Monday, May 27, 2013

Press release, news release or media release?


Is a press release just for newspapers and magazines? Does a news release have to include news? Is a media release for all types of media?
If you aren’t sure, which one do you use?

All three phrases mean the same thing and which one you choose isn’t a big deal. The content of the release is far more  important than what you call the container.

A quick search using the Google Keyword Tool shows the
total number of global monthly searches for each:
  • 1,220,000 for press release
  • 550,000 for news release
  • 135,000 for media release
That’s one reason I use the phrase “press release” in my blog posts, articles and product titles. More people are searching for it.

What phrase do you use most often? Do you think they they have different definitions?

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," an ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe and receive by email the handy cheat sheet "89 Reasons to Send a Press Release."
 

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Red Hot Internet Publicity: Words on Your Website



Define Your Goals
Before you put pen to paper to write your sales copy for your website, be clear about your goals. We talked earlier about your goals for building a website—pull those out and look at them again. While you may be building the website to sell more cookies, as you start to look at the broader reach of your message, your goals might change. Perhaps you can put together gift baskets too.
Make sure the copy you are about to write targets those goals. And don’t forget to use all the keywords you just selected!
Sell the Benefits
Save the small talk for your next cocktail party. When it comes to filling websites with words, beginners tend to lean towards what I like to call the “cocktail party approach to website copy.” What do I mean by this? Well, let’s pretend you’re at a cocktail party, you’re huddled with a group of friends gabbing about everything under the sun, and around you hundreds of other conversations are mingling with your own, making the voices sound like a hum. That’s what it’s like to a website visitor when you cram a lot of cocktail party copy onto your home page. It’s confusing and it’s white noise. Chances are good that it will result in a “click” signaling the party’s end, your visitor long gone.
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Instead, write copy that speaks to your readers and tells them the benefits of your product. Sell the sizzle not the steak.
Make it Scannable
Remember that Internet users scan websites and that relates to how you write good copy. When I spoke to Susan Gilbert, she told me about the elements of good copy. “The Internet has made ‘brochure-style’ writing obsolete. Studies have clearly shown that people do not read websites—they skim them. That means your copy must be written to be eye catching, visually compelling and keep the visitor on your site.”
How do you write scannable website copy? By incorporating lots of
  • white space
  • bullet points
  • highlighted and bolded words
  • images
In addition, your copy needs to use simple words, short sentences and include the keywords your site visitor probably used to find your site in a search engine.
Stay On Point
You should distill your web copy down to the most important points and eliminate everything else. You have less than a second to grab someone’s attention.
Don’t risk overwhelming your reader. Remember, it’s not about you, it’s about them.
Use Captivating Headlines
Be sure to make your message obvious. Use headlines, lists and bold text to convey your message. Spend some serious time really thinking about a catchy headline.
What Do I Get Out of the Deal?
When it comes to sales copy, the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) factor is more important than ever. I have already mentioned the importance of selling the benefits when writing good copy. Then I talked with Susan Gilbert and she emphasized this point: “People want to know what benefit they’ll receive from buying your product or service. Don’t be shy—tell them! Will they get free delivery? Will they make more money? Will they look better? Although visitors may want to know you, the person, sales copy is much more about telling them how their life will be better, safer, happier and richer once they’ve bought from you.” Hopefully between Susan and me we have hammered this point home.
Picking the Perfect Font
When it comes to a font for your website, it’s easy to get carried away. Temptation might dictate that you use a fancy scroll or a really bold font. Wrong.
The challenge with using unique fonts is that the person at the other end might not be able to read it. When you land on a site that’s full of that horrible Courier font (my apologies to all you Courier lovers out there, this usually indicates that the site is using a font your computer can’t read.
Sometimes, when people want to use special fonts, they’ll turn them into graphics instead. But that’s good and bad. First, search engines can’t spider graphics (we’ll discuss the spider factor later). And second, it increases the load time of your website. The trick really is to pick a font (preferably a sans serif) that’s both readable and friendly to the eye, meaning that it doesn’t tire the eye the way a serif font does. So, what’s the difference between the two? When a web designer talks about a serif typeface, he means fonts like Times or Century Schoolbook, where the characters (letters) have little accents or curves. The small downward curves that appear at each end of the cross on the top and the inverted curves at the foot of the letter are known as serifs. “Sans” is French and literally means “without.”
Don’t Get Font-Happy
Do not overwhelm your site with a bunch of different fonts. It simply takes too much work for the reader to process the different letters and fonts. Nothing will send your visitors away faster.
*Excerpt from Red Hot Internet Publicity: An Insider’s Guide to Marketing Online by Penny Sansevieri, available now on Amazon.com

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Mariam Kobras Wins 2013 Silver Independent Book Award for Under the Same Sun!



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2, 2013
Mariam Kobras Wins Second Independent Publisher’s Book Award, Under the Same Sun Snags the 2013 IPPY Silver Medal

Buddhapuss Ink LLC, a NJ based book publisher, announced today that Mariam Kobras, of Hamburg, Germany, has won the 2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards’ Silver Medal in Romance for her book: Under the Same Sun: Book II of the Stone Trilogy. Kobras said she was “thrilled, beyond thrilled, stunned” with the news. Under the Same Sun, which released in October, 2012, has been a bestseller on Amazon in Contemporary, and Women’s, Fiction. This is Kobras’ second book, and second IPPY. In 2012, she won the Bronze Medal for her first book, The Distant Shore: Book I in the Stone Trilogy. “Winning the award for her first book was recognition of just how talented a writer she is. The second award removes any doubt one might have had that she is truly a phenom.” said Buddhapuss Ink Publisher, MaryChris Bradley. “Her writing is extraordinary and her reviews prove it. We extend our hearty congratulations to Mariam for this well-deserved award! ”

Under the Same Sun—a contemporary romance—continues the story of Jonathon Stone, a rock superstar and Naomi Carlsson, the girl he loved, lost, and found again. The story picks up where The Distant Shore left off, and focuses on Jon and Naomi as they deal with the lingering aftereffects of her shooting, their son Joshua’s decision to give up his music studies, and Naomi’s desire for another child. The story takes place in locales from London, to Italy, to New York City. “Under the Same Sun screamed at me to be written. The story of Naomi dealing with the terrible trauma of having been shot was like a fist in my neck.” stated Kobras. “The book is about growing up and taking charge of your life. It's about discovering that following your own dreams, rather than what others impose on you, is a valid way of life.”

Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Mariam and her family lived in Brazil and Saudi Arabia before they decided to settle in Germany. She attended school there and studied American Literature and Psychology at Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen. Today she writes and lives in Hamburg, Germany, with her husband, two sons and two cats.

BUDDHAPUSS INK LLC is based in Edison, NJ. Founded in 2009, it is led by Publisher, MaryChris Bradley, a 29 year veteran in the book industry. “Our company mission is to ‘Put readers first’ and we are committed to finding and growing new authors at a time when the major houses seem to have turned their backs on writers without an already well-established track record. “ Bradley can be contacted at Publisher@BuddhapussInk.com. “Of course, you can always find us on Facebook, and twitter too.”

Twitter: @Buddhapuss    Facebook:  Buddhapuss Ink LLC    Website:  http://www.buddhapussink.com/