As you can probably guess, I have an acute interest in figuring out how to get web sites publicity, works and what doesn't. (Ha! That's putting it mildly). I run the Imediafax custom news distribution service and we send out between about a million news releases a year to custom targeted media lists for a wide range of clients including book authors, publishing companies, products, services, almost all of whom have web sites. Even lawyers with web sites (I used to be a lawyer). My client's success in getting publicity is what keeps me thriving.
I continue to research how media respond to Internet publicity efforts, since doing what works best to get people publicity is all that counts. In one of my regular surveys to the media, I have been asking media what it takes to get web sites featured in their media. What a dumb question that turned out to be.
I had to face it. You need to face it too. The media are getting swamped with news releases about places boasting of their Web sites. The media have grown accustomed to web sites. And most web sites aren't very unique, or special or useful at all.
They are commercial. They exist to make the owner money. This is not exactly newsworthy material in the eyes of most media.
To most editors, having a web site is like saying "we are now listed in the phone book."
What is the big deal?
You see the results of this attitude and proof of this in the
daily papers and magazines every day. Media generally NEVER do
features on Web sites. You rarely see articles or features about
web sites.
The Internet features have these little one line descriptions, but rarely provide more than a paragraph of information. Even then, the space tends to go to web sites that offer lots of free information or some special service. The only exception is maybe when the article is all about the media's own web site.
It's time for a strong dose of reality. Web sites in and of
themselves do not generally interest the media. If all you've
done is open a web site, don't automatically think that PR can
be used to drive traffic. That doesn't mean it's impossible, but
it is going to be difficult.
My clients and I have found that for a web site to get publicity,
it's got to be something special.
What is special is in the eye's of the public and hence the media
who dutifully provide what the public wants.
Your web site has got to be something new and consumer-friendly.
Not just the typical "our goods are cheaper than theirs,
our service is faster than theirs" advertising approach.
What Works: In January 2000 we conduct a self assessment survey
of a half million plus news releases Imediafax sent out in 1999.
We learned that the news releases that were solely about Internet
web sites that succeeded the best focused on a web site with a
product or a service that was timely, new, innovative or unique.
The clients who received the best and longer articles offered
an Internet service that is not available offline.
The news releases all had the following characteristics:
1. were all one page less than 400 words on the page;
2. simply and precisely explained why the web site is special;
3. explained why they deserved to be mentioned;
4. stated why what they are offering or specializing in is different
or significant to today's audience.
The media will write about web sites that go beyond "brochureware". The site should offer a service that people cannot get offline--better deals, greater convenience, greater ease of use, ie easier to book or request or receive quality information.
Web sites that get media attention are those that use interactive technology in new and highly beneficial ways.
Publicity tends to focus on sites that use web forms and postings to offer free recommendations, strategy, tips, or responses to a key question, concern, or need, provide a vehicle to listen to unique problems or needs, respond and satisfy the stated need with precision. Since it takes custom programming to create a web site that offers custom web personalization, most of these are out of reach of most individuals and small businesses.
Nonetheless, a graphic and text web site can be a storehouse for extra information that can be made available to the media.
Obviously, not everyone has a web site that is worthy of a feature story in and of itself. However, whenever media do a feature article or some other type of coverage they are increasingly including their web sites along with their location, address, phone number, cost, etc.
So include you web site address in all your news releases.
Next, create an on-line media center at your web site and pack it with all the electronic counterparts to a typical press kit or media kit. Include a biography, short feature stories, long feature stories, original tips articles, product specifications, high resolution color, and anything else media could find useful if they chose to do a feature story. When the media checks you out make sure your materials are media friendly. Make the useful information is easy to get to and use.
It is important to note that even though the Internet is a graphical medium, media will not down load graphics off of web sites. The quality is not good enough for our use.
What you do however is tell the media that you have high resolution photography available. Then after they request it you can tell them how to get a downloadable file. Offer to transmit it via e-mail using a zipped jpeg up to 10 MB in size. Or set it up on a downloadable web site and give them the URL.
One especially useful classic direct marketing tactic that has been extremely productive in news releases is to offer something valuable for free via 800 number, fax, SASE.
With the Internet, you extend the use of this technique using
e-mail and your web site.
For example, to publicize my new book "Trash-Proof News Releases"
I place the following MAGIC WORDS into my news release:
To get a free report titled "The Surefire Way to Write Trash-Proof News Releases" send an e-mail to: info@imediafax.com and place the words "Trash Proof " in the subject line.
Whenever, the media runs with this, I know that the article has been published immediately by the hundreds of requests for the free report. Of course, I also get to respond with my pitch and additional marketing materials to convert prospects to sales. It works very well. Web site owners can thus create and offer a special report that matches the needs of their local audience (whether that is geographic or industrial).
In some cases this technique can produce absolutely stellar
results. Here's an actual case study.
