Roundpeg On-Line Education for Small Business Owners
Most small business owners will admit they have a lot to learn about business planning, marketing, web design, social media, pr and networking. However, with the day in, day out challenges of running a business, there isn’t really time to take off for a seminar. And when you do, there is always so much information to digest and act upon.
I know this is true, because I run a small business.
So I have developed a series of FREE on-line courses on Marketing, Business Planning, Web design, and PR/Social Media Each program includes emails, blog posts, worksheets and the occasional podcast or video.
Episode # 24 – I Will Not Be Run Over By The Economy
This is another installment of More Than a Few Words
As a small business owner, there are days I feel like I have been run over by the economy. There I am minding my own business, driving along, when along comes the economy moving full speed ahead in a downward direction.
It is easy to make excuses and let the impact slow me down! But I have big plans for 2010, so I konw I can not let the external factors like the continued sluggish performance of the economy distract me from my goals and objectives.
What about you? Do you have a plan to keep your small business focused? That is the topic of today’s pod cast!
Sample Press Releases
At Roundpeg, we distribute hundreds of press releases each month to both local and national media outlets. How does a small firm turn out so many news stories? It is easy when you realize most press releases are relatively simple; just a few paragraphs, designed to whet the appetite of the writer.
Here are a few examples of typical press releases you can use as a starting point for your own release. substitute a few details about your firm, and you are well on your way to completing your release.
- New Hire Press Release
- Sample Press Release: New Product
- Press Release Sample: Special Event
- Press Release Example: Award
Want to learn more about the Art of PR? Sign up for our FREE on-line program: ”PR on a Shoestring”. Simply complete the form today!
If you hold an event and no one comes, is it still an event?
Small business owners often consider running a special event as a way of introducing their business to prospective clients. They hope the event will generate PR and create BUZZ. Our new intern Allison Carter shares some thoughts on how to structure the event to attract the attention of both the media and the community.
By Allison Carter:
Holding an event is a great way to raise your profile in your community. It gets your name out there, and lets you meet face-to-face with potential customers and share your expertise. But even the best event in the world won’t help you if no one attends! So here are a few questions to ask yourself when planning your event:
- Who am I trying to attract? Am I trying to gain new customers from the community at large, strengthen my relationships with existing customers, to network with other businesses?
- Is my event interesting or important? Is it relevant to the people that I want to come to my event, and geared to their level of knowledge?
- Am I going to charge for the event? If so, is this something that people would actually pay for?
- What is the best way to communicate with my audience? Do they read the newspaper? Do they Tweet? Do I have an email database of potentially interested people? Meet your audience where they feel most comfortable.
If you answer these questions honestly, know your audience, and truly have something interesting and unique to share with the community, you’ll find people lined up out the door for your event.
Lunch and Learn with PinpointMultimedia
My good friend Dave Anderson has asked me to be part of his Lunch and Learn program next week. The topic is social media, and I will be sharing the panel with some of my favorite local social media experts; Colin Clark, Dave Anderson and Michael Reynolds.
The event will be from 11:30 – 1:00 on December 2nd, at the Fox and Hound on 82nd Street in the Castleton Area. There is no cost to attend the informal event, but RSVP’s are requested since space is limited.
Hope to see you there, for what is sure to be a lively conversation!
Yes, The Laptop is On Fire and Other Business Confessions
A few years ago, Dell had an issue with Laptops bursting into flames. When it first started happening, Dell tried to keep the story quiet, fix the problem, and get on with business as usual. But the internet community wouldn’t allow them to do that.
Even though this occurred before Twitter gained any momentum, chat rooms and discussion boards lit up with conversations and photographs about the problem. Within just a few days, Dell realized they needed to go public with the explanation of the problem and the solution. The internet demanded the truth.
This vocal and viral community is both a blessing and a curse for PR professionals. The blessing is the ability to rapidly spread news we want to share. The curse? News we don’t want to share spreads just as rapidly, forcing companies to define how they communicate in this age of transparency.
Writing for the Harvard Business Review, Becky Bermont raised two interesting questions about how companies should behave in this new age. She asks:
- Does transparency mean the information shared can’t change?
- Does transparency mean you need to be critiqued?
While she was focused on academia, these questions are valid for small business owners as well. So what do you think? How transparent do we need to be?
More than a Few Words: Episode 1 – New Age PR
So this is my first pass at a podcast in what I hope will become a series. “More than a Few Words” will be a weekly Marketing Podcast for Small Business Owners.
