like ? @JHMattern - I always wanted to ask this to you, What kind of sites perform well for a Press Release. I mean I know the news has to be worthy but there has to be some kind of sites which performs well over other. And I don't want any Diplomatic answer here Be straight.
There's no such thing as a certain "kind of site" that will automatically do better. It's not a question of the type of site, but rather a question of whether or not the site owner actually understands what a press release is intended to do, and whether they handle it correctly. But here are a few examples of what is and isn't really newsworthy, as applying to a variety of common site types: Product-oriented sites have a good chance if they release a new product or upgrade (as in unique products). However, if you're only retailing someone else's products, announcing that you're selling something else from their line won't get you coverage 99% of the time. For service-oriented sites, it's easy to get coverage if you release free resources related to your services (such as if I release a white paper on my business site targeting an issue in the public relations industry), or if the professional is participating in a speaking engagement such as a seminar. That's worth announcing. Announcing a sale on services won't help you. Directories will have a harder time, b/c they're just too common for the media to care about them, unless they're doing something truly unique or newsworthy (like breaking into an entirely new niche for directories, releasing their custom script for sale to the public, etc.). Copycat sites aren't usually newsworthy... such as these Myspace-esque sites popping up everywhere. But it's not impossible to make them so. For example, I'm working with a client who's launching a community with that concept but for a very specialized niche, with an outstanding design, and a huge number of features even the major players don't have available. It's related to artists, photographers, graphic designers, etc. We've discussed a possibility of giving them a news angle by having them contact art departments of colleges and universities, and featuring the work of their senior class members. Not only does that give them local press opportunities near each of the schools, but the colleges will generally issue their own press releases about that, and nearly everything they send out gets at least a minor pickup in their city's newspaper (I used to handle releases for a college, and it's almost impossible not to get a pickup... so they're a perfect partner). If you run a personal blog, it's not terribly likely that you'll get major coverage. However, if you do something unique (like a public challenge that hasn't been done before, adding regular resources that a niche audience would care about, etc.), you can make it work. Content sites aren't going to get much coverage if they announce things like simply adding a new article. However, if you get a recognizable guest author, it's worth announcing them, or if you release something more significant (like free online courses, a new regular feature that you think will have broad interest, etc.), you can get some mentions out of it. I have a friend who runs a network of sites related to parenting preschoolers. As an example of announcing a regular feature, she announced that they're accepting books and products for review. Even though it may not have led to big media coverage, she did get contacted by publishers and even major companies in her niche looking to have products / books reviewed and even to sponsor giveaways, because she's able to offer them a highly targeted audience. While not leading to direct coverage, being able to later announce a partnership with one of these major companies for a promotion could bring attention, so in the long run, it's worth it. Hopefully you can see it's not so much about the "type" of site you run, but more about what you really have to offer. There's also a big difference in response depending on whether you simply post to free press release distribution sites (not usually very effective) versus manually targeting media outlets, contacting specific journalists and/or editors, and pitching your story (can be very effective). Most people choose somewhere in between. For small sites or site types that don't normally do well, there are a few things you can do to up your odds: 1. Only send press releases when you have solid news. 2. Set up an online press room, and use that as your "for more information" link in your releases. (you can look at the packages I offer as examples as to what kind of content you'd want to include) 3. Even if you don't have the time to conduct your own manual campaign, and don't want to spend the money to hire someone to run a full-service manual campaign, you should slightly alter your release to mention your name and the fact that you're a resident of your city/region. Then manually send it to your local newspaper. A local angle can up your chances, and getting some mentions in local press early on can teach you a lot about how to work with journalists, how to handle interviews, etc. which can help you secure better coverage down the road. Jenn
Good list, Currently I am doing on three of them: forum posting directory submission one-way link building.
Do them all. Relying on one method while avoiding others is a mistake. Better to cast a wide net and pick up all the fish with a variety of bait.
OK, so it's a new business. Do people buy anything? Are you selling goods, services, information? Are you shipping anything? Is you business targetting the luxury or entertainment sector, or is it an everyday product that a large number of people need?
1. Haven't work on that yet 2. No experience either 3. No member base yet... 4. Great for some fast traffic... hard to profit from them... 5. Not enough to judge yet 6. high quality for small niches 7. looooong term... 8. Too shy to do that... 9. Not for me... 10. looong term results...