What's your biggest frustration about getting free publicity?

[Paul Hartunian]

What's stopping you from getting online or offline publicity for your business? Or from getting more publicity than you're getting now?

I'd like to help you solve those problems; to get rid of any frustrations you have about getting and using publicity.

This is no sales pitch, there's no opt in, there's no catch. Just an offer to help.

So if you'd like some help, go to my blog (there's a link in my signature) or post your questions here and let me know what's holding you back from getting powerful publicity for your business? If you do that, I'll do my best to help you solve the problems and get rid of the barriers.

Publicity has given me a life 99.9% of people would envy. It's given me my dream life.

I'd like to help you achieve your dream life. But I can't do it unless I know what the problems are.

So post your questions , your problems and your frustrations about online or offline publicity either on my blog or here and let's see what we can do together to get rid of them.

Paul

[Kevingators]

What is the best way to get free publicity Online in your opinion?

Kevin

[pluto1]

I would also like to know what is the best publicity method on getting the word out on your online business.

I am stuck at ~ 200 visitors a day. Would like to see more but all my efforts from last week seem to be bringing repeat visitors, not new ones. Any ideas why or suggestions?

[Lance K]

Well, I had this super cool idea to sell pieces of the Brooklyn Bridge, but somebody already did it.

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by Kevingators

What is the best way to get free publicity Online in your opinion?

Kevin

Kevin,

Don't waste time trying to find the best way to get publicity. There are many "best ways". It's far more important to do something.

First - understand that online publicity is designed to get you search engine listings, backlinks, reposts on other peoples blogs, etc.

Offline publicity is designed to get you interviews with reporters on radio, TV, newspapers, etc.

Second - take the small amount of time needed to learn how to write a powerful press release. So many people take time to learn the most obscure things that have little effects on their lives, but they don't take the hour or two it takes to learn to write a great press release, which could completely turn their lives around.

Third - do something. Send out a press release using one of the many free online services. Don't worry about what the story is about, whether it's perfect or not. Just get it out. Learn by doing.

Fourth - read the answers I'm giving to this question on my blog. I go into even more detail there.

Good luck - take action.

Paul

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by pluto1

I would also like to know what is the best publicity method on getting the word out on your online business.

I am stuck at ~ 200 visitors a day. Would like to see more but all my efforts from last week seem to be bringing repeat visitors, not new ones. Any ideas why or suggestions?

Pluto -

What problems does your site solve for people visiting your site? Each one of those problems will be good material for a press release. Talk about the problem, don't talk about your website. At the end of your press release, offer your website as a solution to the problem.

Remember the formula - 1) present the problem 2) give an example of the problem that people can relate to and then 3) offer the solution which, in your case, would be your website/products/services, etc.

Since you want to drive traffic to your website, online distribution would be great for you.

Paul

[Scott Ames]

I don't think people make PR a priority as much as they should. We are all busy making products, doing SEO, creating blogs, etc. and forget about this gem of PR marketing.

[IMcruiser]

I think one of the main issues re free publicity is judging its value. They say any publicity is good publicity but this is not necessarily the case with online marketing. Time spent on the publicity is time that can always be put to good use elsewhere.

I think it's got more to do with it's value than anything. Finding that value is one of the most frustrating and time-consuming issues. It's understandable how some people just go for the easy Adwords option.

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by Lance K

Well, I had this super cool idea to sell pieces of the Brooklyn Bridge, but somebody already did it.

And I heard that guy became rich and has a great life. Hey, this publicity stuff really works!!!

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by Scott Ames

I don't think people make PR a priority as much as they should. We are all busy making products, doing SEO, creating blogs, etc. and forget about this gem of PR marketing.

Scott, that's always baffled me. So many people are jumping from one idea to the next instead of focusing on a proven, reliable strategy like publicity which, as you say, is truly a gem.

Thanks for the input.

[chackett]

I am working on publicity for my upcoming 'test' event in Atlanta.

It's one thing to "know" you have a great idea, but getting that idea in front of the right audience at the right time, is a whole other story.

