Press releases are the best and most formal way to make the media aware of your company announcing something of newsworthy value. This could include launching a new product or service, or making the public aware of a new CEO leading the pack.

The most important aspects to keep in mind when crafting a press release is to:

Engage the Reader

Keep your target audience in mind through the entire writing process. Press releases are intended for the PRESS. Just think of the amount of press releases that a reporter receives each and every day. Make the content interesting and engaging. Another way to spruce things up is to include photos, business logos, and even charts. Anything that catches the eye will do the trick!

Optimize Content

There are several online press release distribution sites that allow you to reach your media contacts as well as push your press release on the web. To get the most out of online submissions, make your press release stand out with keyword rich content. This will help potential customers find your website on the top pages of Google search results when performing a specialized search related to your product or service.

Verify that Objectives are Met

Keep your eyes on the prize. Read your press release over and over again to confirm that your objectives have been met. Are you portraying your company in the highest regards? Are you including all the details upfront; who, what, where, when, why and how? Are you promoting what you intended? These are all valid questions to make sure you’re on topic.

Include a Call to Action

Toward the end of your press release include a call to action. This can be leading back to your website talking specifically about the product or service being promoted or even to your blog. Don’t hesitate to also include your social media sites as well to gain more exposure.

Not Exceed in Length

Don’t over kill it. A good rule of thumb is sticking between 300 and 500 words for a good press release. If you’re including great detail, an acceptable press release can be up to 800 words in length.

Check for Grammar

Take time to read your press release—and then read it again, checking for any grammar or punctuation mistakes. It’s always wise to have a second pair of eyes. No matter how often you might read over something, you might be missing the fine details.

So… we did it!

Matt Cutts has officially been launched into space in his rocket, Spam Blaster!  We don’t want to fill this space with a whole lot of words.  We just want to thank those who came up with names for the rocket and those who voted!  What did we learn from this experience?  Well, Matt… you may be incredible at fighting spam… but as you will see, you may want to keep your day job. 

Oh, Adam and Joe… Your hard work and long hours were both AMAZING. Thank you!

I’m sick of TV. Really. Anyone that knows anything about anything knows that no one watches TV anymore. No one buys TVs anymore. Nothing good is ever made for TV anymore.

Example.

Yesterday I was watching the TV and a show called “Jeopardy” came on. In case you haven’t heard of it, I will give you the premise.

A man gives you an answer (that’s right — an answer!), and you have to respond to him with the question to his answer. That’s a hard concept to get ones head around, so…

Example.

“Besides humans, this is the land mammal with the longest lifespan.”

And then you would answer (question) with…

“What is an elephant?”

But here’s the problem with that scenario. If I went to a party and really seriously wanted to know what an elephant was and Bob (he’s at most of my parties) answered my question with, “Besides humans, this is the land mammal with the longest lifespan,” I would still have no idea what an elephant was. That answer is RIDICULOUS.

TV is out of touch.

Back to that scenario. Let’s get Bob’s STUPID answer out of the way and allow me some time to examine my own personal conduct at the aforementioned party. Why am I going around asking people what an elephant is? Am I that guy? And furthermore, the only answer Bob should have given me is “Where are your keys?” Bob sucks.

So what are you going to do about it?

What is stop watching Jeopardy and make my own internet tv show? See what I did there? So we’ve come to the real meat of the post now. I say TV is dead because I am pleased to announce that I am working on a internet TV show about an online real estate marketing company. The show will be called…

20MIL

and is about the company’s growth from where it is today to a 20 million dollar company. Fresh…relevant…concise…hip with the kids…exciting…free…concise. We hope to have something for everyone in it. This show is all about transparency, e.g. seeing the owners as real people and not the corporate bigwigs you assume they are.

So I implore all of you to destroy your TV, cancel your cable, and stop asking stupid questions about elephants.

Join us Jan 2009.

Nipsy and Earl came for a visit from The Peoples Morning Show today and they were hillarious! We had a great time and they even fed us… Thanks, guys!

Our team had a ton of laughs and the guys were awesome to chat with.

And we apologize for it! We’re actually in the process of moving clear across town to a new building, and as we’ve learned, with a move this big, things rarely go exactly as planned.

We’re really excited about the move since it’s in a great area and we actually get to design and decorate the inside ourselves. Dave’s been going crazy taking pictures for around the office and we’re all working double time to get all the equipment set up and still maintain some productivity!

Let’s just say…I don’t understand how companies with 500+ people do it!

Also – big monopoly companies suck. There’s not many choices for good Internet connections in our area and the big companies know it – and use it as an excuse to drag their feet and raise their rates. Jerks.

Anyway, again, we apologize for the general lack of life around here, but the move should be finished up by the end of the month and things can get back to normal!

Go ahead and talk amongst yourselves. I’ll give you a topic.

The peanut is neither a pea, nor a nut. Discuss…