In October 1997, while just testing the Imediafax custom media
list capabilities (Imediafax.com opened in November 1997), we
sent out one news release for Fabric Link.com, aimed at increasing
web site traffic to free helpful information to reduce the costs
of Halloween costumes. The first sentence of the news release
stated:
FabricLink offers an easy way to find just the right stuff for Halloween including a free e-mail guide "10 Terrific, Timesaving Costumes" a list of easy, inexpensive ideas for creating way-cool costumes.
The last sentence of the news release said:
To get your free "10 Terrific Timesaving Costumes" guide
send an e-mail to and place the words "Save Me Time and Money
This Halloween" in the subject line.
We saw daily traffic go from 20 to 30 visitors per day to over three-quarters of a million for the month of October, attributed solely to the results of the single news release since FabricLink apparently took no other actions to promote the web site for Halloween at all. The publicist wrote "The number of hits the site received that month was more than FabricLink had received all year the previous year."
Localizing works. Localizing news releases maximizes the publication of your release in weekly and daily newspapers. The easiest publicity to get is the announcement of a local event with a distinct local human interest angle.
National publicity is harder, especially in mainstream publications.
You compete against everyone in the nation and you have to distinguish
why your release is worth publishing over others. You can make
your job easier and be more successful by breaking your national
media lists into geographically distinct areas and localizing
the release. One of my clients is 1stbooks.com. Whenever they
publish an e-book, they have me send out one news release per
author to a local state only media list. The news release features
and champions the local author. These news releases result in
continuous local coverage nationwide for hundreds of authors all
year long.
You localize when you tie your news to the local area. You introduce
a local person, place or thing, that is directly involved or affected
by your news.
You can then send your localized news release to a custom media list that would have the highest interest in that news release.
Now pay attention. The biggest PR firms in the country often times charge their clients thousands of dollars per month and most of the time don't get their clients publicity because they just don't get it.
The following formula is based on the results of thousands of questionnaires I've sent the media over the years. It represents the sum total of all my knowledge and their composite, consensus input of all those editors and talk show producers who told me in their own words what they want and need.
It goes like this.
Tell me a story, give me a local news angle, and then touch my
heart (make me laugh or cry), make my stomach churn (with horror
or fear), hit me in my pocketbook, or grab my gonads. One last
success story to illustrate this point:
Jeff De Long is a Ph.D. student in Psychology in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Two years ago, Jeff went through a difficult divorce and saw that there is so little help available for people to end relationships. Inspired by an Ophah Winfrey show, Jeff created a line of greeting cards to help these people. He sold these greeting cards online. Jeff DeLong sent us a news release that was written by Joe Vitale, a master copywriter in Houston, Texas Email: joe@mrfire.com. (Jeff went to Joe at my recommendation last December). The title of the one page news release was "50 Ways to Say Goodbye". The article described how Jeff's greeting cards and web site arose out of the ashes of his divorce.
I then sent this out to lifestyle and feature editors in daily and weekly newspapers, selected magazines, and selected radio talk shows. We transmitted January 27, 1998, for Valentine's Day. I also hand sent one news release to the local office of Associated Press with a personal note that said, "this is a good local story".
Jeff did over 25 radio talk shows from his home on Valentine's Day just two weeks later. He made the Associated Press on February 15 with his Anti-Valentine's Day cards. He was flown to Vancouver, British Columbia, that following Tuesday for a taped one-hour interview session on Canadian National TV. He has been offered numerous distributor contracts in North America and abroad. Associated Press continued to cover the story and changed the news slant each month for several months. Even on slow days, he has continued doing three to four radio talk shows per day. People loved hearing his heartwarming story of success out of failure.
In April 1998, one of those talk shows was in Kansas City, the home and headquarters of Hallmark Cards. Within a day, Jeff and his attorney were in negotiations for sale of his greeting card line. American Greeting cards has also entered the picture, and Jeff reported to me that the sale of the rights to the line of greeting cards was in excess of six figures. While this was happening, his web site traffic and sales went over $30,000 per week. He later reported that he was doing so well, he turned them down.
Do you get it now?
This is what your news release has to do to avoid the round file
on the first pass. Tell me a story, give me a local news angle,
and then touch my heart (make me laugh or cry), make my stomach
churn (with horror or fear), hit me in my pocketbook, or grab
my gonads.
To be successfully published or contacted you need to touch as
many of these items as you can on one page in less than 30 seconds.
When it comes to writing news releases about web sites, here's what appears to be working the best:
Ø human interest angles particularly with heartwarming
anecdotal stories
Ø interpersonal relationships on difficult or controversial
issues focus on love, sex, money, communications between men and
women, parents and children, companies, and employees, government
and individuals,
Ø tips articles advice and tactics excerpted from books,
ten commandments, ten tips, etc.
Ø unusual events, unique personal accomplishments, unusual
creative ideas
Ø social or cultural controversy battles between the forces
of good and evil
Ø humor, wisdom, fun, foolishness, and tragedy
Ø breakthroughs in technology innovations and developments
Ø really new and unique products or books
Ø politically and socially important editorial tie-in articles
Ø holiday and event tie-in articles.
At least in my humble opinion, for those of you writing news releases or seeking publicity for your web sites, your chances of success are likely to be increased if you follow one of these formats.