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devin
May 21st 2006, 9:38 am
going to send this to PRWEb.


College Admissions Guide-Helping you get into College

May 20, 2006-Applying to college is an extremely stressful experience. To begin with, it is necessary to choose approximately ten colleges to consider applying to out of a list of over twenty-four hundred. This task can include hours of research and many visits to college campuses. Once the finalists are selected, it is necessary to collect the application forms and begin filling them out. Although the mere thought of applying to college might cause a headache, the College Admissions Guide has the resources to ease the burden of the process.

The College Admissions Guide (http://www.admissions-guide.info/) is the definitive resource on how to get into college. From beginning to end, the College Admissions Guide provides you with the answers that you have been wanting. The web site was launched two months ago after over two years of time and energy were put into researching and gathering the best available information about the admissions process.

What is the difference between this web site and the dozens of other college admissions web sites? Instead of being created by a test prep company or a company that claims for only $299.99 they can guarantee acceptance to a dream college, this web site was assembled by someone who has personally been through the process of selecting, applying, and being accepted to colleges. The personal experience that the creator has gained is reflected in the information provided to you. The web site presents information in an extremely helpful and realistic manner.

The College Admissions Guide was created by Devin. Devin graduated from high school in 2005, and will be starting college in the fall. He has spent the last two years not only researching this topic, but also going through the experience himself. In the process of creating the College Admissions Guide, Fenix has interviewed many of his peers who have successfully gone through the admissions process.

In addition to learning from his personal experience and the experience of others, Fenix has also extensively interviewed his guidance counselor, who has been responsible for sending students to universities around the world. In the process of creating this site and applying to college himself, Devin was accepted to several prestigious universities. In the United Kingdom, Devin was accepted by the University of Cambridge, along with Imperial College. He was accepted to four honors programs in the United States, including the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia.

In addition to the endless amounts of information, the College Admissions Guide provides several other attractive features. The web site provides a forum where students or parents can go to ask other members questions or share experiences about the college admissions process. This is a unique feature because it allows visitors to the web site to interact with the information and each other on a more in-depth level.

The web site also offers a blog that is updated several times a week. The blog consists of specific questions about the admissions process that have been submitted by visitors of the web site. The most relevant and interesting questions are selected, and then posted on the blog along with a detailed answered. The questions are answered by one of several people with extensive knowledge about the college admissions process.

As the web site itself states, "Is there an easier way to getting into college? Unfortunately, no. Contrary to what you may have read, there is NO backdoor in the admissions game." Luckily for you though, with the help of the College Admissions Guide, the process of applying to college can be less stressful and much more successful.

marketjunction
May 21st 2006, 8:08 pm
I would give this PR a 5 out of 10. You discredit the website by suggesting that the reader not listen to a test prep company with decades of experience and listen to you (or whomever) with virtually no experience save one lone entry into college. I would remove that part and focus more on the information since the experience is lacking.


This is a unique feature because it allows visitors to the web site to interact with the information and each other on a more in-depth level.


Really? So no other website has interaction ability? This statement is false and destroys credibility.


The College Admissions Guide (http://www.admissions-guide.info/) is the definitive resource on how to get into college


I would stick to facts and somewhat true marketing fluff. This statement is not even close to being correct. For instance, USNWR is far ahead as are the countless other books and sources that detail how to get into colleges that are far above U of Michigan and Virginia. Again, this further destroys your credibility.

The structure of the PR is not that great. I would go back over it and tidy it up. You might find that you can make it more concise and readable.

While I admire your honesty as far as "experience" goes, the fact that you
(again, or whomever) have graduated recently and are about to go to college lends no value to the product. Also, there is a back door, it's called a transfer. :D

I would revise the experience part to be stronger and leave out some of the info that hurts the image projection.

The PR can be saved with some serious revision. However, if you goal was to simply submit and try to get some PR links, perhaps this version is suitable.

