How to Write a Press Release... The New Way

You can get the word out, about any new web site, paper, article, or event, with a press release. And the fun part is, it's like releasing a balloon filled with helium. You never know how high and far, this one little effort will travel.

Hey... Wait a sec... Where you going... Don't stop reading now... This is fun and easy to do. It's not at all like the old days. Everything has changed... and here's why:

Once upon a time, the press release "had to" be "newsworthy." There were very few media outlets. There was a finite amount of space, in the newspapers and broadcasts. You had to have a significant event, to get noticed and published.

Thanks to the internet, those days are long behind us. Press releases get read from PR sites, newsfeeds and blogs. They are pushed out to the masses via RSS feeds, where fresh eyeballs are willing to subscribe, and read topics they are interested in.

So what I'm telling you... is to forget everything, you've ever learned, about press releases. The old school rules no longer apply, even if the crusty old gatekeepers hate to admit it.

The audience has expanded from just a handful of journalists - whom used to control the space - into millions of consumers with internet connections. From now on... people are in charge of what they consider to be newsworthy. Not the mainstream media.

Smart marketers are using press releases, to talk directly to buyers and consumers. And the release can be on any topic that you choose.

Don't wait for something big to happen. Send press releases all the time.

The purpose is not to get some newspaper phoning you up for an interview - but it's a bonus when it does happen. It's to help get exposure on any topic that you choose. It's also a way to increase the amount of permanent backlinks to your site.

Now lets talk about the search engines. You can pepper the press release with keyword rich copy. You can optimize the headline and synopsis for findability.

You can send visitors straight to a landing page and provide a deep link into your site. And depending on the service, you might even get social bookmarking and tags included, as part of the deal.

Are you... Publishing a white paper, newsletter, podcast or ebook? Creating a new web site, how-to, course, CD, DVD or online video?

Are you... Holding an event, show, seminar, summit or conference? Are you, or your boss, speaking at, or attending an event as a guest of honor?

Have you... Modified a product, created a new one, have a new twist on an old idea. Did you win an award, get a new customer, or get mentioned in the press?

If the answer is yes, to any of the above... write a press release. And just like that little helium filled balloon... you never know how high, far and fast it will travel... or where it will ultimately end up.

Recently I spent 250 dollars on a press release. So far, the headline made over 83,000 impressions. The full press release, was read over 2,400 times.

Best of all I've already received 294 new customers. That's a mere .85 cents per customer acquisition cost.

And I got all this - at the time of this writing - in just 18 short days. And the best part, it's still growing... it's like that little balloon, floating higher and further, up and away into the webosphere.

(Update: After 32 days, it's now 3,062 reads, 377 new subscribers. Only 66 cents to acquire each new subscriber. Now that is a great return on investment. :-)

Where will your press release take you?