What is an internet business owner to think?

Here’s the truth:

Press releases can be useful marketing tools so long as they’re accompanied by realistic expectations.

A press release is NOT a magic wand.  True, some small businesses and entrepreneurs have received exceptional exposure and media attention from their press releases.  But even if yours is picked up by the media, chances are that it will not suddenly bring you truckloads of clients or make you instantly famous.

However, if you arm yourself with realistic expectations and a bit of expert knowledge, you can achieve impressive results with your press release.  Here are five steps that you can take be to sure you benefit from yours as much as possible:

1.    Ensure it’s a well-crafted press release.
If you’re new to writing press releases, it’s a good idea to hire a professional writer.  Besides conforming to a particular structure, a press release needs to grab the attention of its audience, present a newsworthy story in an engaging manner, and have perfect grammar and structure. If you’re not sure you can meet those requirements yourself, have an experienced writer write one for you or edit the draft you’ve already written.

2.    It must be newsworthy… or not.
A good writer can spin almost any event into an interesting press release, but if it’s not news – real, honest, sink-your-teeth-into-it news – it probably won’t be picked up by the media outlets.  Editors see right through veiled attempts at self-promotion, and won’t give them a second glance.  Rather than trying to invent news, wait until you have something with enough substance to issue a release.

However, with the recent growth of social media, this has become one rule you can break. If you’re planning to submit your release online, you’re no longer just writing for the media.  Now regular people can find your press release when they search for keywords that you included in your release. They aren’t as interested in cold hard news, but they do want interesting and relevant information

3.    Use keys words and provide a link back to your site.
If your press release has your keywords and phrases sprinkled throughout, it has the potential to show up well in search engine results for those words and phrases.  Include a link to your website, if you have one, so visitors and search engine spiders can easily find your site after they’ve found your press release.   To find out what words are being searched on, a keyword suggestion tool such as www.wordtracker.com can give you some ideas.

Submit it to the free online press release sites, like PR.com.  If they accept your press release, it will be posted on the web and has a good chance of showing up for searches on your favorite keywords and phrases.

4.    Submit, but double-check before you follow up.
Submit your press release to every media outlet that might be interested in your story.  This includes online press release sites, relevant magazines, newspapers, television and radio stations.  Don’t just submit blindly – to be taken seriously, ensure your story is suitable for the media outlet and send it to the appropriate editor by name.

Should you follow up with the editors? Now there’s a question. It really depends on who you ask. I’ve spoken with editors who recommend a follow up phone call or email. But others have warned me that they dislike follow-ups so much, a follow-up phone call will ensure your press release ends up in the trash. To be safe, I don’t recommend following up unless you’re sure your call will be welcomed.

5.    Place your press release on your website or include it in an information package.
Even if your press release isn’t picked up by the media, it hasn’t been a waste of time.  Start a new section on your website titled “News” or “Press Releases” and post your press releases there. This is an easy way to build credibility with your site visitors and to give them more information about your company.

You might also consider including the press release in an information package that you provide for new and continuing clients.  When they are regularly informed on your latest business news, they will feel more confident and comfortable working with you.

Following these steps will help ensure your press release is as effective as possible.

But remember, even the best-received press releases are not marketing magic wands. Consistency is key. Keep writing and submitting them. But don’t sit back and wait for your fairy godmother to show up.

Why don’t you engage and give me a call next week?

Next Monday, I’m launching Office Hours with Denise. For two hours each week, I’ll be sitting here by my phone, eagerly anticipating your phone call.

You’re invited to call me up and chat about whatever’s on your mind. We can check out your blog or website content together. Talk about your upcoming book or the articles you’re writing. Working at home, starting an online business, homeschooling the kids, or even about our dogs. It’s all fair game.

Really, I just want to learn more about the people I’m hooking up with online, and I want to give you the chance to get to know me better too.

The hours will vary each week, because I’m a busy mom and dog owner as well as a full-time entrepreneur. But you can find out about my open office hours each week by visiting my Facebook page.

I’m looking forward to talking (for real!) with you soon.

However, thanks to the many opportunities now available because of the Internet, that’s all changing. It has become much easier for authors to reach a broader audience with their books and develop creative ways of earning an income from their writing.

If you’re an author who wants to better promote your book and earn more money, here are some of the ways you can do so. If you’re working with a publicist or with a publishing company, these strategies will compliment their work too.

Three Easy Ways to Promote Your Book on the Internet

Advertise your book all across the Web. Writing articles on your topic of expertise is an effective and simple way to start to gain recognition for yourself and your book. You can publish them at reprint article directories and websites that are popular with your target audience.

At the end of the article, be sure to include a resource box that includes a link to your website where readers can go to learn more about your book, download a free chapter, or sign up for your newsletter.

