24 replies
Hi warriors - I would really like some help here, I am struggling. To me a PR is something I would do If I invented a new microwave, bike or something outstanding as such......

For the average affiliate website Im not sure a PR is the right thing to do, as in will it actually help?

For example if I have a site on how to stop dogs barking - would a press release be any good or just seem like spam?

I would love some help regarding press releases as I have no idea....

I was speaking to my brother who's bread and butter is PR (offline) and he recommends not getting involved with PR because it will be seen as spam ect ect, however I am still not convinced as he honestly doesnt have a big idea of Internet Marketing.
#press #releases
  • Profile picture of the author Jim Gillum
    I gotta be honest with you...I don't see how that can be effective in the online world....

    Did it in the other world (solid ground)...some are still on the net from 15 or 20 years ago....

    They (who ever they are) say it works....think you need something unique....other than "see my new site"......

    Worked with the press for many years.....Being the interviewed ...
    The things that got press were outrageous...

    The response that you get from the public is a crap shoot....

    On several occasions said things that I wish I could take back....
    Got positive response from the public...

    On the other hand...if they get posted you can get some positive backlinks...

    Google my name and you can see what I mean....got some authority links....(ignore the bad stuff)
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  • Profile picture of the author Rachel Goodchild
    ok- the thing with press releases is they need to be newsworthy.
    so there are times that they are perfect
    say you have a dog training book, and there is a big story about how dog attacks have been linked to a lack of training. you then relate the PR back to the story, and provide new material (aka that there is a book on it) as part of the release, and you are the spokesperson for it.
    that is how to make an effective press release.
    it needs an angle. otherwise it's just more internet noise and, in my opinion, a waste of time
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    • Profile picture of the author rafib
      Like the above poster said, you need a good angle and a novel way of trying in current events with your product. If you can do that, then people might be attracted.
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  • Profile picture of the author Superform
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author MyLinkClub
      Originally Posted by Superform View Post

      Hi,
      In order to get your message out you should use any and all types of advertising.
      Don't worry about whether it looks spammy or not.
      Just go do it ..

      Superform
      I really don't know if I'd put a lot of faith in that statement.

      Online press releases are much different than their offline counterparts in that you can get them read by your target market without having to go through a reporter or editor to get them published.


      You can use press releases to accomplish just about anything...

      In the dog barking example, you could use press releases to show up on the results when someone types in your company/domain name to make sure you're "legit". A nice breadcrumb trail regarding your experience with animal training could help raise conversions.

      If you have a clear cut reason to use them, and you approach the writing as though you're a reporter, press releases can be a very powerful part of your marketing strategy.
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  • Profile picture of the author TheMagicShow
    Originally Posted by Aaron Elliott View Post

    Hi warriors - I would really like some help here, I am struggling. To me a PR is something I would do If I invented a new microwave, bike or something outstanding as such......

    For the average affiliate website Im not sure a PR is the right thing to do, as in will it actually help?

    For example if I have a site on how to stop dogs barking - would a press release be any good or just seem like spam?

    I would love some help regarding press releases as I have no idea....

    I was speaking to my brother who's bread and butter is PR (offline) and he recommends not getting involved with PR because it will be seen as spam ect ect, however I am still not convinced as he honestly doesnt have a big idea of Internet Marketing.
    If you don't have anything newsworthy or important then do not waste your on a press release. using a press releases for promotion of a product or an affiliate blog will do you no good, unless the blog has some benefit for reader.

    Also, lots of things are considered newsworthy: such as, hiring/firing new people, new sale, new website/redesign....lots

    People can spot a blatant promotion, and press release are definitely not a place for promotions, instead news that grabs people's attention.
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    " You can either give a man a fish and feed him for a day OR teach him how to catch a fish and it will feed him for a lifetime"

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  • Profile picture of the author Fernando Veloso
    You can get your Press Release out there just to tell a new page of your site is now live, or you have a new blog.

    You don't decide what's newsworthy: Media do.

    And probably no one is going to call you back to talk about it BUT you get an extra backlink.
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    People make good money selling to the rich. But the rich got rich selling to the masses.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Elliott
    Thanks guys, I think I get the point now I have to link it to something important within the industry.
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    • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
      Originally Posted by Aaron Elliott View Post

      Thanks guys, I think I get the point now I have to link it to something important within the industry.
      NO....