I don't remember where I read it .. I think it was a paperback on direct response marketing, but basically they were saying that "the thing isn't really the thing, the thing is how you market the thing." How true.

The other story this reminds me of is the writer who was complaining to their mentor about the trash at the top of the NYT BestSellers list; "I'm a much better writer than they are, this is ridiculous." At which point the mentor reminded the young author that it's the NYT bestSELLER...not bestAuthor list.

Chris

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by IMcruiser

I think one of the main issues re free publicity is judging its value. They say any publicity is good publicity but this is not necessarily the case with online marketing. Time spent on the publicity is time that can always be put to good use elsewhere.

I think it's got more to do with it's value than anything. Finding that value is one of the most frustrating and time-consuming issues. It's understandable how some people just go for the easy Adwords option.

IMcruiser - Sorry, I can't agree with you on this one. There are tens of thousands of reporters, blog owners, talk show hosts, etc. who are very willing to do your marketing for you if you just spend a little time giving them good information they can pass on to their audiences. That's phenomenal leverage.

I may agree with you more if more people actually put into action the other strategies they're following. More often, though, they jump from the latest "thing" dangled in front of them to the next "thing" dangled in front of them.

I do agree with you that not all publicity is good publicity. I'll bet OJ Simpson will agree with us on that one. But it can be so simple to get and control good publicity.

For example, I'm sure you have information lots of people would want to know. If you spent 20 minutes or so putting together a press release, then a few minutes to post it for distribution, tens of thousands of people could read that release and act on it. To me, that's incredible power.

Thanks for your input!

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by chackett

I am working on publicity for my upcoming 'test' event in Atlanta.

It's one thing to "know" you have a great idea, but getting that idea in front of the right audience at the right time, is a whole other story.

I don't remember where I read it .. I think it was a paperback on direct response marketing, but basically they were saying that "the thing isn't really the thing, the thing is how you market the thing." How true.

The other story this reminds me of is the writer who was complaining to their mentor about the trash at the top of the NYT BestSellers list; "I'm a much better writer than they are, this is ridiculous." At which point the mentor reminded the young author that it's the NYT bestSELLER...not bestAuthor list.

Chris

Hey Chris,

Two great points and one I'll disagree with.

You're absolutely right - it's not the product, it's the marketing.

You're right again when you point out the value of marketing a best seller and not thinking that it's awarded for best writing. The people who whine about being a "better writer", "better actor" or "better whatever" are the people who most likely are the ones who like to talk far more than they like to take action.

But I've got to disagree that getting a story in front of the right audience at the right time is a different story. For the vast majority of people, there is no such thing as "the right time" for their story. After all, does it really matter if people learn about your widget today, tomorrow, next week or next month? Not really. There's very little time sensitive information out there.

As for getting the story in front of the right audience - for over 20 years I've let the audience find me. Of course I wouldn't send a story about baking cookies to a sports editor, but I would use online distribution to get my press release out to thousands and thousands of people (total time about 30 minutes). Then I'll let them follow up if they're interested.

In over 20 years I've never once called anyone in the media to follow up on a press release and I've had tremendous success -simply because I make sure I make my stories irresistible. You can do the same thing.

Does following up with phone calls work? Sure it does. But I don't like spending time on the phone, especially cold calling media people.

There are lots of ways to get publicity that work. You should choose the way that works for you and get everything you can out of it.

I appreciate your comments!

[Lance K]

Thanks for all the information, Paul.

I wonder if people understand the opportunity that's presenting itself here. It's like Johnny Carson popping in to a comedy club and asking aspiring comics if they have any questions about making people laugh.


Here's a question for you...

When submitting press releases to offline outlets, what's the best way to format them? What should be avoided and why?

[akoni]

Hi Paul, I would like to ask if I submit my press release to like for example 10 press release websites, then each article submitted to press release websites should have to be different and unique, am i right?

[ramone_johnny]

Offer a kick arse service or product and the media finds YOU. Im getting more and more publicity recently. Infact one of the big tv networks just covered my site and I knew nothing about it.

[milkyway]

Originally Posted by Lance K

I wonder if people understand the opportunity that's presenting itself here.

