I usually frown on free press release distribution services for three reasons:
1. They seldom “distribute” anything. Instead, they park your press release at their website, to be found—or not—by the search engines.
2. You can’t be certain that the releases are getting into the major news feeds unless you check.
3. It’s next to impossible to contact them if you notice an error, like a wrong telephone number, in your release after you’ve posted it to their site. So the incorrect release lives online forever.
Yet one of the most frequent questions Publicity Hounds ask me is: “Which free press release service should I use?”
I now strongly recommend you take advantage of the free press release service that comes with the free Press Room Page in the “Expert Book” at ExpertClick.com, published by Mitchell Davis of The Yearbook of Experts, Authorities & Spokespersons. Register here.
What You Get with the Free Service
I’ve been promoting Mitch’s paid service for many years because it allows you to post up to 52 press releases a year at no additional per-release charge. And if you notice an error in your release, you call his office. A human answers the phone and fixes the error. His releases are picked up by Google and LexisNexis. Until now, you had to pay for that service.
But not anymore. You get a very basic version at the “Freemium” level.
It gets you a News Room page, photo, profile and a link to your website. You can also post one free press release each month which will also show up in Google and LexisNexis.
Only the paid service has free telephone support. But theFreemium members are offered support via email with a 24- to 48-hour commitment to questions. You can email support questions to mitchell (at) yearbookofexperts.com and the answers will be posted at their customer support blog. Mitch’s staff will notify you to visit the blog to see the answers.
Other things you need to know about the Freemium level:
- You’re ranked in the topic lists and search results after the paid members, but you can include 39 topics for indexing.
- These free accounts are supported by contextual Google Ads, on their profiles and news releases.
- Freemium member accounts are not included in the printed Yearbook of Experts, Authorities & Spokespersons.
- Inactive Freemium accounts may be removed from the system, when members do not send a news releases at least every 90 days. (I like this feature because it forces you to send releases several times a year.)
- You can’t edit news releases once they’re sent, but you may cancel them.
The Paid Services
The other two membership levels are:
–Classic at $95 a month
–Club at $295 a month.
Paid members get telephone support at (202) 333-5000.
You can see the Member Handbook and the benefits you’ll get by becoming a paid member. You can also see how to send a news release. (Full disclosure: I’m an affiliate, and get a commission on any sales that result from the paid services through my affiliate link.)
A Note for PR Pros and Publicists
Participants may only send news releases about their businesses.
If you’re a PR person who wants to send news releases about clients, you’ll need to open additional unique accounts for them.
Why? Because the press room page system is what drives search engine optimization. That’s just plain smart.
Press Release Success Stories from Expertclick Members
Child safety expert Debra Holtzman knows journalists love Top Ten lists, and she has been invited to be on the ”Today” Show, based on her child safety tips.
Here’s a sample of a recent Top Ten List News Release on Ten Life Saving Tips Every Mom and Dad Should Know.
You can see all of Debra’s releases here.
Ed Poll adds his HTML subscriber newsletter and his subscriber opt-in form. He integrated his Constant Contact system into News Release Wire.
Here’s an example of how he uses the archive feature in Constant Contact to get the HTML code, and then sends a news release using that code. And here’s how Ed had added the HTML code to get more opt-ins to his email list in his Press Room Page. If you have an email system, you can do this too, by logging into your email account platform to create the HTML code and inserting that code into your Press Room Page.
You can send many types of content via News Release Wire, not just news releases, and you can upload in many formats. They will push your content to your Press Room Page, via email, and to Google News and Lexis. Content can include:
- News Releases
- White Papers
- Blog Content
- Links to your website or subpages for SEO
- Your email newsletter
- Your opinions on news, many follow Google Trends to get ideas.
- PDFs of your brochures.
Hounds, this is a no-brainer. You’d be crazy not to sign up for at least for the free service.
The Publicity Hound
13 press release topics when there’s nothing newsworthy
That was true two decades ago when we wrote press releases primarily for journalists and we had to worry about insulting them with trivia about our business.
But now that we post them online, mostly to pull traffic to our websites, we’re free to write about whatever we wish.
Here, then, are 13 press release topics when your pockets are empty and there’s absolutely nothing newsworthy to write about. They’re excerpted from my free email course on 89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases. (PR people, take the course to sharpen your press release skills. And then use the tips below when you’re scrounging for ideas to publicize your clients.)