      It's already been said that press releases are often used to announce new employees joining and do you think that is important industry news?

      One of my clients pays me hundreds of dollars to write press releases every time they get a new executive on their team.

      Those press releases help a lot with traffic and seo.

      Don't forget that press releases show up separately on Google because they're 'news'.

      Then when you consider how many times they get republished across hundreds or thousands of news sites, and just one of those will often get thousands of views - they're great.

      I think you're making this way too complicated.

      If you think your site is crap and not worth telling anyone about then don't bother with a press release but if it has any value there's almost certainly a way to get value from PRs.

      All you need to do is write one decent press release and then use it as a template to quickly make more in the future.

      You can do them for free, so it's crazy not to use them.
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      nothing to see here.

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      • Profile picture of the author Mac the Knife
        Andy's right...grab a quality writer...and they can deliver a quality press release...personally, I send an info request form and once it is filled out, I have all I need to write a high quality press release...if they don't give me ANYTHING to work with, I may have to get them on the phone, but people...EVERY company has newsworthy aspects about it...to say otherwise or that press releases are ONLY for this or ONLY for that is naive. I have been getting companies exposure for more than 7 years and never ONCE has a press release been seen as a negative in any situation...I mean the ones that I have written and submitted. I suppose if someone doesn't understand what they are or how to use them then they may be viewed as useless...they are about delivering INFO, not OPINION or bias....

        Mac the Knife
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        • Profile picture of the author marciayudkin
          Here An article that I found in the net.
          You know, oca101, somebody put in the time, effort, intelligence and experience to write those two blog posts and you have just ripped them off by reprinting their work without their name and without a link to their blog.

          This is not right. If you wrote well and shared your work online, you would not appreciate it if someone did that to you.

          Marcia Yudkin
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          Check out Marcia Yudkin's No-Hype Marketing Academy for courses on copywriting, publicity, infomarketing, marketing plans, naming, and branding - not to mention the popular "Marketing for Introverts" course.
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  • Profile picture of the author JustMint
    Occa101 - that is an awesome summary/checklist for PR - thanks heaps for sharing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    That's good advice for offline businesses but not for individual IMers.

    There are a lot of seo benefits to press releases aswell as the extra traffic you can get while your press releases show up at the top of the search engines initially.

    You don't need to do anything more than write one and publish it to a few free sites to get good results.

    Don't let these press release articles and advice stop you from using these for your business.

    There's a difference between using them in the traditional way and leveraging them for your online business.

    ANYONE can get quick, easy, free benefits from using press releases.
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    nothing to see here.

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  • Profile picture of the author David Ogden
    Press Releases are certainly worth doing, no matter how insignificant they may seem. perhaps there has been an item in a newspaper about dogs keeping people awake at night, no if you have a ebook which provides a solution then its is newsworthy.
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    David Ogden an Entrepreneur at Markethive which uses a suite of free marketing tools to promote his opportunity. Contact:- Telegram @davidogden

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  • Profile picture of the author GuerrillaIM
    In my opinion it doesn't have to be new or groundbreaking, just have an interesting slant.

    I got a heap load of traffic to a parrot training site by releasing a press release online with a heading like "New Website Can Save Parrot Owners Fingers".

    Followed that up with a bit highlighting the frustrations of getting bittin or pooped on by a parrot and a link to the site.

    Nothing about it was news worthy really but i tried to make it interesting and it got a lot of people to the site and I built up my list. Not bad for a $20 press release
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  • Profile picture of the author Darren Hodgson
    Interesting stuff guys and gals. I've been thinking about press releases for some time now and just yesterday I was on PRWeb.com reading up on how to correctly write and format one.

    It has loads and loads of information on how to write press releases. If you're thinking of writing one this is the best place to start to learn how.
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    • Profile picture of the author abdin66
      I've been focusing on blog posts and article writing but I must say that Press Releases look like a very interesting way to increase traffic.
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      • Profile picture of the author summer07
        Originally Posted by MyLinkClub View Post

        Online press releases are much different than their offline counterparts in that you can get them read by your target market without having to go through a reporter or editor to get them published.
        This is a key point. Traditional press releases only worked when they caught the attention of a reporter who decided to publish them. Online press releases work even when reporters ignore them completely -- because they get search traffic!

