No matter how good your book, product or service, unless you get the word out to as wide an audience as possible you will struggle to make sales.  Spiking the interest of the media with a well written press release isn't difficult and can lead to all kinds of opportunities including boosting your bottom line.

As well as a superb way of grabbing public attention there is another reason why every author or bloglancer for that matter should get into the habit of writing press releases.  They are a great way of creating quality backlinks to your website or product pages which of course is vital if you wish to get free traffic courtesy of Google and the like.

Problem is, the media in all its forms receive millions of news stories every day.  To stand a chance of your release getting picked up by a reporter you need to know how to write a news story that will stand a chance of being picked up by a curious journalist.

A PRESS RELEASE IS NOT AN ARTICLE!

Explaining in intricate detail how your book deals with death in the eighteenth century and submitting it as a press release is unlikely to cut any ice with a reporter looking for a story which will boost circulation!

However, issuing a release saying how you discovered a collection of unmarked graves at a well known beauty spot during the research for your forthcoming novel on eighteenth century body snatchers is much more likely to make ears prick.

Lesson:  A press release contains a strong NEWS story.

WRITE FOR THE JOURNALIST, NOT THE READER!

Now that might seem at odds with what you may have read elsewhere, but journalists are usually hard pressed people constantly fighting deadlines.  Write your press release in the way they expect with the most important news at the top and you will at least get a second look.

Keep your paragraphs fairly short and try and make each self contained as journalists will often shorten by simply deleting later paragraphs.  Your press release ideally shouldn't be more than 500 - 800 words.  If more information is needed your full contact details should be included at the bottom of each release.

Lesson:  Write for the journalist, keep it short and give them what they want by using what, where, why, when etc.

CLEVER TITLES AND CUTE QUOTES

A good attention grabbing title is fine, but it must relate to the story by making it clear what the reader will learn.  You only have seconds to grab attention so don't sacrifice clarity for cleverness.

The same goes with quotes.  Use these sparingly.  They should come from an expert or someone who is themselves newsworthy.  Quoting your grandma's comments on your body snatching book is a no-no, but if you happen to catch Terry Patchette's attention and he is willing to be quoted then by all means make a meal of it!  (That's actually your news story!)

Lesson:  Keep it simple.  Only use catchy headlines and quotes if they add something to the story and never use testimonials!

PREPARE FOR FOLLOW UPS

Make it easy for the media to contact you by including your full name, address, telephone number and email.  Also include your website if you have one.  In a moment we'll look at press distribution services.  Don't be tempted to use false contact information.  You will loose credibility if a journalist tries to contact you and finds you've submitted false information.

You also need to say whether you have photographs available if applicable or are willing to be interviewed.

Lesson:  Include your reall contact details and say whether or not you are available for interview and what other resources you can provide.

GET THE WORD OUT!

There are dozens of places you can circulate your press release.  Try these:

•1.     Your niche media.  Publications relating to books and the topics covered by your latest effort should be near the top of the list.  It's worth trying to make personal contact with journalists in your niche area as you'll want to get further publicity.

•2.     Local papers and magazines.  If your story is strong enough you will easily get picked up by these.  You should find the news desk email of the relevant individual by either ringing the newspaper office or going online.  Don't forget local radio.  They are there to serve the community and are usually more than happy to have you on one of their shows.

•3.     Spread your net wider by submitting to the relevant section of the nationals.  Much harder to get in these, but if you really do have a strong story, there is always the possibility.

•4.     Submit your release to as many online press release services as possible.  Many charge and offer refinements such as ensuring your release is distributed to relevant individuals, but there are also free services.  Here are some to start you off and don't forget ...

SUBMITTING A NEWS RELEASE TO A PRESS RELEASE SERVICE WILL CREATE A BACKLINK TO YOUR SITE AND EARN YOU

GOOGLE BROWNIE POINTS!

http://www.prleap.com/            

http://www.npr.org/        

http://www.prlog.org/     

http://www.free-press-release.com/     

http://www.clickpress.com/                

http://www.newswiretoday.com/        

http://www.openpr.com/          

http://www.pressbox.co.uk/     

http://www.theopenpress.com/           

http://www.free-press-release-center.info/     

http://www.prfree.com/   

http://www.ukprwire.com/        

http://www.24-7pressrelease.com       

http://www.freepressreleases.co.uk/     

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