10 New Rules to Get a Flood of Traffic from Online Publicity

I started submitting press releases in the 80s when I was a college student to help promote one of the many activities I coordinated as the vice president of service for a national service fraternity to which I belonged. Since that time, and especially since the advent of Internet marketing, the philosophy behind the strategy of submitting press releases and measuring the success of a release has completely shifted. The number of clippings from newspapers running your release used to be considered the hallmark in determining the success of a release. That’s no longer the case.


In today’s marketing environment, submitting press releases online is a very viable strategy for attracting attention to your website and to your business. However, the strategy is very underutilized by online service businesses. Why? Because most of us are still operating under the rules of traditional press releases. Many of the traditional rules of writing press releases no longer apply in today’s Internet marketing age.

Here are 10 new rules for online press releases that will help you get better results from your Internet marketing:

1. Write for consumers, not journalists. Today’s online press release is really written more for the consumer of your products and services rather than members of the media. The media may, indeed, pick up your release and create a story or interview you based on that release. However, what is more likely to happen is that a consumer who is searching online for a solution to his problem will stumble across your release and be compelled to take the action that you specify in the release.
2. Set a goal for the release. Do you hope to sell more ebooks, drive traffic to your site, sell tickets to an event, or promote a teleclass? This is how you measure the success of today’s press release.
3. Determine your target audience. Just like with any other marketing effort, being able to address the needs and concerns of your target market is key to creating a successful press release. If you have more than one audience, you may want to create more than one release.
4. Include your call to action. Do you want to invite the reader to pick up free information on your site, register for an event, or buy your newest book? The call to action that you desire needs to be included in the final paragraph of your press release.
5. Create a compelling headline. The headline for your release needs to be compelling and interesting enough to get the searcher to open and read your release. If you struggle to come up with compelling headlines, take a trip to your local supermarket and read the headlines on the magazines that are placed near the checkout lanes. Women’s magazines, Cosmo in particular, have excelled at the headline game for years, as it is the headlines on the cover that help them sell magazines. Study their headline formulas and see how you might apply them to your own business.
6. Promote all activities. No longer are press releases reserved for newsworthy events. Submit a press release for anything that happens in your business: the launch of a new website, your presentation at a conference, the release of a new ebook, election as an officer to a professional association, etc.
7. Optimize for searches. Before completing your release, do a quick keyword search using the free keyword research tool at Wordtracker.com. Optimize your release for 2-3 relevant keyword phrases for which you want to be found that have a fair amount of search traffic. Include these keywords in your headline, sub header, first paragraph, and body of your press release.
8. Write for longevity. In the days of the traditional release, a press release was only available for a short period of time and then disappeared forever. Online press releases, however, hang out for years on websites and can be found in searches several years after their initial release date.
9. Include links. Unlike the releases that appear in print media, your online press release can contain several links to various pages on your site. You may want to direct readers to your home page, to a specific landing page or product page, or to an event registration page.
10. Pay for release. There are many free press release sites online. The dirty little secret of these free sites is that your release is never submitted anywhere. It just sits on that free press release site, never to be seen again. If you truly want your release to be seen online, pay for that privilege. I use and highly recommend PRWeb.com for this service.


Press releases are a great tool to help you in your Internet marketing efforts. Begin slowly, and plan to submit one release per quarter at first, and then move to monthly, and perhaps eventually to weekly. By doing so, you’ll make your site more relevant to search engines, drive more visitors to your site, and position yourself as the well-known expert in your field.


Share your input and ideas!

Make your plan fit the circumstances....

 General Patton’s words can be considered the new battle cry for the Battle Born state.  After being involved with the Phoenix/Scottsdale post-S&L debacle planning for stability and growth, I was well aware of what lie ahead for Northern Nevada when we moved up here in 2004 (we had been visiting the area for years).  The lack of cohesive planning, even before the Great Recession, was the ticking time bomb.  The industries that our economy relied one are not sustainable ones (mining and gaming primarily).  The Great Recession just strapped on a warhead to the stick of dynamite that went off in 2008.  The bright flash did, however, create a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel: a revamped economic development engine with leaders with a proven track record.

Being privy to some of the discussions that surrounded the recently released Brookings/SRI study that in turn led to the launch party last night for ReCharge Nevada at the convention center, it appears we have the by-in, the energy and, most importantly, the leadership to create substantive action.  We’re in this together. We have a plan that fits the circumstances.  Time to act!

10 Items To Review & Build Your Business Now!

In building and running an independent private practice or small business, there are many items that need to be monitored closely and should be reviewed periodically.  This week’s article is a "Top Ten" of items to review whenever you decide to pause, reflect, take stock and re-assess.


1. Review your client statistics:  How many clients did you have?   On average, how long did they stay?  How did they describe their problem?   What did they need or want from you?  Does tracking by gender, age, or other criteria, provide insight about your business?
2. Review your referral sources: How do clients find you?  Do you have a solid mix of referral sources?  Too few sources makes your business dependent on them, while too many sources is inefficient.  Who refers the most desirable clients?  Who refers the least desirable?
3. Review your outcome statistics:  How many clients had successful outcomes? How many had unsuccessful outcomes, and why?   How many left before you thought they should, and why?  Which clients are you most effective with?  Which do you enjoy the most?
4. Review your income, month by month:   Look for patterns or relationships with marketing efforts or community events that may impact your business.  Does your business go up when school starts or after holidays?  Can you capitalize on any of these cyclical patterns?
5. Review environmental changes:  Has the community’s awareness of your skills or services been impacted by someone else’s marketing, by news stories or controversy this year?  Has your neighborhood changed?  Have circumstances made your office more or less visible?  Are other professionals moving into, or out of, your neighborhood?
6. Review office policies and procedures:   Do any of your forms, brochures, or signs need to be up-dated?  Is it time to add color and graphics?  Can office procedures be streamlined, computerized or contracted out for better productivity?
7. Review your insurance coverage, lease agreements, partnerships and other documents that impact your business.  Is this the year to incorporate?  Consult a professional about making appropriate changes, and meet with your accountant for a year-end review and tax planning.
8. Review every aspect of your professional status:   Review your CE requirements, renew your license(s), pay dues to your professional organizations, and be sure your liability insurance coverage is adequate and current.
9. Identify and study the 3 biggest mistakes you made relative to finances, business and marketing this year.  What did you do, or not do?  What did you learn?  What steps can you take so that particular mistake or set of circumstances never holds you back again?
10. Be sure to acknowledge and thank everyone who has contributed to your success this year, including referral sources, advisors, colleagues, and especially your clients.  Send holiday greetings, thank you notes, and where it’s appropriate, send a gift or token of appreciation.


As with every aspect of your business, success will be predicated on the continued maintenance of a solid foundation.


What are your thoughts and comments?