Lol... I've been sitting in front of this thread since last night, trying to transform the big question mark in my head into meaningful questions...

Paul, thanks for that generous offer. I've just started using press releases, and my first couple of them hasn't had the success that (I think) the topic should have had. So obviously, there's room for improvement...

I plan to try the following things and see if I can get more exposure:

• Work on the headline
• Work on the overall structure (maybe it wasn't as press-release-like as I thought it was?)
• Submit to yet other directories
• Submit at different times of the day and week (I mostly submitted at night -- does this make a difference?)

Obviously you can't suggest anything concrete without more information, but are there any other obvious things which I could improve?

A couple of other questions are bugging me as well:

1. Some people suggest to submit a lot of press releases, up to at least once a week. Now, I'm a little hesitant to submit a press release any time I update a line on one of my web sites... Is it smart to push out as many press releases as possible, or is it better to do less and focus on the big points?
2. In your first post, you were talking about publicity. Since then, things have pretty much narrowed down to press releases. Were you thinking about other forms of publicity as well?

Lots of questions -- please feel free to ignore anything that is too much.

Any help appreciated!

Thanks,

milkyway

[STKING]

I have used press releases, both paid and free. The paid ones get me a better search ranking for a day or two. I will continue to do this.
Paul, I've signed up for your weekly emails...I hope to find them loaded with useful information I can put into practice.

Now I need someone to organize my time and mind so I can get all of this done!

[ForeignProfessor]

I was reading about publicity stunts yesterday and ran across this article about and thought it might inspire some people trying to think of ways to get publicity. Most of it the stuff in the article is about pretty large scale corporate stuff, but the smaller example below which I've excerpted seems like the kind of thing any one could do:

Sonic Yoga
The Stunt: Soon after launching his Manhattan-based yoga school in 2001, owner Jonathan Fields teamed up with Adelphi University to run the first-ever study on determining how many calories yoga burns. Knowing that the idea had media appeal--in fact, Fields also owns a marketing firm called Creative Vibe which he started in 2003--he sent a note to several top fitness magazine editors in New York City, explaining the concept of the study and offering an exclusive to whatever editor reached him first and agreed to do a story on the study. Within a week, Self magazine committed--and even asked to be in the study.

What Happened Next: After the article was written, an editor at Self called Fields and mentioned that it was a shame the studio didn't have a yoga instruction video to go with the article. Fields instinctively said, "Oh, we do have a video. It's in post-production, and it'll be out by the publication date." He quickly made up a name for the video and a price so the editor could add that information to the article, then he hung up and turned to his partner and said, "We need to make a yoga video very quickly." They put together a video, which sold out after the magazine hit the shelves. Since then, they've made four more videos.

That may inspire someone.

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by Lance K

When submitting press releases to offline outlets, what's the best way to format them? What should be avoided and why?

Hi Lance,

Your offline press release should NEVER be more than one page, no cover page, no personalization. Your headline should be big enough to jump out and grab the reporter. The first paragraph should tie right into the headline.

The press release must NEVER be about you. No one cares about you. They only care about what you can do for them. So the topic of your release should be about what you can do for the audience such as solve a problem, offer information, etc.

NEVER start a press release with: "(Your name or your business name) is pleased to announce...". It's one of the most common ways people start press releases and the #1 reason their releases are thrown out.

Always remember, no one cares about you. Tough, but true.

In my opinion, learning how to write a powerful press release is easier than the vast majority of things we learn to do, starting with riding a bicycle.

Thanks for asking.

Paul

[IMcruiser]

Paul, loving the information thanks.

I have another question. Do you track your publicity successes? And have you tried other traffic generation techniques? How do they compare?

See my problem is time and never having enough of it. If publicity as you define it has better benefits and allows me more time to spend elsewhere then it's something I would definitely do. Publicity takes many forms, personally I define SERPS success to be free publicity although I'm thinking you define it differently.

I'm thinking time/returns ratios. Is free publicity (and press releases as you seem to be focusing on) your main source of traffic?

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by akoni

Hi Paul, I would like to ask if I submit my press release to like for example 10 press release websites, then each article submitted to press release websites should have to be different and unique, am i right?

