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I’ve written hundreds of press releases for all types of companies… would you like to know what techniques help generate the most traffic?

February 16, 2012 By

(Of course you would!)

As you’ve probably noticed from previous posts here, I’ve added “press release writer” into my freelance resume of stuff-I-know-how-to-do. As a result, I’ve been a press release writing maniac.

I’ve written them for:

  • iPhone apps
  • Software products
  • WordPress plugins
  • Membership websites
  • Fiction/Non-fiction ebook authors
  • White paper publishers
  • Social media service companies
  • Halloween costume stores
  • Toy stores
  • Network marketing companies
  • Lead generation company
  • Product review websites (affiliate sites)
  • Pillow manufacturer
  • Men’s clothing stores
  • Women’s clothing store
  • Women’s accessory store
  • Lingerie store
  • Jewelry designers
  • Fabric store
  • Fitness equipment store
  • Car insurance website
  • Used car website
  • Alternative health websites
  • Meditation website
  • Massage website
  • Psychic website
  • Herb store
  • Florists
  • Restaurants
  • Coaches/Consultants
  • Bootcamp instructor
  • Artists

Granted that’s not every business type in the known universe, but it is a nice stretch across many different industries.

Writing for these varied industries taught me 3 very important things:

1) Some industries instantly do better than others when it comes to press releases. For example, I can tell you that most Internet marketing related press releases I’ve written have done extremely well.

2) There are certain key factors that make or break a press release regardless of the product or service being promoted. Keywords are WAY more important than people think when it comes to getting traffic to your press release. Sometimes high volume keywords work, sometimes non-competitive keywords  work, and sometimes you have to completely break away from your primary choices and go with something completely off the Richter.

3) One press release isn’t going to make you king of the mountain. Neither will two or even three. The more press releases you publish, the better your traffic results. This is why most people who try their hand at press releases fail to do any damage. They’re not consistent enough to really see the power they can yield.

Done right, press releases can easily become one of your most reliable sources of website traffic

I don’t do press releases for backlinks and other airy-fairy branding jazz. When I taught myself to write press releases (you don’t need a friggin’ college degree to write a kick-ass press release) my goal was to get traffic and sell stuff.

If there are any other results besides getting traffic and selling stuff I view them as icing, gravy, the proverbial cherry on top of the dessert. But the main course has always been clicks and sales on a skewer. (Yum!)

And I can teach you how to cook that very meal.

But wait a minute… aren’t press releases primarily for product launches?

Ummm, no!

Did you know that PRNewswire (one of the oldest and most well-respected press release distribution companies) suggests using press releases to promote blog posts? No, not the entire blog… just the individual blog posts.

This means every time you write a blog post, you’ve got a reason to write a press release. If you’re writing two press releases a week based strictly on blog posts, that’s eight releases a month. You’re going to see some pretty good traffic results with eight press releases a month – and it has nothing to do with product launches.

In fact, whenever you publish new content, you’ve got a reason for a press release. New YouTube video? Do a press release. Free ebook? Do a press release. Running a giveaway? Do a press release.

It doesn’t matter if your site is five years old or brand spanking new, if you’ve got something notable and newsworthy to talk about, you’ve got a reason for a press release.

Let me tell you what makes a press release deliver traffic to your website…

My 48-page ebook, Writing Press Releases to Increase Website Traffic and Sell More Stuff, will give you all the tid-bits only a real-deal press release writer would know. 

SEO PRESS RELEASE PRIMER – In 5 minutes you’ll know the difference between a regular press release and an SEO press release (not to be confused with an SEO article). I’ll give you the suggested length for your press release, what to include and what kind of traffic I normally expect.

KEYWORDS – Waaaayyyyy beyond the basics: I don’t just cover “everybody-knows-this” keyword usage.  I categorize types of keywords, I give you the pro’s and con’s of each type, and I tell you how to use each one in your press release.

For example, there’s one type of keyword that’ll help your press release get syndicated on niche websites — but it doesn’t work for every niche. I’ll show you how to tell if it’s going to work for you. Another type of keyword has a greater chance of helping you get traffic from Google Search. And then there are certain keywords that can decrease your chances of getting traffic from Google News.

And where should you put the keywords? If you want traffic from Google, Bing and Yahoo, I’ll tell you exactly where they should go.

WILL GOOGLE NEWS LIKE IT? Google won’t outright tell you how to structure your press release, but they do hint around to it. I’ll tell you exactly what they say so you can stay in line with their unspoken rules.

WILL OTHER NEWS SITES AND SEARCH ENGINES LIKE IT? You’ll learn what it takes to make it into:

  • Google News
  • Google Search
  • Bing News
  • Bing Search
  • Yahoo
  • Niche websites

Where you’re placed has everything to do with your keywords and which press release distribution service you use. This is where experience begins to pay off in spades.