Publicity Hounds who have a subscription to Expertclick, The Yearbook of Experts, which lets you post up to 52 press releases a year, will find these tips particularly helpful.
1. Take a Stand on a Controversial Topic
Controversial topics can include everything from the old standbys such as abortion and gun control to local issues like proposed zoning laws.
When you’re done with the press release, generate extra publicity by writing a letter to the editor of your local or national newspaper. How to Use Newspaper & Magazine Editorial Pages shows you all the ways you can rally support for your cause or issue by using editorial pages, from writing letters to asking for a meeting with the newspaper editorial board.
2. Write About Your Blog
If you’ve started blogging for business, write a press release about it so people who want information on your topic can find it. Or devote the release to some of the things you mentioned in a specific post.
This blog, for example, helps people solve problems writing press releases, and I encourage people to submit questions to me. It also teaches people how to use social media sites to self-promote. I could write two press releases, or more, just telling reades about ways they can use this blog. You can, too.
Visit other bloggers who blog on the same topic, or a similar topic, and post comments at their blogs. By linking back to your blog from your comments, you will improve the page ranking of your own blog.
3. Lead Readers to Free Articles at Your Website
If you have free articles that solve people’s problems, or entertain them, say so.
Are your articles arranged by category? Are they updated monthly? Do you let the media, ezine publishers, newsletter editors and bloggers reprint them? Do you feature articles from other industry experts?
4. Tell People Where to Find You on Social Media Sites
Smart Publicity Hounds use Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Quora profiles to position themselves as the go-to sources in their industries.
Do you post your photos and videos to Flickr? Do you have a YouTube channel chock full of helpful how-to videos? (Here’s mine.)
5. Create Your Own Holiday
Create your own day, week or month of the year, or your own holiday, at Chases Calendar of Events. The listing is free. You can then use that holiday as a springboard to even more publicity.
The topic doesn’t have to be serious. In fact, the more fun, the better. I love Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day.
6. Make a Prediction
Predict something that ties into your area of expertise—or not.
Predict when gasoline prices, the stock market or interest rates will rise and fall. For fun, predict who will win the Super Bowl or when the first snowfall will occur in your area. Predict the winner of local or national elections.
7. Issue a Proclamation
Congratulate the local high school football team for winning a state title, or a local business for celebrating its 10th anniversary.
8. Write Tips That Tie into an Upcoming Holiday
Professional orgnizers can write about how to stay organized during the Christmas holidays. A child safety expert can offer tips on how to keep kids safe during fireworks season on the Fourth of July.
9. Identify A Trend You’re Seeing in Your Business or Industry
You don’t even have to think very hard to identify a trend you’re seeing. How has your customers’ behavior changed the way you do business? What’s happening with your orders? Is your nonprofit serving more people in a particular age group or income level?
If you want to cheat, Google “Top trends in the (fill in the blank) industry” and write about one of those.
10. Comment on Breaking News
This one’s easy. The news can tie into your business or industry—or not. If you’re an expert who welcomes interview requests for radio talk shows, say so in the release. See 6 ways to tie your pitch to breaking news for PR and publicity.
11. What Event Are You Attending?
Most people don’t think it’s a big deal if they attend a trade show or industry conference. But why not turn this into a publicity opportunity?
Write a press release telling people that you’d welcome meeting them. Encourage them to ask you questions about problems they’re facing.
12. Take a Poll or Survey
Sites like Survey Monkey make simple polling a breeze. You can also take a poll on Facebook. Don’t forget to write a follow-up press release that reports on the results of the poll.
13. Explain How to Solve a Problem
Press releases offering tips and advice are often the very best for pulling traffic to your website. That’s becauase you can dazzle readers with your expertise, help them solve their problem, and then link to a website where they can find more information about a product or service you sell that can help them even more.
What topics do you write about when the idea well is dry?
Tools to Help You:
How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound
Keywords: The Magic Magnets That Pull Journalists & Consumes to Your Press Releases
The New Rules of Press Releases: How to Write them for Consumers, Not Only for Journalists
The Big Press Release Samples Ebook: Press Releases for Every Occasion and Industry