There's no reason to submit your press release to 10 distribution sites. If you're using free sites, one or two well-chosen sites will be plenty.

If you're using paid sites, one - again well-chosen - site is all you need.

There's no truth to the idea that the more distribution sites you submit to the more response you'll get. It's just a waste of time and you risk unnecessary duplication.

Paul

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by ramone_johnny

Offer a kick arse service or product and the media finds YOU. Im getting more and more publicity recently. Infact one of the big tv networks just covered my site and I knew nothing about it.

That's a fine idea, but your service or product doesn't have to be "kick arse". It actually can be fairly mundane.

As I've mentioned several times in this thread, all you have to do is solve problems.

I'm a musician - play several instruments. I had a problem with one little part of music theory. I saw a press release about that aspect of theory, went to the person's website and bought his product.

How much more mundane can you get than music theory?

Another example - this year I had a problem with backwashing my pool. I searched the term, saw a press release about the topic and went to the person's website. Score another one for press releases.

Backwashing a pool! Is that mundane enough for you?

Don't get locked into the thought you've got to have something sexy, dazzling, unique, etc. You don't.

I don't care what product, service, professional practice, etc. any of you have. You have loads of information that would make for great press releases and resulting publicity. And as I've said so many times before, I don't know of a marketing technique that's as powerful while being so simple. But you've got to take the small amount of time needed to learn the basics correctly.

If I was told that I had to start a new business build a following for it, and was allowed to choose only one marketing tool, I'd choose publicity every single time.

[Rod Cortez]

Hey Paul, good to see you in here! I was wondering if you knew of any solid radio publicity courses? I once asked Marc Victor Hansen this question and he said I should look up Alex Carroll. What are your thoughts?

[ibuyhomz]

Paul,

I like the simplicity and zen-like methods you recommend!

Keep it coming!

[mr2020]

Paul,

Great to see you here mate! I borrowed your idea on the brooklyn bridge, and sold a piece of the connellsville city boardwalk on ebay a few months ago.

I wasn't trying to make a million, I was trying to create some awareness of what's happening in our little town of Connellsville.

I got on the front page, and of course, I mentioned you in the interview. I think she even spelled your name right.

Have an amazing day!

Mr Twenty Twenty

PS: I think there is something about that on Connellsville, PA Welcomes you! if you want to peek. Whooo yah!

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by milkyway

1. Some people suggest to submit a lot of press releases, up to at least once a week. Now, I'm a little hesitant to submit a press release any time I update a line on one of my web sites... Is it smart to push out as many press releases as possible, or is it better to do less and focus on the big points?
2. In your first post, you were talking about publicity. Since then, things have pretty much narrowed down to press releases. Were you thinking about other forms of publicity as well?

Lots of questions -- please feel free to ignore anything that is too much.

Any help appreciated!

Thanks,

milkyway

I have often send out one press release a week. I've even sent out one press release a day when I had some very hot information. Once a week is a perfect schedule in my opinion.

It makes no difference how often you send out releases. What does matter is what you have to say. If you have quality information to send out, it makes absolutely no difference how often you get releases out.

As I've said many times in this thread, I don't care what your product or service is, you have LOADS of good information to get out in press releases. I can't imagine any product or service that doesn't have enough good information to get out one press release a week.

As for your second question, press releases are like a key to a house. You need the key to get into everything else in the house. So, I often talk about press releases as the first step to all of the great benefits of publicity.

Hope that's clear. If not, ask more questions.

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by STKING

I have used press releases, both paid and free. The paid ones get me a better search ranking for a day or two. I will continue to do this.
Paul, I've signed up for your weekly emails...I hope to find them loaded with useful information I can put into practice.

Now I need someone to organize my time and mind so I can get all of this done!

I agree that paid press release distribution services will give you much better results. Plus, with the paid services you get some excellent tracking ability which will give you vital information.

So, why use free services?

I use them to test out new ideas. If I'm testing something new I'll use a free service first. If my release gets picked up using a free service I know I'll get good pick ups when I use the paid services.

