Online Press Releases: What is News, What Format to Use, Where to Submit Online Press Releases

Website Promotion Via Online Press Releases

Return to the articles' index. Generate Free Online PR for Your Business was first published in the New Zealand Tourism Guide's December 2011 newsletter. It was aimed primarily at owners of small and medium-sized tourism businesses in New Zealand.

Generate Free Online PR for Your Business

When you look at the search engine results pages to see what search coverage your website has, it may be limited to listings featuring only your website home page or sub-page/s. There are several ways to increase the coverage given to your website by search engines simply by getting your website seen via other websites. These include:

Writing Your Own Press Releases

You do not need the services of a specialist PR firm to promote your website through online press releases. Creating search engine coverage for your website through online press releases does not need a relationship with real people in the media. You simply write your release, open an account with a press release website and submit your content.

What is News in Your Business?

Advertorials or opinion-orientated releases are not news and if you try to submit them to legimiate press release websites, they will not get published. Stick to genuine and current news which could include:

  • The launch of new websites, products and services
  • Upcoming events, special offers and competitions
  • Staff appointments, sponsorship announcements, refurbishments and so on.

What to Include in Your Press Release

There are many PR templates freely available online for you to use, but broadly speaking most websites require the following content:

  1. Release date – In bold letters, 'FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE'
  2. Headline – Make it as interesting as possible (about 15 words long)
  3. Place and date – Use DD/MM/YYYY format
  4. Sub-heading – One or two sentences outlining the key event making the news in your release
  5. Opening paragraph – Include the most important facts about the event. Answer the questions: WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHY and HOW. Refer to your business in the third person e.g. 'it' not 'we'.
  6. Additional paragraphs (2-4) – Include more details and a quote from a relevant person
  7. Photo – Include a photo and details of what or who it shows
  8. Your company details – Business name, active link to your website, location, description of your core business
  9. Contact details – Name of contact person in your business to be contacted for more information, telephone numbers, postal and email addresses
  10. Ending – End your release with the word 'END' or the symbols '####'
  11. Notes to Editors – If you want to, you can add more information for editors

What to Do with Your PR

Open an account with reputable press release websites and follow their guidelines for submitting your PR. All of the websites below offer a free service and the first two are particularly relevant to New Zealand businesses:

You will find more PR websites using search engines. Some will offer a basic free service, whilst some may charge for the inclusion of pictures and links. View more about The Contented Website's online press release service.

Glossary

If any of these terms sound like a foreign language to you, please don't stew about it. You can refer to the (easy-to-understand) glossary of terms for more information.

Store Them Away

If you want to keep any pages tucked away in your online pantry of goodies, simply bookmark the relevant page in your browser by clicking:

  • 'Favourites' (if you're using Internet Explorer/IE)
  • 'Bookmarks' (if you're using Firefox).

"Article for small and medium businesses on how to write online press releases and generate better search engine coverage."