One of her tips is about how to identify keywords to use in your press release. She recommends this great tool - Free Keyword Suggestion Tool - to help you identify words you can use to pump up the keywords in your press release. Check it out!

Another point I'd like to make is that so many people are touting that posting press releases on free newswires work. Roach contends that there are only a handful of newswire services that truly matter when it comes to getting your press release on Google and Yahoo News: PRWeb, PR Newswire, Business Wire and Internet.com.

http://www.prweb.com
http://www.businesswire.com
http://www.internet.com
http://www.prnewswire.com

And you may be wondering what's so great about ranking on Google News or Yahoo News? Roach says this:

"News web sites like Yahoo News, Google News and MSNBC Searchbot receive millions of visitors every day. If fact, Yahoo News ranks ahead of MSNBC.com and even CNN.com, while Google News ranks ahead of USAToday.com and the NYTimes.com."

I find these facts pretty convincing.

We all know the marketing world - PR and advertising and everything in between - is constantly and rapidly changing, so it's a must to stay on top of what's new and, even more important, what's next.

This blog post was written by advertising blogger Joe Marchese - definitely worth a read!

A friend of mine included this great video (see below) in her monthly newsletter and I wanted to share the video with my readers too. I found it very powerful in helping companies visually see just how powerful social media can be.

One item I found interesting from this video is that a company called Naked Pizza admitted that 68% of its sales and 85% of its new customers were coming from Twitter. That speaks volumes to me. I, too, have seen the value of Twitter first-hand in making business relationship and have been lucky to meet some really cool new clients through the medium. On top of that, one of my clients recently told me her sales go down on week's she Tweets less too... she is able to see the impact social media plays in her business based on how much or little she Tweets. Interesting....

Attention small businesses. It’s time to enter your company for Winning Workplaces and Inc. Magazine’s, “Top Small Company Workplaces 2010" award.

Judges are looking for organizations that:

• Have outstanding cultures
• Build great work environments
• Deliver excellent business results
• Invest in the success of their people
• Are committed to the success of their business

For more information on the awards and entry criteria, click here to read their FAQ section.

We recently learned about a tool that does the hard work for you when it comes to finding award programs for you and your clients! The tool is called AwardSync.com – a free awards listing service that enables you to search for awards in your industry or in a specific category. The site also lets you to set up a Saved Search and each time a new award matches your search term(s), an email is sent directly to your in-box.

The awards vary from national categories such as “100 Companies to Watch,” to more geographically-specific such as “2010 Women of Influence, Milwaukee Business Journal.”

AwardsSync.com also has a “tell us” link so users can alert them of additional awards to add it to the site.

Ed Note: We had a bit of trouble with advanced searches, but start with broad keywords and you should find some great opportunities."

The majority of the closings are due to the pressure of the recession, and advertising rates falling drastically. But there is also the factor of the popularity of digital media. Many outlets have either stopped their print version to focus all efforts on an online-only magazine, while some brands are gone for good.

According to AdAge, the top 10 most notable magazine closings include (in order of longevity):

1. Gourmet (Conde Nast): 1941 - November 2009

2. Home (Hachette Filipacchi): 1951 - October 2008

3. Teen (Hearst Magazines): 1954 - Winter 2008

4. Playgirl* (Blue Horizon Media): 1973 - January/February 2009

5. Southern Accents (Time Inc): 1977 – September/October 2009

6. Metropolitan Home (Hachette Filipacchi): 1981 - December 2009

7. PC Magazine (Ziff Davis): 1982 - January 2009

8. Country Home (Meredith Corp.): 1986 - March 2009

9. Vibe (Wicks Group): 1992 – June 2009

10. Nickelodeon (Viacom): June 1993 – December 2009

Read the full article and 2009 complete magazine closing list online.

* I thought Sarah Palin's daughter's baby daddy posed for Playgirl. Is it really gone?

The purpose of MediaOnTwitter is to connect communications professionals to contacts and relevant content to help people engage with media more effectively. The site allows users to do two things:

1. Search and find media you want to connect with, sorting by beat, location, name or outlet.

2. Add media to the database to help it become even more comprehensive.

While any site visitor can, and is encouraged to, submit media, the “MediaOnTwitter” team manages and ensures the integrity and usability of the content.

Interestingly enough, MediaOnTwitter was developed by Sarah Evans, is supported by HARO founder, Peter Shankman.

Here are a few key rules to follow when writing a press release…

Newsworthiness
Before you even begin writing, it’s important that the news you are announcing in your press release is something people want to know about. Ask yourself, "Will my target audience care about this?" Be sure you are bringing something interesting and different to the table (i.e. not just announcing another sale - get to the heart of what's special about your announcement.) Some common press release topics include product announcements, C-level executive changes, a local or national event, company earnings, or the launch of a branding campaign or program.

Length
Another way to test your newsworthiness is to be sure you have enough information for at least a couple paragraphs, but not more than 1-2 pages. Shorter is better. Wordiness is a sin.

Timing
Make sure your announcement has a timely angle. Tie your news into a current event or issue, or during a certain time of the year if relevant. For instance, if you're promoting a book on why men cheat, perhaps you should issue a press release during the Tiger Wood's debacle.

Language and flow
In today's tech-savvy world, remember that you're not just writing a press release for the media; rather your customers, sales associates, partners, and just about everyone in the world wide web will have access to this information. Skip jargon and load up your release with keywords, interesting info and lots of bolded and bullet-ed sections so it's easy to scan.

Components of a strong press release:
At the top of the release, write "For Immediate Release."

Include your contact information at the top, including name, company name, phone and email.

Start with a strong headline that is brief, clear, and attention grabbing. It should summarize the entire release, mention your company's name, and include a strong keyword you're trying to rank for in Google.

Write a subhead that summarizes other important details in the release. Headlines and subheads get read, so write 'em.

Include the Dateline just prior to your first sentence. A Dateline includes your city name and date.

The first paragraph should include all of the important information – the five “W’s” - who, what, when, where and why.

The following paragraphs should include your supporting materials and information. Use details and/or facts to inform the reader and catch their attention. But keep it concise. Use bullets and bolded text to break up bits of long information. Readers like to scan information, so make it reader friendly.

Include an executive quote. If you are launching a new product or service, draft a quote from the president on why this addition is important to the company’s suite of products and services. In these supporting paragraphs be sure you avoid using unnecessary adjectives such as “never before” or “ very innovative” – in most situations those are false or exaggerated claims. Also avoid, "We are so honored or excited..." - Instead, say something worthy of quoting.

If possible, include a quote from a customer or third-party. This will validate what you're trying to say in the press release.

Before you close, include this sentence, “For additional information please visit www.CompanyWebsite.com.” This is a great way for people to find out more about your company and drive web traffic.

Next up is the company boilerplate. (Boilerplate is the standard term used for the last paragraph of a news release). Use this space to describe what your company does and offer up a brief history on your company. One short paragraph should do it.

To end the press release enter (centered on the page) either “###” or “-30-.”

Here is a press release template you can use as well.

If you’d like more information or a more detailed step-by-step “how to,” here are some helpful links!

• PR Web - http://www.prwebdirect.com/pressreleasetips.php
• Publicity Insider - http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp