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April 01, 2014

Out of all the people who use the Internet, approximately 92% are in search of the latest news and information. How do news sites receive this information? Much of what is published is received through a press release.

A press release delivers to its reader information and valuable news. People are always looking for the latest and best news stories, but what does this mean for the promotion of your business? Well, you have a lot of control over that - it's all in the crafting and distribution of your release. Read on to find out the five ways you can ensure your press releases work as promotional tools for your business or organization:

1. In order to both deliver information and create a name for your business, you must ensure your press release is a newsworthy story rather than simply an advertisement for your business. This means eliminating 'advertorial' speak such as "sale", "free", "limited time" and limiting the exclamation marks and unnecessary punctuation. Instead, write in the third person, begin with the news angle of your press release rather than information about your product, and include quotes from named sources in your release.
   
   
2. Keep in mind that traditional media are not the only ways in which people receive news nowadays - far from it. With the growth of the Internet and the fast-paced society that we live in we want instant information and we want it at our fingertips. With more traditional forms of media, this is often hard to do; new media such as press releases mean as soon as news breaks it is available online before any other forms of media have had the chance to pick up the story and print it, making online outlets the fastest and most reliable and in fact traditional forms of media use them as a basis for many of their news stories. As such, rely on online distribution as a way to get your news out on the Internet to those who are looking for interesting news stories now.
   
   
3. Take advantage of the cost savings of online distribution to increase the amount of exposure your company gets. The relatively low cost of online distribution compared to other forms of promotion means your marketing dollars are stretched further, allowing more releases to be distributed, keeping your news at the forefront longer and building up your credibility and your brand. If you are constantly delivering breaking news and releasing solid stories people will trust what you say and associate this trust with your brand. People will get to know your brand through the stories that you are releasing. As a business you are basically able to use these releases as a way of getting your name out there to not only potential customers but also to well established companies and publications, who will be able to support your brand by using the information that you present in your releases within their own publications or websites. Having the support of established companies will mean people will be intrigued to visit your website to see more of what you have to offer; it will mean you gain a wider audience.
   
   
4. Increase your audience through press release distribution - as mentioned in the last point, you will gain a wider audience through online media. How? Well, there are a number of ways in which you can go about doing this. Obviously you will gain a wider audience thanks to any potential contacts that you make through the news that you release but that's not all. Think of the Internet as a 24/7 shopping mall that anyone can visit from around the globe; you have the potential of all of these people visiting your website and doing business with you as long as you make your business accessible enough. A press release means that people who might not have heard of your business previously could end up coming across it after reading the information that you have presented. It is basically another way in which you can successfully market your business over the Internet.
   
   
5. People talk online, across social media and the multiple review sites now available, such as Yelp and other Internet forums. Take advantage of this instantaneous feedback - create a Google Alert for your company's name so you are notified of any mentions of your company online. Address negative feedback head-on by contacting the commenters individually to see if you can help resolve their issues, and quote positive feedback in press releases as customer testimonials, which hold a lot of power with potential consumers. Just make sure you integrate these quotes seamlessly into the release and ensure they are relevant to the press release's content, so they do not appear too overly promotional in tone.
   
   

Whether you are a new business or a more established one, press releases are an excellent tool to add to your online marketing strategy.