Hi All,
It appears some of the file structure of the sub-pages of this site are messed up. A simple issue created when I was playing with mapping domains to TypePad.
Look for those fixes soon. We'll get it all together. Thanks for your patience. In the interim, I crafted a post on How to Create the Perfect Online Press Release. A good primer for making sure your Online PR performs for you.
Enjoy!
Mark Alan Effinger
It's been a while...
Since August 2006 when PRWeb was joined at the hip with Vocus, we've been busy creating a new media engine. Yes, PRWeb is still an important part of our strategy. But in addition, we are moving rich media (aka RichContent) into the websphere with lots of additional online visibility elements.
I'll get into detail on this in the next post. In the interim, please take a gander at what we're doing at RichContent.com. You can also get your free account at RichContent.tv, and when we go live to the public, we'll provide you with a coupon for a free broadcast or two.
Let us know your thoughts, and we'll look for your insights.
To your online success,
Mark Alan Effinger
Chief Evangelist,
RichContent Corporation
In today's headlines you'll see that PRWeb and Vocus have become the underlying technology platforms for BusinessWire's newly expanded Online Visibility services.
Here's how this triune meetup looks in my eyes:
Now, David McInnis is a pretty sharp cookie, and Rick Rudman of Vocus "gets' the value this equation creates.
Do you?
Can you see what's happening here with the industry, with media, with your message?...
Continue reading "BusinessWire Gets Visible with PRWeb and Vocus" »
So I've been hammering my good friend Kelly Jo Horton to do a PR campaign for her new waterpark. She and her partners, (some ex-Disney execs) have put together a plan for some radical waterpark in Las Vegas.
Amazingly, they've managed to raise over a BILLLION dollars (say that with a bit of Dr. Evil accent for just the right effect) to take the thing to the limit. This is no small project.
Anyhow, Kelly Jo finally bit, and last night at 10PM we worked over the phone to put together a little release and get it up on PRWeb (she was choosing between PRWeb, PR Newswire and BusinessWire). AT this point money is no object... performance is everything.
Continue reading "How to Get On the Map in One Press Release..." »
Not like CBS or NBC, but like some Web2.0 push presence that... that acts like a launch pad for your content.
It's easy: Select your content TYPE, Targets and pull the trigger... And your media message gets into places you never thought possible.
It's pretty amazing, still.
What's your poison? Photos? Podcast into iTunes? RSS of any and every web-based piece of content? How about a cool, trackable, SEO-friendly URL?
This is not a major revelation to many... but to me, someone who uses the PRWeb platform daily, it's becoming a Mother Ship for my content.
Today, for instance, I was looking to place images on Flickr. But rather than do that, I jumped into PRWebPhotowire because those same images will be RSS enabled, tagged, and I can tie them to tonight's press release.
That's like, a major bonus to my clients as well.
So there you have it. A Broadcast Channel. What's next, McInnis?
500 Percent ROI. Not a bad number.
That's what I awoke to this morning.
Well OK, actually 400% net returns when you back out the cost of the press release.
But that's only 12 hours after publishing.
I project another 1,000% ROI within the next 2 weeks at this rate. I have 3 years of statistics to back that up. I'm not scared to bet on that number.
But that's not all....
Continue reading "Press Release ROI - 12 Hours to 500% returns..." »
...you'll ever know..."
When 3 Dog Night crooned those lyrics back in the 70's, you had no idea they were speaking of PR, did you? But in PR, one is an extremely lonely number.
One event in the midst of a bazillion competing events. All vying for your eye and earballs.
But you don't have to be a one-hit wonder. You can mount a PR Campaign and keep the momentum. To get those earballs tuned into your message.
Now, I know I've hinted, mentioned, and suggested that you look at PR in terms of multiple releases.
Now it's time to YELL!
Here's why: Every day I hear from folks who do a single release, and expect it to carry them to Time Magazine cover fame, and millions of web hits.
Ain't gonna' happen.
I've been playing this game since 1986, and aside from a couple of really lucky, well-timed hits because I personally made friends with someone in the media, I've rarely seen a single press release do magic. Maybe a sparkle or two, but not magic.*
If you want to create magic; if you want to drive lots of traffic; if you NEED to get above the noise presented by a trillion web sites indexed by Google, you need to start thinking in terms of a PR Campaign.
What's this mean?
