Free, Online Press Releases

Today I sent my first free, online press release. When The Pet Washer was published, I faxed press releases to the local papers, but these online press releases are available to the world. Go big or go home is what I say! (Not that I'm abandoning my local press. Local press is a local author's best friend--I'm adding to it!)

I signed up with FreePressRelease today. I chose to promote Shannon Yarbrough's guest post, Book Marketing: Back to Basics, because of it's universal application to authors. I used the Adwords Keyword Tool to maximize the article's SEO (more on that in another post!). I submitted the press release today. It will be reviewed by an editor and then, hopefully, published.

Reporters search through the press releases to choose what they consider newsworthy. My news has the potential to be reported on websites, newspapers, blogs, and magazines around the world.

Here are the benefits offered by FreePressRelease taken from their website:

• All users enjoy the ability to embed images.
• All  users have the ability to embed video.
• All users may insert unlimited outbound anchor-text links in their press releases.
• All press releases have both the SEO important page title and H1 tag based on the press release headline.
• All press releases are given a keyword-rich URL, based on the headline.
• All users may apply as many categories to their press release as they deem appropriate.
• All press releases have Press Release Sharing With Social Media
• Public statistics – all users can see how many visits have been generated by each press release
• Spam protection for your email address

I say the press release has potential for worldwide news because it's just that, potential. The news has to be newsworthy! I am not in charge of that. In addition, the press release needs an attention-getting title and it has to be well-written. This doesn't mean using imagery and fancy words. It's not fiction.

Writing press releases is an art form in itself. It is one I will have to master. I am the marketing division of Dreamcatcher Books. I won't keep publishing with Dreamcatcher if the marketing division is lazy. My book is counting on me!

I can view the traffic my press releases generate at FreePressRelease.com and take note of which ones get the most exposure. I will learn as much from the unsuccessful press releases as I will from the successful ones! I will be sending press releases on different subjects--my books, my blog,  myself, and my industry--all toward the  purpose of maximizing my online presence as an author and blogger. Exposure is marketing. 

Self-publishing has been a stretching experience. I have learned about SEO, social networking, HTML, analytics, book cover formatting, image resolution, marketing, networking, speaking, power point presentations, feed burning, and now press release writing. I am an entire company in one person. It's difficult but rewarding!

To Do: Sign up with a free press release agency (there are many) and write a press release today about your book, your blog, your industry or yourself!

Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Author of The Pet Washer
a novel for girls aged 9-12