Plus, people first getting used to using press releases (or almost anything else for that matter) want to test what they're doing on as low a budget as possible.

On your second point - organizing your time is one of the most vital qualities you can develop. People constantly complain about not having enough time. I don't believe a word of it. It's not a lack of time, it's an inability to use time to it's greatest advantage. Thomas Edison, Mother Teresa, Bill Gates, etc. all have the same 24 hours in a day and look at what they've accomplished.

[Paul Hartunian]

Foreign Professor - Thanks for the great examples.

How much simpler can you get than doing a "study" of how many calories yoga burns? Great story idea.

Every single person reading this thread has lots of story ideas waiting to be used. Don't waste them. (Yeah, I know you don't think you have anything of interest for a press release. That's just a false barrier you're putting up. Cut it out!)

[Jillian Slack]

Paul,

This is a fabulous thread and a great offer of help from you to fellow Warriors.

One thing that I have found, in many years of working as a newspaper reporter focusing on the business beat, is that a lot of business owners reach out to receive coverage and then have no idea how to handle it when the reporter gets in touch.

They are not sure about what to say. They don't realize that they need to have some sort of focus for this bit of attention they are receiving. Sure, you have a great company, product or service. But you don't want to spend your entire interview jumping around.

Yes, it's the reporter's job to uncover the story. But it is also a great help if the business owner realizes that they need to have a clear focus.

Do you really want to babble about points A, B and C when you could have spent the interview giving me some great quotes about point D, which is the main reason you sent the press release out in the first place?

[Don Schenk]

Hey Paul,

Thank you for taking the time to help us in this thread. Others here have asked about several points I didn't know I had as questions until I saw them come up.

You have given me three important insights to use with releases.

Thanks again.

:-Don

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by IMcruiser

Paul, loving the information thanks.

I have another question. Do you track your publicity successes? And have you tried other traffic generation techniques? How do they compare?

See my problem is time and never having enough of it. If publicity as you define it has better benefits and allows me more time to spend elsewhere then it's something I would definitely do. Publicity takes many forms, personally I define SERPS success to be free publicity although I'm thinking you define it differently.

I'm thinking time/returns ratios. Is free publicity (and press releases as you seem to be focusing on) your main source of traffic?

I always track results as well as I can. You don't get much tracking ability with free distribution services. With paid services, the more you pay the more tracking ability you get. It's often not necessary to pay the highest amount to have your release distributed, but if you're serious you will use paid distribution, track your results and make adjustments from there.

As for time being your problem - it's not time, it's your use of time. I've addressed this in an earlier post in this thread. The less control you have of your time, the less control you have of your life. So many people get wrapped up in meaningless activities every day - activities that don't move them forward. With just about everything I do, I ask myself a simple question - how will this help me move forward. If I can't answer it, I drop the activity. (I only do this with activities related to business, not relaxation, entertainment, etc.)

Almost anything can be called publicity, but when I talk about publicity, I mean using press releases online and offline.

As I've said many times, publicity has given me everything I could want. It's given me a life that anyone would envy, but most of all, it's given me my freedom. I'm very grateful for what publicity has given me. I want to do whatever I can to help other people enjoy similar benefits. That's why I get frustrated when I see people chasing rainbows instead of focusing on one thing and working it until it pays off.

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by Rod Cortez

Hey Paul, good to see you in here! I was wondering if you knew of any solid radio publicity courses? I once asked Marc Victor Hansen this question and he said I should look up Alex Carroll. What are your thoughts?

Why would you only focus on radio? Why wouldn't you want to learn how to get as much publicity as possible both on- and offline?

Well, that's your decision. As far as Alex Carroll - I've know Alex for years. We're good friends. I have nothing but great things to say about him. The information in his course is good.

There are lots of ways to get publicity. I've developed one way. Alex has developed another.

The basics of Alex's system is to make cold calls to media people and pitch yourself as a good interview. Does it work? Certainly. But I don't like making cold calls of any kind. So I follow the system I've developed. I prefer to have the media people come to me because they see I have good information they can use instead of calling them and pitching myself and my topic.