        Originally Posted by precious007 View Post

        ...PRLOG.com has been sending quite some traffic to my sites since all the articles get indexed, and some of them even straight away ..
        This is my experience with PRLog, too. My press releases get published AND indexed in Google instantly, so the search spiders can follow the links to what ever page on my site that I decide to target.

        It's a great way to get new pages on a website indexed quickly.

        Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post

        That's good advice for offline businesses but not for individual IMers.

        There are a lot of seo benefits to press releases aswell as the extra traffic you can get while your press releases show up at the top of the search engines initially.

        You don't need to do anything more than write one and publish it to a few free sites to get good results.

        Don't let these press release articles and advice stop you from using these for your business.

        There's a difference between using them in the traditional way and leveraging them for your online business.

        ANYONE can get quick, easy, free benefits from using press releases.
        Amen!

        Originally Posted by Calvin Woon View Post

        If you're into SEO and building backlinks etc, then Press Releases work wonders. Just a few backlinks from Press Release sites can propel you up Google instantly. And the press releases itself get ranked high as well which builds exposure too.

        Moreover, many of the PR distribution sites are free. So it doesn't even cost you anything to publish it. So why not give your sites the extra link boost?
        Amen again!

        SEO press releases (or online press releases) can do things that traditional press releases couldn't do, like off site SEO.

        Keep in mind that many people who have years of experience writing offline press releases know absolutely zero about search engine optimization.

        They may have a lot to offer when it comes to writing in journalistic inverted pyramid style or writing compelling headlines -- which are still very useful when writing an online press release.

        But many have no clue how online press releases can drive organic traffic to a website or an offline business. They don't know how to do keyword research and use it when writing for the web, and have never used an online distribution site. It's no wonder that their professional 'opinion' is that it can't be done.

        That's fine with me. I'll just keep writing them, submitting them to free distribution sites, and enjoying the traffic and backlinks.
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        .

        QUALITY Press Releases
        For discerning professionals
        who invest in long term content marketing
        for Visibility * Credibility
        .
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        • Profile picture of the author ezinewriter
          When you need a Press Release?
          • When you launch a new product or service
          • If you are expanding your Business
          • When you reached a Milestone
          • Your company received an Award
          • or any subject which should be in the news
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  • Profile picture of the author Floyd Fisher
    When done right, a press release can work for almost anyone.

    The trick is how to do it right, so you don't end up getting your butt kicked from here to kingdom come.

    Biggest issue is to keep it in your niche.

    Investors Business Daily could give a rats ass about barking dogs, so why waste your bullets sending them such a press release?

    A magazine dedicated to dog care would probably eat that stuff up, so I would send it to them instead.

    See how it works?
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  • Profile picture of the author DogScout
    Make news.
    Hire a school gym.
    give a seminar on dog barking. Sell tickets or just do it free. Get some people to show up (or not). Do a press release that you are doing a free seminar as a public service on barking dogs. Press Releases LOVE public service PRs. Even ones as hokey as that. ANY time you do a free public service seminar on anything, you'll not only end up on Google page one, but the pages of your site you link to are almost a shoe in to as well. Do the PR 30 days before the seminar and again the day after all about how great it was. (Even though only one homeless guy showed up. Lol.)
    You give a one hour seminar on anything in your town, makes you the expert. Doing PRs on it lets the world know you are the expert.
    'Public service' hits all cylinders every time. You can even write a horrible PR, if it is about public service something, it will go right to the top of the charts. That information is tested over and over. the words 'public service' must be programed in every SEs bot with orders to put it on page one.
    Every time I include those words the PR not only hits page one, but position one as well for 25-50 keywords. If I submit to enough PR sites, the entire first page will be that PR from different sites and two pages I link the PR to from the site I or my client owns. So far it is no fail. And I am not the greatest writer in the world or even on this forum, yet every time, oops, there it is!
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  • Profile picture of the author DogScout
    BTW, Back-link and social bookmark your PR too. It isn't really required, I don't get around to it before the PR covers Googles front page so hardly ever do it, but if you are not doing a 'public service announcement' PR, it won't hurt
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  • Profile picture of the author Ilya Feynberg
    Your brother is completely correct. I've run them in the way distant past and got a few good back links here and there, but the damage isn't worth it. They're simply spam.
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