WRITING THE RELEASE – First I’m gonna give you 9 rules. Then I’m gonna give you a master template – that’s my 30 Minute Press Release Template. Next, I’m gonna give you five more press release templates, so you’ll know exactly what to write if you’re promoting an ebook, a webinar, a YouTube video, etc. And finally I’m gonna give you some examples of actual press releases written to promote my own sites.

PRESS RELEASE TRAFFIC = GOOD TRAFFIC – When someone visits my site from a press release it’s not uncommon to see them go through 6-7+ pages on the first go round. That’s good, quality traffic. And you can thank a very basic feature on your press release page for delivering such quality traffic. I’ll show you exactly what that feature is and what you must do to use it to your advantage.

DISTRIBUTION STRATEGIES FOR WINNERS – Fiverr.com has a bunch of freelancers who will distribute your press release to 20-25 freebie sites. Is this a better deal than paying $100+ to have your release go through a site like PRWeb? Don’t waste your time (and possibly your money) wondering… just read the ebook!

Who is this ebook for?

If you’d like to spend under $100 to write and distribute an unlimited number of press releases a month, this ebook is for you.

If you know you’d like to add press releases to your marketing arsenal, but don’t know what to write about, this ebook will give you some concrete ideas.

If you’d like to become a freelance press release writer, but want to ramp up your education from someone in the trenches, this ebook is for you.

Writing Press Releases to Increase Website Traffic and Sell More Stuff costs $19.95.

It’s a PDF ebook so as soon as you place your order – BAM – you’ll be reading it in minutes.

It’s 48-pages long with a few screenshots to demonstrate my points. The material isn’t going to overwhelm you, but it’s not filled with page after page of basic chit-chat either.

When you finish reading it you’ll be able to start writing your first press release. You’ll know where to distribute it and you’ll be in the same league as press release writers who charge upwards of $200 a release.

Buy Now

The plain and simple guarantee

Buy Writing Press Releases to Increase Website Traffic and Sell More Stuff. If you don’t like it, ask for a refund.

No hassle. No questions. You’ll get a refund.

I want you to love this ebook. And if it’s not to your liking, I have no problem giving you a refund.

“Yes, I want to BUY Writing Press Releases to Increase Website Traffic and Sell More Stuff!”

Okay… Click that button and you’ll be on your way.

Buy Now

Filed Under: Working the Press Release Angle Tagged With: , , , ,

How to write a press release even when you think you have no news

October 26, 2011 By

Before I started writing press releases one of the biggest mental hurdles I had to overcome was my belief in what constitutes a newsworthy piece of information.

Launching a new product is newsworthy. Launching a new blog is worth some electronic ink. Merging with another company is one of those traditional press release celebration occasions. Hiring Seth Godin as your CEO, while paying him a pack of wintergreen Tic-Tac’s as salary would definitely be newsworthy.

These are obviously the most predictable reasons for a press release. But what if you’re not launching a new product or a blog? What if Google isn’t buying your company up for $71 million dollars? And what if Seth Godin declined your CEO position despite your counter offer of 2 whole packs of wintergreen Tic-Tac’s. Now what?

Well you’ve reached the right person to help you answer this very question.

Writing a press release minus the boring traditional angles

Press releases of 2011 aren’t like press releases from 1995. Somebody spiked that punch a long time ago!

Nowadays you can write press releases for nearly any conceivable topic, minus your Twitter tofu sandwich updates.

Here are 6 questions that’ll help you decide if you have a press release ready idea:

1) Have you written a blog post that you consider to be linkbait? You have? Wow! Guess what? You can write a press release about it.

Hell, I write press release for non-linkbait blog posts. But if you have linkbait, you’ll definitely get more use of out them.

2) Do you have a free ebook/white paper that you’re giving away from your website? That could potentially be a mondo boffo (love that phrase!) press release topic.

I wrote a release a couple of weeks ago for a client who was giving away a free report. The free report led readers to an ebook he was an affiliate for. Guess what happened when the press release came out? Well it begins with an “m” and it ends with a “c” and you pronounce it as “magic.”

My client got opt in’s for the report. (I can’t tell you how many.) Those opt in’s started turning into ebook buyers. Client was happy. I was happy. Lather, rinse, repeat – on your site now.

3) Are you hosting a webinar? What about a real-life workshop, a Twitter chat, a teleseminar? They’re all news! That’s the good stuff your prospects want to know about.

4) Are you offering a discount on one of your products or services? One of my best converting press releases was based on a 3 day discount. I started the discount on a Friday and ended it on a Monday. And let me tell you… it was a VERY happy weekend. That release exceeded my expectations in every way imaginable.

5) Are you sponsoring a contest on your website? As I mention in my free report 7 Things to Say in Your Press Release if You Want Leads, Clicks & Sales, optimized press releases have a lifespan.

Depending on the keywords you use that lifespan may only be a week. In some cases, it could be a month. Contests are great press release fodder because they too have a lifespan. In fact, any offers that have a limited time for response seem to do well with press releases.

6) Are you giving out free sessions? Personal trainers… cosmetic dentists… what about a free initial consultation? Coaches and consultants… you know the drill. This is all news to your prospects and would fit in nicely to your press release campaign.