But you should choose the system that you're most comfortable with. The most important thing is to learn the right way to get publicity and the DO SOMETHING! Without action, nothing happens.

People spends enormous amounts of their lives researching instead of doing. They want to come up with the "perfect way", the "perfect product", "the best system". There is no such thing.

Pick one thing and focus your energy on it until you either get it to work or until you're convinced it won't work (in which case you should ask for a refund).

In NY City, the horse drawn carriage drivers put blinders on the horses so that they'll stay straight on their path and not be distracted by everything else going on around them. You should do the same thing. Pick that one thing, that one system, that one course, that one "guru", then put blinders on and then focus on that one thing.

(Wow, I certainly can go on, can't I?)

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by ibuyhomz

Paul,

I like the simplicity and zen-like methods you recommend!

Keep it coming!

Thanks for the kind words!

Your Zen Master,
Paul

[Rod Cortez]

Originally Posted by Paul Hartunian

Why would you only focus on radio? Why wouldn't you want to learn how to get as much publicity as possible both on- and offline?

Paul, when did I state I was only focusing on radio? I was merely asking you a specific question, you read too much into it.

Well, that's your decision. As far as Alex Carroll - I've know Alex for years. We're good friends. I have nothing but great things to say about him. The information in his course is good.

There are lots of ways to get publicity. I've developed one way. Alex has developed another.

The basics of Alex's system is to make cold calls to media people and pitch yourself as a good interview. Does it work? Certainly. But I don't like making cold calls of any kind. So I follow the system I've developed. I prefer to have the media people come to me because they see I have good information they can use instead of calling them and pitching myself and my topic.

But you should choose the system that you're most comfortable with. The most important thing is to learn the right way to get publicity and the DO SOMETHING! Without action, nothing happens.

People spends enormous amounts of their lives researching instead of doing. They want to come up with the "perfect way", the "perfect product", "the best system". There is no such thing.

Pick one thing and focus your energy on it until you either get it to work or until you're convinced it won't work (in which case you should ask for a refund).

In NY City, the horse drawn carriage drivers put blinders on the horses so that they'll stay straight on their path and not be distracted by everything else going on around them. You should do the same thing. Pick that one thing, that one system, that one course, that one "guru", then put blinders on and then focus on that one thing.

(Wow, I certainly can go on, can't I?)

I appreciate your response. Thanx Paul. It's always good to get another point of view.

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by mr2020

Paul,

Great to see you here mate! I borrowed your idea on the brooklyn bridge, and sold a piece of the connellsville city boardwalk on ebay a few months ago.

I wasn't trying to make a million, I was trying to create some awareness of what's happening in our little town of Connellsville.

I got on the front page, and of course, I mentioned you in the interview. I think she even spelled your name right.

Have an amazing day!

Mr Twenty Twenty

PS: I think there is something about that on Connellsville, PA Welcomes you! if you want to peek. Whooo yah!

I saw the story when it came out. I also got a Google Alert that my name was in the story.

I admire you for borrowing my Brooklyn Bridge idea and running with it. You turned it into a great opportunity for yourself. Good going!

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by Jillian Slack

Paul,

This is a fabulous thread and a great offer of help from you to fellow Warriors.

One thing that I have found, in many years of working as a newspaper reporter focusing on the business beat, is that a lot of business owners reach out to receive coverage and then have no idea how to handle it when the reporter gets in touch.

They are not sure about what to say. They don't realize that they need to have some sort of focus for this bit of attention they are receiving. Sure, you have a great company, product or service. But you don't want to spend your entire interview jumping around.

Yes, it's the reporter's job to uncover the story. But it is also a great help if the business owner realizes that they need to have a clear focus.

Do you really want to babble about points A, B and C when you could have spent the interview giving me some great quotes about point D, which is the main reason you sent the press release out in the first place?

Jillian, you bring up a great point. Lots of people search the Internet for instructions on how to write a press release, but they stop there. They don't learn how to distribute the release and, most importantly, how to do the interview so that it benefits the interviewer, the audience and themselves.

Kind of like buying a baseball glove, then thinking you're ready for the major leagues. But it's a whole lot easier to get into the major leagues of publicity

Thanks for the input. Good stuff.

