If you've got a small business, product, book, ebook, online course, etc., that you want to publicize,  you don't need to spend thousands of dollars a month on a publicist to start getting the word out. The internet has made it easier than ever. And it's basically free; all that you have to invest is your time.   Here are some simple first steps that you can take, which can return big results. 1.) Write press releases about your business and submit ... Continue reading

When I see the same kind of problem cropping up in my client's press releases again and again, I figure that it's time to write a blog post about it.  Frequently, when my clients ask me to edit their press releases, I see headlines which ramble on and on and take too long to get to the actual news. Here's a made up example. Let's say a personal trainer who lost a bunch of weight is releasing an exercise video for busy ... Continue reading

1.) Word of mouth - clients refer me to their friends. So remember to be nice to your existing clients, people! They are gold!  2.) Twitter. Twitter is the awesomeness for networking and finding a new base of clientele! 3.) The Warrior Forum - a wonderful site for internet marketers. Tons of great free information there. www.warriorforum.com. I seriously could not tell you why they are called The Warrior Forum, it makes them sound like some geek video game site, but really, ... Continue reading

 When clients ask me to edit their press releases, there are some common problems that I see. Sometimes these will get the press release rejected by press release distribution sites,  sometimes they will just make the press release read really poorly and will be a turnoff to visitors. I was a newspaper reporter for eons and I've read stacks and stacks of press releases, so I have a pretty good feel for what works and what doesn't.  Here are some common ... Continue reading

 I have a list of free press release distribution sites that I like. One of the services that I offer clients is to submit their press release to all of the sites on my list, for $40. When I do this, what I have found is that for the first week or two, the first few pages of Google listings are filled with the press releases that I have submitted. This is great for ... Continue reading

If you are in business for yourself online, it is especially important that you understand the concept of social proof.  When you are an online business, most visitors to your websites see you as as unknown entitiy, hiding behnd the anonymity of the internet, which makes them anxious. What if they give you their hard earned money and you vanish? They want reassurance. They want to know that you are a real, legitimate, established business. How can you give them this reassurance ... Continue reading

 My goal is to help my clients. Most of the time, I do this by writing press releases and doing social media marketing with the goal of promoting their website all over the internets, and making sure that their website is fueled by that all important Google Juice. However every once in a while this is NOT a good idea. And if I think so, I will tell my client so. Politely, of course. Here's when you don't want to send out ... Continue reading

I'm going to keep this post short and sweet - just the way a press release should be.   Fairly often, when my clients send me a proposed press release that they want rewritten, they are so excited about their business/new idea/upcoming event/announcement that they cram about 20 different ideas into their press release. This makes it not only too long, it makes it confusing. What they've got there is about 20 press releases in one. All of that greats info in ... Continue reading

  Here's what I find drives press releases to the top of search engine placement and also gets them read: ... Continue reading

 A lot of my clients come to me asking me to rewrite a press release that they've written - they've paid good money to PRWeb or PRNewswire to distribute the press release, but when they submitted it, it was rejected. Here's the number one reason why: It's not bad grammer, it's not lack of pertinent information, it's not excessive length. The reason for rejection that PRWeb and PRNewswire has given to my clients is that their press release sounds too much like an ... Continue reading