The definition of news has expanded – and you don’t need a journalism degree to create it

I’m not knocking any of my journalist friends out there. I wish I could wield the almighty power to move the masses over at Readers Digest or something.

What I am saying is that the news cycle is no longer the 1995 route of:

Press release –> Editor –> Round file (trash can) OR Publication

Today it’s more like:

Press release –> Press release distribution service –> Google News –> Automatic syndication

Your news is no longer determined by a reporter. It’s determined by people like me. And yes, people like you. If you’re not utilizing that citizen journalist power, then I can assure you you’re missing out on a prime marketing opportunity.

Before you leave some CommentLuv, check out my new press release website and pick up a copy of my FREE report 7 Things to Say in Your Press Release if You Want Leads, Clicks & Sales.

 

Filed Under: Working the Press Release Angle Tagged With: , ,

Press release for a Fiverr gig? For those of you who ask “How do I promote my Fiverr gig?”

September 29, 2011 By

Most people don’t have a problem buying things off of Fiverr (the gig website where everything costs $5). But when it comes to selling… there are a lot of raised noses.

I can certainly understand why.

I make exactly $3.92 after Fiverr and PayPal take their cuts. I can’t even dry clean a pair of pants with $3.92. That’s not even lunch, unless I want a street vendor hot dog.

But there’s a reason why I stick it out with Fiverr. It’s actually a little market research trick. But I’ll talk about that in a bit.

Right now I’d like to point your attention to a press release I did on September 15 to promote my ebook promotion service on Fiverr. The press release is currently #4 in Google News for ‘market ebook for free’ and #2 in Google News for ‘fiverr.’

The problem with my Fiverr gig

When I launched the gig a little over a month ago it started getting a moderate amount of traffic. Fresh gig, fresh traffic sort of thing. Then the traffic slowed down. Pageviews were stuck at 120 for maybe 7-10 days.

I changed categories and things picked up a wee bit. Another influx of initial views only to be met by crickets chirping in the background.

I knew why this was happening.

There’s no category or sub-category related to ebooks or information products. (Hey Fiverr gang… what up? You’re missing a potentially mondo boffo market here.) People either have to search for something like it or scroll through the Advertising category, which is where I listed my gig the second time around.

If I would’ve left it alone without any outside intervention, it would’ve floundered just like the thousands of other Fiverr gigs that don’t have a category to love them. (Poor little unsearched for Fiverr gigs!)

But I’d already discovered the power of press releases. I simply sat down and wrote this press release to bump up the traffic to my Fiverr gig.

Since September 15, the pageviews on that gig has gone up to 253. I’ve since gotten two new customers. And each day my Fiverr stats for that gig gently increase.

“But Dahlia… honey… DARLING… you’re only making $3.92 per order!”

This is 100% true. And yes, it takes about an hour or so to pull those resources together.

However I’m not doing it for the money.

Whenever I start pulling resources for a Fiverr client, I’m adding them to a new ebook marketing guide I’m working on.

I simply take the work I’ve done, add a little bit more to it and look at me… I’m writing another ebook. Woot!

And the best part is I’m seeing EXACTLY where the greatest need is

One of those clients showed me a niche that I really didn’t think would be difficult to promote. But boy oh boy, was it!

Now I’m going full speed with a more comprehensive marketing guide for that niche. If this client had a hard time promoting their title, I can only imagine how other authors are feeling in this very sizable category.

Now that’s what you call double duty productivity.

Through these three customers I’m already seeing how I can adjust my marketing for the new ebook. I see WHAT they’re asking for. I see WHY they need my services.

This is REAL market research and quite frankly it rocks.

I’m going to continue using Fiverr for this very reason

The fortune isn’t in the money… it’s in what I learn from the people placing the orders.

I’m also going to write a press release for that gig monthly. I can’t think of an easier way to get paid while seeing precisely what’s lacking in the market that I write for. Plus with the positive reviews increasing, it’s only going to get easier to snag new clients.

Would YOU like a press release written for your Fiverr gig? (This offer is valid until 12am EST, October 1,2011.)

For $20 I’ll write a press release to promote your gig, then I’ll submit to SBWire, where it’ll be featured on Google News.

I do the keyword research to make sure you get a great rank in Google News for your targeted phrase.

Here’s a testimonial from a satisfied client:

“Just wanted to post and say how great of job Dahlia had done for me on the two press releases for my new books and their website.

Since the press releases about a week or so ago I have had a nice increase in sales of the books and for sure traffic.

All in all a good investment for the price and Dahlia service and attention to the purchase was second to none and would recommend her service for the press releases to anyone wanting to try a press release.”

– Bart Rutherford, author of “Phased Retirement: Transitioning from employment to retirement” and “Earning After Retirement: Creative ways to supplement your retirement income“

 

Remember, this offer is only good until midnight, October 1, 2011!

 

 

Filed Under: Working the Press Release Angle Tagged With: , , ,
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