Free Exposure for Your Business with Press Releases
Press releases are a great way to get plenty of free exposure for your business. Simply put:
1. You write a newsworthy story about your business into a certain format
2. Send the story to various media outlets.
3. If they're interested, they may publish your press release or interview you.
A story that the media picks up will be far more valuable than a paid advertising spot. Having the media do a story about you is like a personal endorsement of your website and business. You can tell them about the launch of your new website or business; your expert opinions on a topic in the news; fundraisers or anything else the media might be interested in.
That sounds easy enough, but how do you put a press release together? Here are some tips to get you started:
Appropriate Press Release Format
Your press release should have six basic components and they are:
1. Release Instructions
"For Immediate Release";
"For Release Before [date]" or
"For Release After [date]"
Use one of the latter two if your press release is of a time sensitive nature. For example, if you are holding a public speaking event, you will want to use the "For Release Before [date]" and make sure you input the final date for registrations. If you are using the "For Release Before [date]" ensure you are sensitive to media deadlines. Send your release out well in advance.
2. Headline
Write an attention-grabbing headline. Make it benefits-oriented (why would it be of interest to people?) and descriptive. Avoid hype and promotional language ~ remember, this is a news story.
3. Contact Information
Include as much information as possible here. Make it easy for the media to contact you. Include your phone number, address, company name, fax number, email and website URL. Include the hours you are available at the listed phone number and add an after hours phone number, if applicable.
4. Summary
Before you get into the body of the release, write a sentence or two to summarize your press release. Make it interesting, you want the recipient to keep reading.
5. Content
This is the meat of your press release. Again, write a benefits-oriented story. Think of the target audience as you are writing. Your target audience is partly the editor or reporter who will be reading the release. Ultimately, however, your target audience is that editor or reporter's readers or audience. You need to write a story that will be of interest to them.
The first paragraph should answer all the important questions - Who, What, Where, When, Why & How?
Add some quotations to add credibility and to break up the story. Quotations can be from you about the topic. Testimonials or commentary from your customers are very effective as well.6.
6. Signify the End of Your Release
The end of your press release is shown by a few simple characters. Place ### at the end of your release.
For more ideas on when to send a press release and how to write one that's sure to demand the media's attention, grab your free Mom's Talk Biz Guide to Press Releases. http://www.momstalkbiz.com/press-release-ebook.html
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Home-Based Business Ideas
Home-Based Businesses You can Start in No Time
Service businesses are a great field to get into, whether you provide offline or online services it's an easy way to start your own business with usually very low start-up costs. With the number of businesses you can easily start from home there simply isn't an excuse to not start your own business.
So if you've been thinking about it, here are a few in-demand home business ideas:
Transcription - If you can type (or can learn how to, it's really not too difficult), have a good eye for detail and want to work from home, this is a great profession to get into. You can find clients online and locally. You can transcribe for real estate agents, insurance brokers, online marketers, speakers, consultants and a huge range of other clients. Transcriptionists are in high demand and is a very easy business to start from home.
Virtual Assistants - Similar to a secretary or administrative assistants, VAs (virtual assistants) are a growing field. Many entrepreneurs have home businesses now and need someone to help them run their business - what better person to turn to than a VA. Similar to transcription this is a high-demand field and a relatively easy business to start.
Ghost Writer - Just the name alone sounds exciting, but make no mistake, ghost writing isn't some mysterious profession you see only in movies, it's a very real in-demand field. This is especially true when it comes to online marketers and website owners who have a need for quality content. You can also write articles for local newspapers, magazines and a number of other publications. If you love to write, you can take that passion and turn it into a very profitable and cool at-home business.
Cleaning Service - Okay, this may not be the most glamorous business in the world, but hey there's a lot of money to be made here. If you enjoy cleaning and take pride in your work you can easily set up your own maid or cleaning service. You can also take one step further and manage the business and hire a team of cleaners to do the job for you. With so many parents and single professionals working such long hours plus the increase of disposable income, you can certain "clean up" with your own maid service.
Those are just a few service businesses you can start from home. Relatively easy to start, low cost and plain old easy, there's no good reason NOT to start your own business.
To learn how to make it BIG with your own service Business, visit http://www.MomsTalkBiz.com for a range of fun and profitable at-home business ideas.
Service businesses are a great field to get into, whether you provide offline or online services it's an easy way to start your own business with usually very low start-up costs. With the number of businesses you can easily start from home there simply isn't an excuse to not start your own business.
So if you've been thinking about it, here are a few in-demand home business ideas:
Transcription - If you can type (or can learn how to, it's really not too difficult), have a good eye for detail and want to work from home, this is a great profession to get into. You can find clients online and locally. You can transcribe for real estate agents, insurance brokers, online marketers, speakers, consultants and a huge range of other clients. Transcriptionists are in high demand and is a very easy business to start from home.
