Can someone explain to me how a press release is used nowadays? When I was a kid, a press release was an announcement in the newspaper. I don't understand where are you sending it?

Can you give me an example of where you sent yours and why? Thanks.

I love this forum and all the support.
Jan

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Jan Udlock
Freelance writer, Virtual Assistant,

It really depends on your goals on where you send it. If you are seeking online exposure or doing an online offer you mostly want to send it to digital media ( online press release distributors, blogs, online newspapers like HuffingtonPost). If you want more in person exposure you can choose traditional media outlets like newspapers and TV stations. Campaigns can include both traditional and digital targets.

Press releases are also picked up by search engines and they are looked at when a journalist or the public wants to know more about the company. That's why many companies will put the release on their site as well. I hope that helps.

Hi Mari,

Your answer is full of great information. It does help.

I see that you are new to the VA Forum so welcome, too!
Jan

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Jan Udlock
Freelance writer, Virtual Assistant,

Thanks Jan. I work in PR so when I saw that question I said," Now that's something I can answer."

I'll piggyback on what mediava said and give you a bit more information. Press Releases have become one of the most powerful ways to build the authority of your website in the eyes of the search engines. A well written and submitted press release can end up on hundreds of authority sites, all linking back to your site.

Some things to know about Press Releases:
1. It can get expensive to submit press releases. Many companies charge $100-$200 to submit press releases to various sites. But it is worth it if it is in the budget and you are trying to get more traffic to your site. You can also find some free press release sites, but most of those do not allow you to link back to your site which kind of defeats the purpose.

2. Google is cracking down on any kind of building links to your site, which is making press releases more valuable. Since these are seen as legitimate links by Google, this is one of the few ways that you can build the authority of your site while playing by Google's rules.

3. Always post the press release on your site first, before you submit it to other sites. Google looks at the site where something was submitted first as the authority site, and you want to build your site's authority in any way that you can.

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Hi Andrew,

Thank you for this information. I appreciate your expertise.
jan

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Jan Udlock
Freelance writer, Virtual Assistant,

You mentioned putting the press release on your site first. Exactly where would you recommend putting it? I am so confused with all this press release stuff.

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Stacey N. Ramke
www.Staceys-Admin-Solutions.com

I'm not sure if you're talking to me but I would put it under the Blog section.

I would create a 'In the News' navigation menu and put it under there. Any time your company is featured in a newsletter or a newspaper, you can 'brag' there.

Other nav menu ideas are 'Media' or 'Name of Your Company in the News'...

Janine

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My question came out of pure curiosity. I've been reading some social media blogs and some members here have talked about PRs. And I didn't know that they are still be used. So I asked the question.

j

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Jan Udlock
Freelance writer, Virtual Assistant,