I've placed a calendar above with some hints. (Don't worry if you feel lost right now. I'll fill in the blanks over the next week or so). What this is is my routine used to gain the ultimate in online visibility over the first 30 days. You don't have to do as many releases nor as often, but this is what I do to dominate my market. And get our clients seeing major results.
...or in this case, a press release.
Roy Williams, the Wizard of Ads creator, sends out a Monday Morning Memo.
It's just past midnight here in Vancouver, Washington. Roy's missive hit my inbox just as I was headed to bed.
And now I'll be thinking about my most recent PR and wondering if I'm falling into this same trap: Ad-speak. I'll let you hear it for yourself, and suggest you sign up for his free Monday Morning Memo as well. The guy has made a radical change in the way I read, write and think.
He'll do the same for you.
(turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-changes
Pretty soon now you're gonna get a little older
Time may change me
But I can't change time..."
So... the changing of the guard is happening as we speak. PRWeb is growing up, and I believe some significant changes are in store for us.
(That's me on the left and Rick Rudman of Vocus at PRWeb. Good guy. He seems to "get" what PRWeb really brings to the table. Let's hope we can all eat the same meal in harmony...)
Good, or bad? Mostly good. David McInnis has his finger on the pulse. You can feel his voice getting louder and more aggressive as the company has the opportunity to even better serve the SMB (Small & Medium Business) marketplace.
What's this mean for this site?
Lots.
It's time to step it up a notch. Actually, a coupla' notches.
I've been meaning to post a bit on my experience in Austin Texas early in July.
To say it was "amazing" or "WOW-Baby!" falls far short of reality.
Roy Williams is something to behold. He guns you down with high-velocity words, images and tunes, his Texas-tinged voice helping to open Broca (I'll explain later) and get your mind working overtime.
What does this have to do with PR? Well, David McInnis, CEO of PRWeb, also attended some of Roy Williams classes. And Roy teaches persuasion like nobody's business. David took note. And the rest will be in a post continuation I'll do later this weekend. Suffice to say: If you're NOT taking advantage of Persuasion Architecture within your PR content, you're not missing the boat: you're paddling against a big, freakin' tidal wave and God help you... (more later)
Yup... David, Al and Kevin! (watch 1-2-3 Penguins someday and you'll
"get" that last one) have now made the Tagsphere a native part of press
releases.
So what's the big deal? Well, for those of you watching, a PR firm on the other shore created an interesting PR2.0 template... a sort of definition of or spec for socially connected press releases.
The cool part? A lot of what SHIFT defined is right-on... but they forgot to mention one little element: Where the heck do you PUBLISH a PR2.0-enabled release?
That's where PRWeb came through... and did so in something like 2 days!
PRWeb is now THE only socially networked, Web2.0 press release distribution platform. Period. These guys definitely "get it" when it comes to serving the PR and optimized content universe.
So now when you post a release, you can define Technorati Tags, so you increase the social presence of your content. In addition, there's a Tag Cloud that shows you, in real-time, what the most popular "click-terms" are on PRWeb. If you're building PR contentto increase viewership of whatever the heck it is you're pitching, this is a must-have application.
Let me know your thoughts, and check it out!
One of the things I've been toying with is the applied concept of completely surrounding your "reader" in content. Content that applies to them, and speaks their language...
Words...
Images...
RSS...
Video...
So I'm working up a short PDF file that ought to help you better understand how to successfully surround your client in media, do it effectively, and do it so that you evoke the very best possible response. (No guarantees on that last part, but we're working on it). I'm currently labeling it PRWeb's 360-Degree Media Engine (or something like that). Your names are also welcome in this.
I just spotted a press release on PRWeb's front page today presenting a unique and forward-thinking "social media" element:
PRWeb has evidently made some dramatic (and visible) changes to the PRWeb platform. Though these may be significant additions to the PRWeb site, even more intriguing is how they're launching those elements: they're asking users to blog about the changes they find and send a trackback to the PRWeb press release.
And the first one to locate the right number of changes, blog about them and send a trackback to the release on PRWeb, collects the $1,000 proze (and who knows what else David McInnis and friends have in store...;-)
So, my question is: Is this a cool way to build rapport with your audience? Is it effective in driving dialogue, and engaging the blogsphere in your mission?
Let me know your thoughts!
best,
ME