Virtual Assistants - Similar to a secretary or administrative assistants, VAs (virtual assistants) are a growing field. Many entrepreneurs have home businesses now and need someone to help them run their business - what better person to turn to than a VA. Similar to transcription this is a high-demand field and a relatively easy business to start.
Ghost Writer - Just the name alone sounds exciting, but make no mistake, ghost writing isn't some mysterious profession you see only in movies, it's a very real in-demand field. This is especially true when it comes to online marketers and website owners who have a need for quality content. You can also write articles for local newspapers, magazines and a number of other publications. If you love to write, you can take that passion and turn it into a very profitable and cool at-home business.
Cleaning Service - Okay, this may not be the most glamorous business in the world, but hey there's a lot of money to be made here. If you enjoy cleaning and take pride in your work you can easily set up your own maid or cleaning service. You can also take one step further and manage the business and hire a team of cleaners to do the job for you. With so many parents and single professionals working such long hours plus the increase of disposable income, you can certain "clean up" with your own maid service.
Those are just a few service businesses you can start from home. Relatively easy to start, low cost and plain old easy, there's no good reason NOT to start your own business.
To learn how to make it BIG with your own service Business, visit http://www.MomsTalkBiz.com for a range of fun and profitable at-home business ideas.
Make Money with eBay
eBay - Hobby or Business?
eBay is a great way to get bring in extra money. You can start slowly by selling a few items you have been meaning to get rid off and grow until eventually you're buying and selling items in bulk through your own eBay store!
There certainly are no limits to how much money you can make on eBay it all comes down to how much you want to get out of it - if you treat it as a hobby then, well you'll make pocket money. If you treat it like a business and think big - then you'll be an entrepreneur on your way to success.
If you haven't yet sold an item on eBay, have no fear it isn't too difficult to set up your own auction. eBay themselves have a whole section with tips for making the most out of your auctions.
As mentioned, start small with a few items and grow from there. One thing to keep in mind is that feedback is extremely important on eBay. You want to make sure you have a positive interaction with all your buyers and that your feedback is spotless.
The best way to ensure good feedback is to make sure you describe your items as accurately as possible so there are no misunderstandings (if something has a scratch then say so), contact the buyer right away after an auction, ship the items promptly taking all the necessary precautions and you're courteous and provide feedback.
It's not rocket science but merely good customer service skills. Always go beyond what's expected and people will recognize that.
Once you're ready to go BIG with eBay you can think about drop shipping (this is where you don't hold or ship any stock and a third party provider provides and ships the goods for you for a percentage fee). You'll need to do your homework before you try drop shipping as there are some unfortunate scams out there.
You can also think of opening your own eBay store and really expanding. The possibilities with eBay are endless it's simply up to you whether you treat eBay as a hobby or really commit to building a full-time income around it.
To learn how to make it BIG with eBay, visit http://www.MomsTalkBiz.com/make-money-ebay.html
eBay is a great way to get bring in extra money. You can start slowly by selling a few items you have been meaning to get rid off and grow until eventually you're buying and selling items in bulk through your own eBay store!
There certainly are no limits to how much money you can make on eBay it all comes down to how much you want to get out of it - if you treat it as a hobby then, well you'll make pocket money. If you treat it like a business and think big - then you'll be an entrepreneur on your way to success.
If you haven't yet sold an item on eBay, have no fear it isn't too difficult to set up your own auction. eBay themselves have a whole section with tips for making the most out of your auctions.
As mentioned, start small with a few items and grow from there. One thing to keep in mind is that feedback is extremely important on eBay. You want to make sure you have a positive interaction with all your buyers and that your feedback is spotless.
The best way to ensure good feedback is to make sure you describe your items as accurately as possible so there are no misunderstandings (if something has a scratch then say so), contact the buyer right away after an auction, ship the items promptly taking all the necessary precautions and you're courteous and provide feedback.
It's not rocket science but merely good customer service skills. Always go beyond what's expected and people will recognize that.
Once you're ready to go BIG with eBay you can think about drop shipping (this is where you don't hold or ship any stock and a third party provider provides and ships the goods for you for a percentage fee). You'll need to do your homework before you try drop shipping as there are some unfortunate scams out there.
You can also think of opening your own eBay store and really expanding. The possibilities with eBay are endless it's simply up to you whether you treat eBay as a hobby or really commit to building a full-time income around it.
To learn how to make it BIG with eBay, visit http://www.MomsTalkBiz.com/make-money-ebay.html
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