Let Your Press Release Get Tipsy
Copyright 2005 Cherry Communications/Be Heard Solutions

When selling services, especially online, it's often
difficult to 'show' people what it is your business offers.

Products such as office supplies and bicycles can be
packaged and painted to attract customers, but you can't
put a pretty bow around your head to sell your knowledge
and expertise (although that might look nice). Instead you
need to convince your target market that you know what
you're talking about.

And one of the best ways to do that is to write a press
release that includes the how-to's about what you do, or
what's called in the PR business, a tips sheet press
release.

Writing a tips sheet release to show off your expertise is
no different than writing any sort of release. It must
include information that is newsworthy to the editor or reporter who receives it.

How can you combine a newsworthy event or report with a tip sheet? It's really quite easy once you find the proper slant.

For example: National Postcard Week is the first week in
May, so I, as an expert in public relations for small businesses, wrote a release that shared tips on how to effectively use postcards as a marketing tool for small businesses.

A purchasing expert may want to create a tips sheet on how
to get the best buys for companies. A web developer can do
one about the most common ways to drive visitors to a
website. The key is to make sure it has a good news hook.

No matter what your business event or what expertise you
have to share, when including tips in a press release it is important to:

*Just give a small sample of what you know, no more than 5
or 6 short tips. After all, you make your living by selling your experience and expertise, so you don't want to give too much away.

*Keep your tips general, but not so general that they
insult the intelligences of both the editor/reporter and
the release's readers.

*Walk in the journalist's shoes. If you can make him or her think, "Gee, I didn't know that" then you have just convinced the journalist that there's value in your press release. Something of value is always something that all reporters want to offer readers, listeners and viewers.


About the Author:

Shannon Cherry, APR, MA helps businesses, entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations to be heard. She's a marketing communications and public relations expert with more than 15 years experience and the owner of Cherry Communications. Subscribe today for Be Heard! a FREE biweekly ezine and get the FREE special report: "Be the Big Fish: Three No-Cost Publicity Tactics to Help You Be Heard." Go to: http://www.beheardsolutions.com/freestuff_3.htm