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Free Press Releases – 3 Reasons to Use Them to Market Your Freelance Writing Business

Free press releases (aka releases, PR pieces) are a great way to market a freelance writing business. As a freelance writer since 1993, following is how and why I use them.

How I Use Free PR to Grow My Freelance Writing Business

Obviously, a press release is designed to capture the attention of the media. But, that’s not the overriding reasons freelance writers should use them. I’ve been a freelance writer since 1993, and think that there are three better reasons to use this form of marketing to land writing jobs.

(i) They’re Search Engine Optimized Content that Drive Traffic: Press releases are just content. And, any type of content written with SEO in mind and published on the web can drive traffic.

You see, when search engines crawl a site, they don’t care if it’s a free PR distribution site, a blog, a news site, etc. They index content – period. So when you write them, write with SEO in mind – which will help to increase traffic to your freelance writing website.

FYI, these are known as “SEO press releases.”

(ii) Use Press Releases as Writing Samples to Attract High-Paying Clients: The PR pieces you write can double as writing samples. With these little buddies in your writing portfolio, you can get higher paying clients, especially if you know how to write – and distribute – them.

For example, my rate for this type of writing is $195. If you know what you’re doing, you can write one in a couple of hours or less. Imagine doing just two of these a day?

Not a shabby living as a freelance writer, right?

(iii) Bring Prestige to Your Writing Business: Being quoted in a press release gives your business prestige. To get the most mileage out of those you write, post them in a “Media” page on your site.

When prospects come, they’ll be impressed by the fact that you even have a “Media” page.

Subconsciously, this ups your value in their eyes because it pegs you as a “Professional writing firm/writer” (if everything else on the site backs this impression up).

Prospective clients also expect to pay “prestigious professionals” more because the value you bring them is ostensibly more (and it should be).

The #1 Press Release Tip to Keep in Mind When Marketing Your Freelance Writing Business

The number one thing to keep in mind when marketing your business via releases is that it’s not about you. The media doesn’t care about you or your writing business.

They care about serving their viewers, their readers, their customers. They want to solve problems for them, and if your business just happens to do that – then they’ll be interested. If it doesn’t – no matter how well written your press release is, they won’t be interested.

Keep this in mind as you write, and you’ll stand a chance of making it newsworthy (always the goal!) and getting the hot light of the media on your freelance writing business. Good luck!

7 Benefits of a Press Release for Every Business

For the business of every size and industry, press releases deliver exceptional results, which mean that they can work like a magic wand to grow your online presence and boost exposure. This brings us to the next question: what should you expect from a top-notch press release writing service provider?

It can be a crucial marketing element for a business because of the probabilities for free media coverage. The news release is a key weapon in the fight to make your brand get noticed by a large number of audiences. When you exploit them to the fullest extent you can count on these 7 benefits-

1. All businesses can benefit from press release distribution services. No matter how small or big your company is and no matter what industry you’re in, you can benefit from this distribution. Though you may not have that “Oprah story”, you surely do have stories that can help you get coverage online. Certainly, you won’t get that publicity unless you enlighten your story.

2. It is easy on the pocket. Most of the companies write down the PRs of their own. The only cost comes with hiring press release writing and distribution service is to get the story in the right hands of key media members. But even this is economical, and when compared with other advertising, especially paid advertising; it is almost always the most affordable option.

3. It boosts your company’s visibility and presence online. This is especially vital for small businesses, but even big businesses need to fight for user mindshare. By following a long-term PR distribution strategy, you make customers know who you’re, what you do, and how you can help them.

4. It can help establish you as an industry expert. Why is it essential to be seen as an expert? Firstly, expertise assists you to gain customer’s trust. Once they found you as reliable, they’re more likely to use your product/services. Additionally, being an expert is beneficial for media relations.

5. Use your news to acquire more customers. With today’s online PR, the media is no longer the only audience you are writing for. More than 80 million people read news online daily. Most of the, are your customers. So, you must consider your buyers when writing your PRs. But remember not to convert it into an advertisement.

6. Investors keep up with the latest news too. They show up the advancement and successes made by your company can be influential tools for attracting investors.

7. It can provide worldwide reach. Depending on the service offered and its target audience, it can boost your online reach and exposure worldwide.

How Should You Select a Press Release Distribution Service?

So, after knowing the benefits of effective PR writing, you may probably wonder how you can choose the most suitable and reliable distribution service provider for such type of content. In this case, it is recommended to select the one that is completely compatible with your goals, needs, and budget.

With numerous free and paid alternatives available for you, it is very important to filter your choice based on the exposure/traffic opportunities and SEO benefits offered by them. Also, you might want to go with a service provider with a high level of authority and credibility.

How to Write a Press Release Fast

Do you want to learn how to write compelling press releases in as little time as possible? Then, follow these steps:

1. Have an in-depth understanding about press releases. It is very important to know that press releases are not advertising vehicles and that they should sound very objective all the time. They must carry newsworthy information and they must adhere to the universal guidelines set for news releases. You cannot just deliver the information you have using your preferred writing format as there is a standard format that you need to follow that is quite different from other written materials. Knowing the elements that you need to use in writing your press releases will increase the chances of your copies being picked up by media organizations.

2. Universal guidelines. You must write your press releases using the third person. You must sound like a news reporter delivering an important information to your audience in a very objective and easy to understand manner. Your press releases must contain a compelling headline, a very descriptive lead paragraph, the date of publication, company information, and contact information. In addition, your news releases must be brief, to the point, and relatively short (about 500 words). They must also be able to answer the who, what, why, when, where, and how questions of your readers. Knowing what you need to include in your press releases can surely make the writing process a lot quicker.

3. Proofread. So as not to ruin your train of thoughts, ensure that you proofread your press releases once you are done writing your content. Ensure that your information are factual and that your content is free from any type of errors that can be easily taken against you. Also, check the overall flow of your content. Make sure that you use the inverted pyramid technique when sharing the information you have so you can keep your readers interested all throughout. Also, tie your ideas together to promote better understanding.

4. Practice makes perfect. You’ll be able to write press releases much faster if you practice on a regular basis. Try to write at least one press release per day. You may opt to solicit feedback from other expert news release writer so you can easily figure out your areas of opportunity. If you do this regularly, you’ll soon be able to empower yourself to write compelling copies in as little time as possible.