other people who are being mentored. In this way, you can exchange your ideas, expand your horizons, and expect better things to come with your interactions. When the online mentor refuses to provide contacts and referrals, just walk away lest you fall prey to an online scam.

Third, you must be able to tap into helpful advice relevant to the challenges you are facing in your home-based business. Often, scams will provide flowery words of promise about earning hundreds of dollars a day without the substance of what you can do to improve your business. If possible, you have to be able to use free resources and tools to help you improve your income.

Fourth, and most important, the online mentor must be able to walk the talk. You must be able to avail of a one-on-one training program that speaks of the realities of online marketing schemes, even when the realities point to a road paved with difficulties. Again, flowery words are good for the ears but are definitely not good for the pockets.

Indeed, earning a second income from the home when hundreds of thousands are suffering from joblessness is possible with online marketing tools. The important thing is to find the online mentor who can teach you and teach you well about the optimal use of these tools

The peoples program has everything already attached no need to mess with auto responders, lead capture pages, or the other complicated applications as with other systems and the back office has plenty of training. Let Dan and Mary help you with your second income. http://www.peoplespathway2success.com

Article Source: Second Income From Home- Recession Proof!

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