In part 1 of this post, we covered (1) how to craft your message, (2) figuring out your baseline online stature, and (3) deciding which press release service to use. Picking up where we left off:
4. How to format your one page press release:
- Headline – For an online release, give your tease, company name and location. For example: “Carat Diamond Ring Giveaway, Corrigan Jewelers, Minneapolis”
- City – note your city and state
- Date – it is no longer necessary to put your date in your release because the service will date it
- First paragraph – pack in the who, what, where, when, how and why, and end the last sentence with a tease
- Second paragraph – quote an actual customer’s thrilled reaction to your news
- Third paragraph – include a quote from the owner or manager
- Fourth paragraph – mention the other services your business provides, such as: “wholesale jewelry, estate appraisals, engagement rings, necklaces, gold, silver”
- Links – on the left side, list 3 or more links to distinct pages on your website; follow the release service guidelines
- Media contact – list someone who will answer the phone 24 hours a day, the person’s phone number, company phone, email and mailing address
- Embed video – follow the easy guidelines to embed a customer testimonial video that you have uploaded to YouTube and linked to your website
5. Results: It is unlikely that the New York Times will publish your story, but you will have greatly increased your SEO so that people searching for your type of business can find you. Over time, you may find that your company appears higher in Internet search results, just like it did for my colleague (the one who leaped from page 18 to the number 1 spot), but again you must be patient and not expect huge changes overnight. If your story related to a specific offer (as with our diamond ring giveaway example), you can measure results based on the response to your promotion.
6. Special offer: When new customers call or email, give them a special offer, like 25% off wedding rings and a stuffed animal bearing your now slightly-more-famous logo.
7. Follow through: Follow through on your giveaway and also contact media outlets and editors directly to reinforce your story. You may find that the old-fashioned method of taking an editor to lunch might get you in the local paper, but your online press release is like taking editors to lunch all across the country!
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