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by Don Schenk

Hey Paul,

Thank you for taking the time to help us in this thread. Others here have asked about several points I didn't know I had as questions until I saw them come up.

You have given me three important insights to use with releases.

Thanks again.

:-Don

Don,

You're very welcome. Now take action - and let us know about your successes!

Paul

[milkyway]

Originally Posted by Paul Hartunian

There's no reason to submit your press release to 10 distribution sites. If you're using free sites, one or two well-chosen sites will be plenty.

If you're using paid sites, one - again well-chosen - site is all you need.

There's no truth to the idea that the more distribution sites you submit to the more response you'll get. It's just a waste of time and you risk unnecessary duplication.

Paul,

that's interesting. Does "well-chosen" mean that I submit my first few press releases to a lot of sites, and then at some point choose the one that brings me the most exposure (or the highest quality of exposure, if that can be determined)? Or which criteria do you apply when you choose a site?

milkyway

[SharedMemories]

All around sound advice, but whether something's "free" or not there should be no reason for frustration - just because something isn't costing up front money doesn't mean it can or should be done with no effort or thought or plan.

Putting the same solid effort into the free publicity information as the $100 per click ad should be each business owner's regular behavior.

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by milkyway

Paul,

that's interesting. Does "well-chosen" mean that I submit my first few press releases to a lot of sites, and then at some point choose the one that brings me the most exposure (or the highest quality of exposure, if that can be determined)? Or which criteria do you apply when you choose a site?

milkyway

The free distribution are always coming and going and changing their terms. So, you've got to go to their home page and first get a gut feeling. Does the home page look well done? Does it give you a professional feeling? If so, see if they tell you about their distribution. Who will get your release? How many will be distributed? Will you get any tracking capability? Do they have success stories or testimonials posted?

If the site looks good, give it a try and see what your results are. Pretty quickly you'll narrow them down to one, two or three you use regularly.

There's no benefit to using a whole bunch of distribution sites. Pick one, two or, at the most three and work with them. Then, move up to paid distribution. You'll never score big if you stay only with free distribution sites. I mainly use them for testing.

Hope that helps.

Paul

[Paul Hartunian]

Originally Posted by SharedMemories

All around sound advice, but whether something's "free" or not there should be no reason for frustration - just because something isn't costing up front money doesn't mean it can or should be done with no effort or thought or plan.

Putting the same solid effort into the free publicity information as the $100 per click ad should be each business owner's regular behavior.

Maybe that's part of the problem. People see that getting publicity is either free or so incredibly inexpensive, they don't think it's worth planning. That's a shame, because the results can be tremendous.

Thanks for the input.

[newroad]

Excellent information.

We all have seen the cost to drive traffic with PPC getting outrageous. Those that claim Facebook Ads are a cheap way to get traffic to a website is no longer accurate. The recommended starting bids in many niches are well over a $1.00 per click and the conversions are dismal. Using Adwords in competitive markets is out of reach for making significant profit for anyone starting out. Your strategy to use publicity makes so much cents. (I did the cents on purpose)

I'm not an affiliate but my recommendation to everyone would be to go to your blog and website. You have extensive resources and great products to learn these skills.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise.

[Keithyt]

Since I started internet marketing in 2002, I have admired your professional approach, Paul.

Guys, listen I am not an affiliate or anything. But I do teach PR for a living. What Paul is saying is absolutely spot on. Paul was one of the first to understand how PR relates to internet marketing.

I have written press releases in earnest since 1989 (OMG) and I am 100% convinced that it still represents the best way of geting your product out there. Reason?

The better online news sites and offline media have someone at the end making a journalistic decision about the newsworthiness of your product or service. These journos in turn have a duty to their readers. Hook the journo and Bingo you have hooked the thousands of readers they serve.

The ones without moderators or employing journos are never going to be quite as powerful. But they are worth doing mainly to get your keywords and links out there.

Sorry Paul, I didn't mean to hijack the post. But I wanted to say that a fellow pro appreciates what you have been doing since internet marketing was in its infancy.

ENDS :-)