Build some publicity for your book. Press releases are another tool you can use to build recognition and credibility for you and your book. Press releases are no longer written just for the media outlets. You can now publish your press release all over the Internet so they will show up in the search engine results whenever someone searches on the topic of your book. To build some extra buzz, tie your book into a special day or event and write a press release about it.

Become a professional speaker. You don’t need to travel the country to promote your book with speaking engagements. Instead, offer teleseminars and webinars on your subject. This is a great way to build interest in your book and become known as an expert.

Now, Turn Your Expertise into a Money-Making Machine

Once you have a published book and are known as an expert on your subject, people will pay you for sharing your knowledge with them.

Here are some ways you can use your book as a springboard for creating other paid products and services. The more different ideas you develop, the more income earning potential you will have.

Compile the articles you’ve written into an e-book or a special report and sell it. Because a digital book costs so little to produce, you can set it at a much lower price than your book.

Create a paid membership site. Use a membership program like Wishlist or Ning to set up a community that people can pay to join and access your expertise as needed.

Paid teleseminars and webinars. If you’ve been offering free teleseminars and events, it may be time to add some extra value and start charging for them. Or you can record your free sessions and sell the recordings and transcripts.
Become a paid consultant. Whatever your area of expertise, you can probably hire out your experience on a consulting basis.

If you promote your book consistently, and work at developing new income opportunities, you can become a well-known author and earn a good income from your writing.

Sound familiar? Doing business on the internet can be a little bit like that sometimes. Do you ever feel there’s a lot of action going on… but nobody asked you to the party?

In the movie, the main character is finally rescued by her brother who tells her the ultimate secret of becoming popular: Get one of already-popular crowd to accept you, and the rest will follow.

As someone who was never part of the popular crowd in high school, I can’t tell you if that advice is true or not.

But that is, very loosely, how things can work here on the web.

And right now, bloggers are among the most influential (i.e. popular) kids around.

If you want more recognition from your people, one of the best things you can do for your business is get it on an influential blog. Bloggers have loyal followers and, while a plug from a blogger in your niche may not make you an instant celebrity, it will help you build credibility, which is an important step.

How can you get your business on an influential blog? First remember that bloggers are always in need of interesting, high qualitiy content that will engage their readers.

With that in mind, there are a few ways you can get bloggers to talk about you and your stuff:

Blog tours – Plan to visit group of blogs with your book, product, service or expertise.
Guest blogging – This is when you write an exclusive article or blog post for a blog
Pitch a story idea to a blogger – Can you tie your business in to an issue that’s relevant/important to that blog’s readers?
Join the discussion by commenting on highly trafficked blogs in your niche

Just like the cool kids in school always knew, bloggers know they’re in demand. Many of them are pitched with story ideas and promotions daily.

If you really want to see your business on a particular blog, start out by visiting the blog, and getting to know what the blogger and his or her readers are interested in talking about. Then let them get to know YOU by commenting on the posts and adding value to the discussions that are already happening.

Because you’re right, there is a party going on. But you don’t need to wait for an invitation to join this one.

A press release must be newsworthy.

But rules are made to be broken. And the role of press releases has changed.

No longer do you need to go through the media to reach the masses. Instead, you can get the masses to come to you by publishing your press releases online.

When you’re writing a press release for online submission, it doesn’t need to be newsy.

Here on the Internet, your audience isn’t only traditional media. Now it’s your consumer. And your consumer probably isn’t online searching for news. More likely, he’s here looking for information.

The person who provides that information is the first person he will think of when he’s ready to make a purchase decision.

So, how can you go from writing newsy releases to informational?

I like to turn my articles into press releases. They’re already informational, and by putting them into a different format, I can get more exposure for work I’ve already done. Gotta like that.

Make sure, too, that you include your keywords in the title and throughout your release so it will show up well in the search engine rankings.

Now, where you should submit your press releases online? I’ve put together a list of some of the best press release submission sites for you to use.

When you do submit your release, read the rules of the press release sites first. They each have different criteria and will reject releases that don’t follow their rules.

Wait… What was that rule about breaking rules? You see, there goes another one.

Try surveying your target market. Not only will you learn more about what they want from you, every survey you conduct can give you at least two opportunities for publicity, and at least one opportunity to build a targeted email list. All with no out of pocket expense for you.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Decide what information you want to learn about your target market.

2. Design your survey questions. You can use a Likert scale format (1=Strongly disagree), rate importance on a scale of 1 to 10, use multiple choice questions, ask “If you could solve one problem, what would it be?”.

3. Set up your survey using an online tool. I like the one at http://www.surveymonkey.com

4. Consider offering one of your services or products in a prize draw for those who take the survey.

5. Now announce your survey by writing a press release. If you’re giving away a prize, make sure you include that information too.

