PR for women in business
Dear WiRE ladies,
PR for Women in Business
I trust you are well and adapting to our autumnal climate. It’s now a matter of putting the heating on a little bit in our house as it is getting quite chilly, even with cardigans and warm slippers…It’s all good though, I happen to love wrapping up in my woolies, it’s my favourite time of year 
Here is the final part of three by the lovely Louise Thornton to help you with your PR in your business, which is effective free advertising and marketing for just a little effort. Once you get started with your PR activities, and you get the attention of your targeted media, more and more media will come after you, and that is how it works. But, what if you are without a hefty budget for your PR activities and are a little unsure regarding the mechanics of a basic media-attracting Press Release? Aha, well Louise has written a post below to help you to produce your own press release which works, which works to attract media coverage for you and your business.. yah!
Over to you Louise…
Producing a Press Release that Works
When you’re writing a press release for your business how do you go about it? If you’re solely aiming to pitch a product then it might be worth rethinking it!
There are millions of businesses in this world all aiming for the same thing – maximum coverage for their product or service but with little or no outlay. Issuing press releases regularly is great for building credibility for your business but not so great if you constantly plug your own products or services but without offering anything of value to your reader.
So how do you produce a press release that works?
1. Start with the end in mind. What do you want the press release to achieve? Are you looking to inform people about a new product or service or are you simply aiming to build credibility for your business?
Be very clear about your outcome, it will be a huge help when you come to write. When you write with the outcome in mind, you should manage to pitch it in the right tone.
2. Ensure that you include information that’s relative to your business without it being directly related.
For instance, one of my clients was looking to promote her public speaking business, instead of focusing solely on that we included relative information about the fact that public speaking is one of many peoples top fears and how learning to speak effectively helps them to overcome this issue.
3. Sometimes a little sweetener is a great incentive.
If you specifically want to promote your product / services then it’s a good idea to ensure that you offer a discount or a free sample to the readers. When you send your press release to magazine staff include sample sizes of your product – if they like it, then they are much more likely to feature it.
4. Make sure your information has substance.
If you quote facts and figures make sure they are correct. There are plenty of people who will take great pleasure in pointing out your mistakes – don’t give them the opportunity! All it does is reduce the credibility of you and your business.
5. Be creative, but be authentic.
By all means think a little outside the box when it comes to promoting your products / services but remember one thing: be authentic. People like to buy from people. Write from the heart, the more human interest you can inject into your release the better.
For the month of October I have a very special offer running on my site where you can try our services for a much reduced cost, as well as benefitting from discounts until the end of 2011! To find out more then click here http://bit.ly/ltoffer
Wow, that’s very useful Louise, and I know there are quite a few ladies in WiRE who I am sure will benefit from this particular blog posts as often we can all get overwhelmed especially with Social Media, and the instant access of the Internet with so many activities to do that we often forget just how powerful Press Releases can be, don’t we? Of course, someone might still network with you, via Twitter, your blog, your website or even your facebook fanpage, but still, Press Releases do work and once you have once sorted they do not take too much time, money or effort.
Any further questions for Louise, then she can be found on facebook at: http://bit.ly/ltedsvs
Go for it ladies, I look forward to hearing how you have got on with them and as always, I welcome any questions you might have at: carrie@theblondemarketinggoddess.com
Namaste, giggles & light,
Carrie Eddinsxx
Tags: Carrie Eddins, Facebook marketing, female business owners help, female entrepreneur help, help for female business owners, Help women succeed in business, helping women in business, Louise Thornton, Mumpreneurs, PR for women in business, small business help for women, small business resources for women, WiRE, women help women in business, women in business, Womenpreneurs
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