Newswire Services and Press Releases ? Be Better Informed

The most cost-effective way of immediately reaching a giant audience is through a well prepared and properly-submitted news release.

PR Web and PR Newswire are the industry’s dominant broadcast media, and they are powerful channels to a large potential audience. What many DIY entrepreneurs seem to consistently overlook is that regardless of which service you choose, that’s the least important part of the process.

To optimize your release you must headline it, get it written, get it edited, permeate it with keywords, hyperlinks and powerful quotes, give it third-party credibility in the submission process (i.e., so it doesn’t look like a typical self-serving “press release”) submit it to the right geographical and vertical markets, track it, re-publish it, and more.

The process is complex, but worth doing professionally. If you request that the two primary wire services do all of this for you, you will be overwhelmed at the real cost.

Also, any good release should be part of a broader campaign. Isolated releases are limited in their lasting effectiveness.

Get ready to change your vocabulary. Some new terms: newsworthiness, objectivity, “snaggable” quotes, traction, retention, longevity, echo, stickiness, conversion potential, cross-media conductivity, and others.

Questions: Assuming that there is a trade-off, which would you prefer – a tremendous number of “reads” of the release, or a large number of “hits” on your website, with a good conversion ratio? Are there times (and reasons why you’d want the opposite situation? Weigh in at http://ping.fm/UxYrM . Your input will help The National Networker Companies to build a superior service.