Build Your Site`s Popularity Organically - Don’t Forget Public Relations
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Paul Graham, programmer, author of Hackers and Painters, and a keen observer, noted once that “PR is the news equivalent of search engine optimization; instead of buying ads, which readers ignore, you get yourself inserted directly into stories.” To elaborate on this point, advertising and PR are not the same thing. You pay for placing ads with specific outlets. With PR, you or your PR firm write a press release and usually submit it to a site like PRNewsWire or PRWeb. These sites feed the major news search engines (Yahoo! and Google News). If your press release is well written and link worthy, it may be picked up by the mainstream press practically word for word.
The reason for this is that most reporters and journalists are overworked. Press releases provide them with a “shortcut” to doing their job. If you have information and content on your site that is truly compelling and interesting, reporters will be happy to cover it. Think of a press release as a way to make it easy for them.
Keep your eyes open for journalists and reporters who cover topics in your field. Think local, independent, and friendly; you don’t want to start with the New York Times, you’ll probably just frustrate yourself. Send them emails; be careful not to make a nuisance of yourself, however. You want to give the reporter the impression that it’s his or her idea that you’re newsworthy. Don’t lie – PR firms don’t lie, they tell somewhat selective truths that favor their clients. There’s a big difference.
Don’t be surprised if your press release is used without being altered at all, especially if it is written to sound like an article. Also don’t be surprised if it is altered. When I worked as an industry analyst, we received a steady stream of press releases about technology companies. We found that press releases, even ones that were several pages long, could be boiled down to about a paragraph of meat. In general, a reporter will use your press release in the way that best suits the needs of the publication. But you can usually count on it generating buzz, visitors, and links.
That’s it for now. In the next article, I’ll discuss how to build links based on what your competitors are doing, and how to build interest in your site through the force of your own personality and reputation. I also plan to touch on how to handle highly competitive words and phrases.
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