If it's not, then consider changing its format to make sure
it DOES.
Although many brick & mortar entrepreneurs know the
importance of having their own websites, most of them still
have few ideas for maximizing them, and often end up with
nothing more than an "online brochure."
"But a brochure is all we need." some of them say, or "We
can't afford to put up anything else."
But what if you discovered that with just a few revisions
& for exactly the same cost you can actually transform
YOUR OWN ordinary brochure site into something more dynamic?
And what if I told you that everything you need to know
about this "something more dynamic" is already outlined
right here in this article... and all you have to do is
read?
Click Here For Publicity
This dynamic thing we're talking about is none other than
the "online press kit," and it isn't really as mysterious as
it sounds.
In the real world press kits are used to get media people
interested in your product, your company, and even in you.
But it could also be rather costly, particularly if you want
it to leave a good impression.
The online press kit offers business owners the chance to
still make that good impression, but at much more affordable
rates.
Four Ws, One H
At its most basic level, the press kit is simply a "packet"
that contains the most important information, tools &
details that a reporter would need to intelligently write
about an event, person, or company.
Take this concept and translate it for the online medium,
and there you'll have an online press kit.
In much the same way that media people depend on the "four
Ws and one H" to effectively cover a story, there are also
"four Ws and one H" that you need to know about creating a
press kit... especially when you plan to use them online:
WHO should benefit from an online press kit?
If your answer to this question is "the company / website
owner," then you're not quite right. (Not "wrong." Just
"not quite right." :-) )
Although it's only logical to expect that an online kit will
bring in additional publicity for you & your company, it
should first & foremost be designed to benefit someone else:
The Press.
The reporters, researchers, segment producers, broadcasters.
These are the people who are constantly looking for
interesting stories & running against tight deadlines; these
are also the people who have the ability to shine a
spotlight on you & your company... as long as you offer them
the right kind of story.
WHAT should be included in an online press kit?
Because the press kit is designed to entice & satisfy the
press, try to keep their needs in mind when putting together
your online kit.
Essentially, the most important components of your kit will
be:
1. Your Press Release
Like we said, the media are always on the lookout for
interesting stories, and your press release is the first
place they'll look if they ever expect to find any on your
site.
So apart from making "new product" announcements and tying
up your business events with the latest controversial news,
you can also gather interesting press release material from:
- your unusual hobbies, interests & accomplishments, or
those of your employees
- your staff's experiences with famous (and infamous) people
- your company's involvement in outreach programs, sports,
or community events
- and just about anything that has happened to you & your
staff that reporters have never heard of... but have a
good chance of becoming interested in.
2. Articles You've Written, or Articles Written About You
Once you've hooked them with an interesting idea/story,
reporters would want to assess the reliability of the
source (you).
The best way to establish your credibility at this point is
to show them how much you know about your industry, and how
other press people have turned to you as an expert/authority.
3. An "Interview" With You
So you've hooked them with a story, established your
credibility, and now they want to do an interview with you.
The most logical step they can take now is to contact you &
set up a meeting... But what if they don't have the time?
What if their deadline's in an hour, or you're living in a
different time zone, or the show is due for taping in 2
days and they're not sure if you can still book a flight?
Then do the next best thing, only made possible because of
the magic of the internet: provide them with an instant
"interview with you."
This "interview" can come in 3 different forms:
- A Q&A document file where you provide answers to the
most frequently asked questions about you and your
company.
- A streaming video file showing you answering the same
questions, or
- An audio file containing basically the same thing.
This way, any media person interested in your story will
have no excuse NOT to feature or talk about you, because
everything has been provided for in advance.
Aside from these "Top 3 Things" to include in your kit, you
can also put in:
4. The general history of your company
5. Biographies of key staff members
6. Your brochure
7. Photographs of your people & products (all captioned)
8. Your business card
9. Interesting quotes / stories from relevant personnel
10. A calendar of future events
11. Downloadable product samples
12. And other downloadable (or at least deliverable by mail) promotional items.
WHERE do you put your online press kit?
Because of the Net's interconnectivity & flexibility, your
online press kit can actually be created as a stand-alone
URL with its own domain name, or you can link to it from
your index page to within your main site, maybe with a
special icon designed to attract the attention of the press.
WHEN should you turn your site into a press kit?
Although you can choose to revamp your site anytime & have a
year-long accessible press kit online, you can also choose
to make the change in time for a specific event, like:
- When you're launching a new product.
- When you've published a new book.
- When you're lowering your prices, or when you're
raising them.
- When you'll be appearing as a guest speaker or lecturer.
- When you'll be interviewed on television or radio.
- Or when you'll be participating in a press conference
or trade show, and you only have a limited number of
printed kits to go around.
Finally, HOW do you maximize the publicity potential of an
online kit?
As with everything else on the web, the simple act of
building a kit doesn't automatically compel the press to
gravitate towards it.
In order to be effective, people should know about it first;
here are a few strategies to make sure your kit reaches
the RIGHT people who will hopefully also give you the
RIGHT kind of publicity:
- Create CD copies of your online kit, package them with
attractive labels & designs, then send them to the
press via postal mail.
You can also distribute these CDs in place of business
cards... particularly if your clients are on the brink of
saying "yes."
- Update your press releases regularly to reflect a keen
awareness of the most current issues, then submit them
to the search engines for ranking & filing.
- Submit your press release to the online press release
services, remembering to provide a URL link to the
entire kit on your website.
- Finally, you can also make use of trade show
opportunities to distribute flyers or small cards
containing your press kit's URL.
Cheaper to print than a full color press kit, these cards
will nevertheless point the media towards the right stories
& information... stories & information about YOUR company &
YOU.
© Tatiana Velitchkov
About the Author
Tatiana is the publisher of: www.TheFortunesEzine.com,
the FortunesEzineWeekly at www.TakeYourFortune.com,
and owner of the traffic-solution slam advertising
sites www.Guaranteed-Hits.com and www.Guaranteed-Hits.net