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"89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases"
Lesson #33: Headline Mistake
#5--No keywords If you're
writing press releases and posting them online so people can find
them, but you aren't including in the headline the keywords that
people use when they search for the kind of information that's in
your press release, you're pretty much wasting your time.
I'm devoting all of Week #10 to
search engine optimization. But this discussion about keywords is so
important that I'm mentioning it this week. Headline Mistake #5
is not using keywords in the headline.
Author and therapist Barbara
Bartlein of Milwaukee, Wisconsin wrote the release below as soon as news broke
about Jennifer Wilbanks, the 32-year-old Atlanta woman who fled in
April 2005, several days before her wedding, and surfaced in New
Mexico. Jennifer became known as "The Runaway Bride," and Barb
realized she had a great opportunity to piggyback onto the news.
So she used the keyword phrase
"Runaway Bride" at the front of the headline. I've highlighted it
for you in yellow below. The release was so timely that more than
three dozen radio stations in the U.S. and Canada called her for
interviews--even weeks after the news broke. And because so many
people were searching for the keyword phrase "runaway bride" in the
search engines, they ended up at Barb's website, and some of them
bought her book "Why Did I Marry You Anyway?--12.5 Strategies for a
Happy Marriage."
Here's the release. Notice the
formatting, which is standard on press releases posted at
ExpertClick.com.
This subscription-based website has no per-release charge, so you
can issue 52 press releases a year for the cost of a subscription.
Here's the big bonus: The releases are picked up by the Yahoo and Google news feeds, and
they become part of the Lexis-Nexis database used by many
journalists.
Publicity Hounds get $100 off their Expertclick subscription, but only if
you
use this link.
Here's the release:
Milwaukee, WI 53207
May 1, 2005
Runaway Bride--20%
of Engaged Couples Call Off The Wedding
(Milwaukee: May 1, 2005) Utilizing data
from pre-marital counseling, it is estimated that approximately 20%
of couples call off the wedding. That is almost 500,000 people per
year. The change of heart may reflect fear of commitment, anxiety
over a new role, doubts over the chosen partner or other concerns.
One thing is certain, however, many couples spend more time planning
the wedding than they do actually talking about the marriage,
according to relationship expert Barbara Bartlein, author of Why Did
I Marry You Anyway? 12.5 Strategies for a Happy Marriage.
“The relationship gets lost in the unrealistic expectations for a
perfect day,” according to Bartlein. “Often the couple does little
talking about the big issues that couples must address for a happy
marriage, they are too busy picking out invitations, flowers and
menus.”
With a divorce rate of over 50% for first time marriages, Bartlein
suggest that couples discuss the top three issues that couples fight
about; money, children and sex. “These three issues represent the
majority of problems for most couples. It is important to have an
open dialog so there are not surprises after the wedding,” says
Bartlein.
“I also recommend a smaller wedding than 600 people and 14
bridesmaids and 14 groomsmen,” states Bartlein.
Clinical psychotherapist, speaker and author, Barbara Bartlein, RN,
LCSW, is The People Pro. She has assisted radio, TV and print media
find answers to relationship and mental health issues since 1980.
She has appeared on FOX, CBS, and NBC. She has been quoted in the
Chicago Tribune, The Business Journals, Women’s Day and other
periodicals.
Barbara Bartlein
(barb@ThePeoplePro.com)
The People Pro
Great Lakes Consulting Group
2019 E. Estes St., Suite 200
Milwaukee, WI 53207
Phone : 888-747-9953
Fax : 414-747-8959
Great Lakes Consulting Group
More Information Why Did I Marry You Anyway? 12.5 Strategies for a
Happy Marriage
Opportunity #33: Holiday events
Write press releases about any and all holiday events, particularly
those that are open to the public. Big fund-raisers are often held
during the holidays, and busy event planners can't afford to have
anything go wrong. See this free article at my website
"Special events publicity: 11 tips to draw a crowd."
Tomorrow: Keep stats simple
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