How Press Releases Can Help Build Your Brand

Your brand is what identifies your business to your customers and competition.  It can be used to create a relationship with your customers and increase your online visibility.  When you’re trying to build your brand online, you should be taking advantage of press releases, they can be used as a highly powerful and innovative marketing tool when used in the proper manner.

Press Release Writing-Art or Science?

Press release writing has, of course, elements of both art and science.  The author of a press release generally follows a recognized format in order to differentiate it from other styles of communication.  Typically, common components include:

• a headline that needs to seize the reader’s attention creatively, while effectively transmitting the main idea briefly.  This is comparable to a comedian telling a one-liner as opposed to a storyteller holding an audience’s attention for a longer period of time,
• a dateline with the date and the name of the city from which the information is originally released,
• a introduction  that gives succinct answers to what used to be called the 5 W’s in       newspaper writing-who, what, when, where, and why,
• a body that fleshes out the press release with pertinent details.  The body usually has a word limit range of 400-500 words.
• a conclusion that restates the main idea and sums up the content, and finally, 
• the contact information for the person in charge of media relations. 

Press release writing is a science when it follows this traditional format.  The art of writing a press release is developed through clever word choice, accurate writing conventions, and skilled use of font.  A press release writer must choose words that will attract the desired readers.  For example, the writer might say that a product either “performs flawlessly” or “rocks” depending on the age range of the targeted consumers.  A question mark at the end of a sentence, instead of a period, can invite the reader to participate more fully, can’t it?  A larger font size can make a press release more inviting to a reader who has or might be in need of glasses.

Press release writing has a century-long and interesting history.  A man named Ivy Lee is credited with writing the first modern press release.  He was working with the Pennsylvania Railroad when there was a train accident in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1906.  Information was released directly to journalists before rumors could start and Lee and the railroad invited journalists and photographers to the site so they were able to offer eye-witness accounts.

By definition, a press release is information purposely released by the act of being transmitted to the media.  An artistic press release writer strives to be innovative in the content and delivery of this information.

Author:  ArticleWriteUp.com writer Sue M.

How Math Makes Better Writers

The goal of any press release is to have it published so the topic or information can be circulated.  Surprisingly enough, article writing can greatly benefit from math.

The inverted triangle, while it is a geometry figure, is also an excellent guide to writing a press release with a great chance of getting published.  In news writing, information must be conveyed as quickly and efficiently as possible.  The inverted triangle illustrates the application of this principle: at the top it is wide and narrows to a point at the bottom.  In the same way, article writing for publication is most successful when the beginning deals with a broad overview of the information that will follow, and ends with the more specific details.

The beginning of the piece can be viewed as the topic sentence, containing all the information the reader will need.  If the reader were to read no further than the first sentence or two, they would still understand the general idea of the article.

The challenge in article writing is to give the reader the most pertinent information first, while still whetting their appetite to read more—to lure the reader into reading the full press release.  This can be accomplished by making the first sentence snappy through active verbs, vibrant word pictures, or through sophisticated sentence structures.

Successful publication also entails article writing which requires as little editing as possible.  The inverted triangle accomplishes this because the editor can identify very quickly if the press release matches the needs of the media outlet, and the tapering down to details allows the editor to trim the piece to fit the allotted space without sacrificing readability. 

In addition to this, the piece must avoid first-person pronouns and maintain a neutral bias—the style must sound more like a news report and not like a promotional piece.  To make the piece lively without showing partiality, quotes from relevant sources can be included.  These quotes should be brief—no more than a sentence or two—and approved by the source prior to submission.

Following these guidelines will not guarantee publication, but they will guarantee a well-written, professional piece.  In writing, a little triangle goes a long way!

Authored by ArticleWriteUp.com Writer: Fletcher H.

What Will Happen to Your Self Published Book?

So, your book is in the works. Congratulations! You have come a long way since you had that spark of an idea that set you on the course to authorship. You can now self publish the book, and you can do it easily and cheaply. Do you wonder what will happen to your book next?

I have heard a lot of disappointment from self published authors who do not get the immediate response they had hoped for. What many authors do not realize is that they have done nothing special to promote their new book. Getting it listed on Amazon or Barnes and Noble catalogs is not enough. To get the kind of exposure that will propel your new book into success, you need to make a conscious effort to present your book in the best possible light.

Press releases can help you do just that. You notice, I said press releases, as in more than one. In fact, it is a great idea to have regular press releases beginning as soon as you are finishing your book. A real book launch, with focused SEO marketing and reviews, will get your book sales off to a good start. From there, steady PR’s can build your readership even more.

Well-crafted book reviews help readers see the value of your book. Amazon or Barnes and Noble display book reviews right on the page where your book is sold. Potential readers will often scroll down to the reviews to find out what others think of the book.

The ideal way to get book reviews immediately is to ask people to read and review your book. It always helps to have book reviews that say something more than “I liked the book.” I know I prefer to read book reviews that give some of the details of the book without spoiling the ending. It is also great to see opinions about what is most appealing about the book.

SEO articles can help you build a system of links back to your book’s website, where interested readers can buy the book from you. Besides that, great articles can tell people information about the subjects you cover in your book. You get a reputation as an expert on the subject.

Before you know it, you are considered a credible source of information on the web. Once you do that, people will seek out your book on their own. It just makes sense to systematically promote your self published book. I would wish you good luck, but you will have more success if you do not trust it to mere luck. Now is the best time to promote that book!

If you would like to launch you book or build momentum for it, ArticleWriteUp.com can help. We offer press releases, book reviews and SEO articles. Contact us for more information!