Please don't take my comments personally. I just want you to see what an outside party might be thinking.

jhmattern
May 22nd 2006, 9:56 am
This actually isn't a press release at all. I can guarantee you at least a few of the big newswires would reject this release immediately. You're trying to write it as a feature story or advertorial, not a press release. There's a huge difference that you're completely missing. I would suggest either hiring a PR professional (and I'm not plugging my services... seriously look into hiring anyone at all for a good edit or complete re-write ... someone who knows how to write for the media), or at very least, take a look at some of these resources I've made available regarding formatting and tips:

How to Write a Press Release (http://www.allinfoaboutmarketing.com/index.php?page=How_to_Write_a_Press_Release)
Sample Press Release Template (http://www.allinfoaboutmarketing.com/index.php?page=Sample_Press_Release_Template)
Press Release Writing Tips (http://www.allinfoaboutmarketing.com/index.php?page=Press_Release_Writing_Tips)
Online Press Release Distribution (http://www.allinfoaboutmarketing.com/index.php?page=Online_Press_Release_Distribution)
25 Press Release Ideas (http://www.allinfoaboutmarketing.com/index.php?page=69)

I hope they help you out at least a little bit. :)

Jenn

marketjunction
May 22nd 2006, 5:27 pm
That's a point that I have become tired of making.

Of course, that's why I asked for the object. There are many site owners out there that don't really care about the bigger outlets. They simply want to get some back links. Therefore, they don't write a true press release.

jhmattern
May 25th 2006, 6:35 pm
I completely agree with you, and it can certainly be frustrating to watch an important tool of your trade being misused so often. It's definitely one of my hot buttons. Fortunately, the website owners I've worked with so far (several found right here on DP actually) have been extremely willing to learn and understand what a press release's purpose is, and I haven't had any client yet reject a release for being written "properly" instead of as an optimized ad. ;) I think the problem is that some site owners really think that a bunch of links are all that matters. They don't understand the purpose of publicity (which can bring you a heck of a lot more hits in the long run anyway), and that's why I don't take on clients in any industry (I don't only work with site owners) who don't understand that. But like I said, I've been really fortunate so far. :) Maybe at some point I'll put together a brief article or two regarding press releases and publicity to post here on the forum somewhere. We'll see.

Jenn

devin
May 25th 2006, 8:09 pm
point taken. article posted is not a PR, just fluffy advert. thanks for all critics. :)

superflytrainer
May 29th 2006, 10:19 am
You should also put "for immediate release" in the upper right hand corner

jhmattern
May 29th 2006, 10:27 am
You should also put "for immediate release" in the upper right hand corner

Actually, it's usually the upper left hand corner. Very rarely should anything at all be right-aligned on a press release. People read from the left in most cases, and a release should be easily scannable for the media to browse it with their eyes at first glance. Don't ever make them "search" the page for anything.

Jenn

Charisse V
Nov 25th 2006, 4:01 pm
Jenn,
Do you still have the All Info About Marketing site? None of the links are working?

Thanks,
Charisse

jhmattern
Nov 25th 2006, 5:42 pm
No, I left that network, and moved my content to my own site back in August. It can all be found at BizAmmo: Public Relations (http://publicrelations.bizammo.com). Here are the new links to the specific press release articles:

How to Write a Press Release (http://publicrelations.bizammo.com/index.php?page=50)
25 Press Release Ideas (http://publicrelations.bizammo.com/index.php?page=49)
Press Release Writing Tips (http://publicrelations.bizammo.com/index.php/all_pr_articles/press_release_writing_tips)
Online Press Release Distribution (http://publicrelations.bizammo.com/index.php/all_pr_articles/online_press_release_distribution)
Free Press Release Template (http://publicrelations.bizammo.com/index.php?page=51) (tailored to print / manual distribution)
Online Press Release Template (http://publicrelations.bizammo.com/index.php?page=59) (for online distribution sites)

Sorry about that. Hope that helps. :)

Jenn