How To Use Press Releases To Drive Traffic

Press releases are a powerful way to reach out to your target audience and generate buzz around your website, company, products, offers, and launches.

Not only do press releases still work effectively but are also easy and inexpensive to put together and distribute. There are both free and paid submission paths you can take to get your message out there. (I’ve listed a dozen free PR submission websites at the bottom of this post).

If you improve your skills and eventually figure out the right message to send to the right target at the right time you’ll have an opportunity to get your message to go viral which is the holy grail of PR. Here are some tips…

6 Tips To Get Your Press Release Read:

  1. Write your press releases to your target audience, not the media. Study your audience and write your press releases in a fashion that will appeal to those readers. Use keywords and language that would appeal to that specific audience.
  2. Use a strong headline that will command attention. The beginning of your press release is by far the most important part. Model your headlines similar to how magazines, newspapers, and advertisements use theirs. The National Enquirer and other similar trashy tabloid magazines are masterful at this. But keep your headline on point and make sure it’s as engaging as it is accurate.
  3. Get straight to the point in the first paragraph. If you don’t hook your reader in the first few sentences they will likely not read all of it. In fact, assume they’ll read only the first paragraph and skim the rest of it.
  4. Limit your press release to less than a full page. Every press release should fit on a standard 8½-by-11 piece of paper. Write short and straight-to-the-the point paragraphs with plenty of white space. Think of it as a teaser (click-bait) to get readers to click through for more information or the end of the story.
  5. Make sure to spellcheck and make it as grammatically correct as possible. When it comes to press releases, the media (and likely your end audience as well) expects perfect grammar. Anything less and they may not take you or your message seriously.
  6. Don’t forget to include your contact information. You would be surprised how many people forget this and give the reader nowhere to go for more information – which defeats the entire purpose. 

Press Release Basic Formatting:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:

  • Your Name
  • Your Company Name (if applicable)
  • Your Contact Phone Number
  • Your Fax Number
  • Your Email Address
  • Your Website URL

HEADLINE:

<Your City>, <Your State>, <Date> – The first paragraph. Begin your press release with a two sentence paragraph that provides a quick overview of the news why it is important. It should read easily and make your news sound exciting to a general audience.

Next, provide some background information on the product or service. Make sure to write your release in terms that readers consumers, your target audience, and the general public will understand. Do not use industry terminology, and provide definitions that readers might not know about or understand.

Your text should explain the purpose, target market, and benefits of your product or service, and intrigue the the reader to find out more, visit your website, contact you for more information, recommend your product to a friend, or sell your product to management.

ABOUT:

<COMPANY> The final paragraph should be a brief description of your company and the products and services it provides. Include a summary of other products and services your provide, and a brief history of the company. Also include “For more information, contact: ” as the last sentence.

– END –

###

Believe it or not the standard method of transmitting your release is by fax (old school technology!) which is why you write the word ‘End’, at the bottom to let journalists know they have received the entire release. 

Here are the most important elements to include in your release:

  • Contact information: Including, of course, your website address and phone number.
  • Release Time & Date: Use the words “For Immediate Release” if you would like it sent out right away. Or write the time and date you would like your press release sent out at the top.
  • Headline: Use something that commands attention and is on point. Get creative with it!
  • Dateline: Include the day that the document was released, and the place of origin (your city
  • and state). 
  • Introduction: Get straight to the point or lose your reader by the end of the first paragraph. Explain who, what, why, where, when and how.
  • Body: Expand on your introduction and go into your story. Use statistics, quotes, trends, and any other detailed information to back up your assertions and get your points across effectively.
  • Bio/About “Your Company”: Include a short bio on either yourself or your company’s background.
  • Closing marks: Use the symbols “###” to show that the press release has formally ended.

Where To Submit Your Press Releases For FREE:
www.pr.com
www.prlog.org
www.newsvine.com
www.freeprnow.com
www.myprgenie.com
www.onlineprnews.com
www.theopenpress.com
www.directionsmag.com
www.24-7pressrelease.com
www.pressreleasespider.com

Finally, if you would like to learn how to write killer press releases, and other sales copy, check out John Carlton’s Simple Writing System: Here. John is a copywriting legend who is one of the best in the business. 

Affiliate Disclosure
Disclosure: The operator of this website is a 3rd party marketer with a material connection to product/service providers appearing on this site in that we are compensated for sales made through our affiliate links.

If you have any questions please contact me (Bill) at beachroulette @ gmail.com.

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