6. Now make sure you submit your press release. Send it to the online press release sites and publications that your target market reads.

7. When the time frame for your survey is over, take a look at your results. Hopefully you will have learned something new about your target market.

8. List building time! Compile the information into a report that gives your readers helpful information. Then give away that report to new subscribers to your email list.

9. For the second stage of your survey publicity campaign, write another press release announcing the results of the survey.

10. Use this second press release to build your list too. Add a call to action inviting readers to come visit your website to get their copy of your special report.

Surveying your market is a fun way to add some sizzle to your summer sales and make yourself a little bit famous… all while getting to know your target market a little bit better.

But now that you have this powerfully-written, relevant, newsworthy release… just what the heck are you supposed to do with it?

I can certainly tell you what you should not be doing.

Obviously, you should not leave it just sitting there on your hard drive. It’s time to get it out there, into the hands of people who want to know your story, and can help you get that attention you were hoping for.  Here are three things you can do with that release to easily get some buzz going:

1.    Submit it to online press release sites. They do work! Check out this story about the virtual assistant industry that was published on a press release site, then picked up by The Wall Street Journal.

Of course, not every story gets picked up by a major media outlet. But the other thing you gain from submitting your release to these sites is relevant backlinks and your keywords pointing at your website.

2.    Send it to your local media. Change the heading of your release to “Local business owner…” or “Local entrepreneur…” to get the attention of your local media outlets. Local stories are always popular with the media. If you’re worried about snagging an interview and getting nervous… don’t be.

A few months ago, my 12-year-old daughter was interviewed for our local paper because of a press release I wrote. The reporter really went out of his way to make her feel comfortable during the interview. After all, if you’re comfortable, you’ll give the reporter a better story.

3.    Research targeted publications for your niche. Look for publications that serve your target market and submit your press release to them. If your story gets picked up, it’s fantastic exposure.

If you’re emailing your release, remember to include it in the body of the email, don’t send it as an attachment. Another tip I’ve picked up… most press releases are emailed instead of faxed. To make your release stand out, try faxing it instead. I’m going to do that with the next one I send out.

These three ideas are just the start of giving your press release legs. You can include it in your press kit, post it in your online media room, send it to your clients.  Now that you have your press release, the possibilities for getting your news into your audience’s hands are endless.

Clearly, your press release has a lot of potential for getting you the exposure you want. When you begin writing press releases regularly and consistently, you can powerfully increase your visibility and credibility with your target market.

Relax.

There’s nothing magical about getting publicity for your business.

Publicity is simply getting people to talk about your stuff. We frequently believe that means sending out press releases and getting media interviews, but that’s really just a part of it.

Here are some other easy ways you can begin generating a buzz about your business right now.

- Promote your business in your email and forum signatures

- Tweet about your latest happenings

- Post an insightful comment on a high profile blog

- Start your own blog and update it regularly

- Write an article and publish it. Remember to include a link back to your site in the article resource box.

- Donate a prize to a contest

- Hold your own contest

Press releases are important too – just remember they’re not the only part of a well thought out publicity campaign.

Put down the magic wand.

Now get out there and give them something real to talk about.

“What can one press release really do?”

You’ve probably seen the same blog posts and articles I have… “I sold (insert incredible dollar amount here) by writing just one press release!” I used to be in awe of stories like that, until I began looking a little closer.

In all the instances I’ve examined, that magical money-making press release wasn’t the first one they had written. Not by a long shot. Usually, before that big hit, they had been sending out press releases for years, continually increasing their credibility with their audience. Until finally they were in a position to make thousands from one press release. It’s unfortunate they downplay that fact when they write about it.

Here’s a more realistic example of what that one press release might do for you.

I’ve been working with a local author, and we send out press releases as part of her marketing campaign. There is a magazine whose readership is her ideal audience. Our specific goal has been to get her in that magazine and in front of those readers, somehow.

So, we sent a press release. The editor called my client, asked her a few questions. The next month, her book was briefly mentioned in a side column of the magazine.

We sent another press release to the same magazine. This time, it was picked up and the magazine ran a longer story on my client and her book. Not only did she sell more books as a direct result of that article, a local bookstore owner saw the piece, contacted my client and asked if they could carry her books in their store.

Then, this past weekend, my client went to a networking event. There she met the editor of this specific magazine. He recognized her name from the press releases and they got to talking. She’s been invited to write regularly for the magazine.

Now she’ll be in front of her target audience every month. Of course, the next release I write for her will build on this accomplishment, and we’ll focus on the next goal for her business.

What can one press release do? By itself, not much.

But as one component of a well-thought out publicity campaign, it’s one step closer to where you want to be.