News Release 2.0 — Help Google find your site
Communicators learn to write releases that reach readers online in this May 13 webinar
KANSAS CITY, MO. — April 2, 2010. PR professionals have been married to the traditional news release format since Ivy Lee created the press release more than 100 years ago.
It’s time for a new approach, says writing coach Ann Wylie, author of Anatomy of a Press Release (http://bit.ly/8BH4tg).
With 2,500 releases crossing the wires each day — that’s one every 12 seconds — the impact of traditional news release ain’t what it used to be. In fact, more than half of all traditional press releases distributed never get written about, according to PRNewswire’s own research.
Plus, Web distribution makes it possible to use releases to boost search engine rankings and reach customers and clients directly, as well as for media relations.
A new webinar aims to help PR pros, business communicators and other writers write 2.0 news releases — releases that help Google find their sites, reach readers online and more.
Program details
What: “Anatomy of a News Release,” a one-hour teleseminar (http://bit.ly/7LncXf)
Why: To help communicators write releases that get posted on portals, help Google find your site, reach readers online and more
Who: Presented by Ann Wylie (http://bit.ly/60rAFt); sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America (http://www.prsa.org/)
When: 3 p.m. Eastern time (2 p.m. Central, 1 p.m. Mountain, 12 p.m. Pacific) on May 13, 2009
Where: Register online (http://bit.ly/7LncXf)
In this program, Wylie will share tips on how to:
- Take advantage of online distribution to get your release posted on portals, help Google find your site, and reach customers, clients and other stakeholders online
- Write better headlines, decks and leads for your releases
- Why getting the “gobbledygook” out is even more important online than in print
- Choose the right length for your release
- Craft links that help Google find your Web site
- Optimize your releases for search engines and human readers
Quotes:
From workshop attendees:
“I came away with many new tips that immediately attained results — the first press release I wrote using your techniques landed a feature story in the Detroit News.” — Sharon Waldrop, director, Fibromyalgia Association of Michigan
“I truly believe that one tip I learned from Ann has enhanced the interest of the media at least threefold, as we received better media coverage than expected at several events.” — Carl Walton, U.S. Postal Service
“I’ve used one technique to promote my next radio interview. A publicist called me after getting an e-mail and commented it was a great promotion.” — Elisa Southard, APR
“Writing good press releases is an art, not a science. Having said that, there is a checklist and there are objective criteria you can apply to see if you’re on track. Anyone who’s been writing release after release and needs some inspiration will benefit from Ann’s simple, well-reasoned suggestions. I’ve been writing press releases for 15 years and I got great new ideas that I was instantly able to incorporate into the next release I was writing.” — Peter Vertes, publicity manager, Cleveland Botanical Garden
From the trainer:
“Never mind the enormous changes in media technology, vast increases in information overload and almost complete transformation in readership habits. Virtually all of the releases I see rely on the same writing techniques PR pros have been using since Ivy Lee invented the press release in 1906.” — Ann Wylie, president of Wylie Communications Inc.
From the PRSA professional development director:
“Ann’s insights are especially valuable because she has worked on all sides of the communication ‘desk’ — as a corporate communicator, in a PR agency, as a magazine editor and as a consultant. Her workshops are always extremely well received by our members and other writers.” — Judy Voss, PRSA’s director of professional development
More information about the public relations writing
- Ann’s resources on the PR writing
- Information about Ann’s PR writing toolkit
About Ann Wylie
Ann Wylie is president of Wylie Communications Inc. (http://www.wyliecomm.com/), a training, writing and consulting firm. She works with communicators who want to reach more readers and with organizations that want to get the word out. Her workshops take her from Hollywood to Helsinki, helping communicators at NASA, FedEx, Motorola, H&R Block and other organizations improve their skills. She’s the author of a dozen learning tools, including RevUpReadership.com (http://bit.ly/KJ2t3), a toolbox for writers; and Wylie’s Writing Tips (http://bit.ly/6JgZLJ), a free e-zine. Her work has earned more than 60 awards, including two IABC Gold Quills.
About PRSA:
The Public Relations Society of America (http://www.prsa.org/), headquartered in New York City, is the world’s largest professional organization for public relations practitioners. The society’s members represent business and industry, counseling firms, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. Chartered in 1948, PRSA has 116 chapters throughout the United States and extends services and professional development to the student level through the Public Relations Student Society (PRSSA) with 209 chapters on college campuses throughout the country.
For more information, contact:
Ann Wylie
Wylie Communications Inc.
816/997-8753
Ann@WylieComm.com