I expect to share tips, suggestions, and examples on how you can use nontraditional marketing, networking, social media, and pr to grow your business. It will be the same type of content you find in written form here on Business Notes from Roundpeg, but in an audio format you can download to your iPod to listen to, on the go.
It’s only 3 minutes, so I hope you will spend the time to listen, and give me some feedback before I record too many of these. Do you like the content? I think it needs a little music or something to spice it up. What to you think?
More than a Few Words – Episode 1 – New Age PR
And if you like what you heard, you can subscribe to our podcast feed so you can keep up with the newest content.
Technology Will Enhance a Good Plan
More than twenty years ago, I took my first ( and only) computer programing class. We spent weeks documenting manual systems. Why? Because my professor believed you could not fix bad processes by automating them, you just made the problem worse.
I think the same is true for PR. Right now, there is a mad rush to embrace social media and on-line PR. But good PR transcends the medium, and is built the premise of delivering messages to a specific target audience.
While I love “new media” it is not right for every application. To be effective, do your homework and create a well thought out PR plan which considers target, message and medium. Without a solid plan, no technology can save you.
Other Side of the Lens
Written by Melinda Cooper
Writing press releases is not as easy as it looks. Formerly, I worked at the Indy Star, where I received hundreds of press releases daily at the calendar desk. I always thought to myself how easy it looked to write a press release… just throw together some company facts, what they are up to and send it out. Sounds easy, right?
It’s not.
Recently, we were sent the “Write the Perfect Press Release in One Hour or Less” press release. Still trying to learn this skill myself, I thought why not read it (without my boss noticing of course since I am attempting to come across as the intern know-it-all).
The release states:
Step 1 – Choose the Topic of the Press Release
Ya… sounds easy enough. What are we talking about here? How about… my (fake) new Web site.
Step 2 – Write the Headline
Hmm.. okay “Melinda Cooper Launches Fake Web site”
Step 3- Write the Body of the Press Release
Oooh I should be able to do this! It’s news writing. The 5Ws and 1H from elementary school. Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? But throw in some sales pitch language like you hear on infomercials to encourage people to go to the site.
Wait a minute…. this release says “Opinion, fluff or hype is not appropriate. Statements about how the product or service is the most amazing innovation ever invented should not be included. It is important that readers form this opinion by themselves by reading the details (facts) in the press release.”
But why will people go to my new Web site if I don’t hype it up? Won’t they just write it off and never know about my fake company? Apparently not (at least according to this).
Alright. Let’s try it.
Fake Company launched www.fakewebsitehere.com, a fake Web site today. The fake site features a blog to keep up with my business life, a business idea submission form, updated Web format and graphics by Taylor Brough of Roundpeg.
About Fake Company:
Fake Company was started Sept. 8, 2009 by Melinda Cooper at her desk at Roundpeg. Fake Company teaches lessons to interns about how to write press releases. It also proves that even though you have a college education does not mean you always know what you are doing.
###
Contact:
Me at Fake Company
(555) 555-5555
fake@fakewebsitehere.com
.. that wasn’t so hard. Did I pass the test?
Step 4 – Verify that the Basic Press Release Rules were Followed
- Was your press releases written in third person?
*think think think* Go back to English class… third-person is when someone else is narrating right? Right.
- Does your press release focus on your announcement or news rather than selling something? Your press release should never resemble an advertisement or sales letter!
Well… I did mention who did my fake Web site graphics to give credit….
- Did you include a media contact name, email address and phone at the bottom of the press release?
Yes.
- Did you include at least three links to your web site?
Yes! I love links.
- Is there any way that you can make your press release more interesting, timely or unique?
Maybe… if it were real, I would have more to say?
- Is your press release more than 200 words and less than 500?
Ouch. No, it is less than 100. Note to self: Find more to say in press releases.
- Did you add ### to the bottom of the press release to signify the end?
No. It’s added now!
- Is your headline clear and to the point? Can it be shortened without losing anything?
I should probably change it from Melinda Cooper to Fake Company.
- Are all details of the “Who, What, When, Where, How and Why” covered in the body of the press release?
Maybe I should focus more on the how and why for more text?
- Have you looked at other press releases to make sure yours looks correct and does not leave out any information?
Not today. Maybe the key to writing great press releases is experience. I can tell you it is not a degree in Journalism OR reading them multiple times on the press side.
The Internet is Forever – Four PR Tips to Stay on Top
The internet has changed the way we write press releases. Why? Because today’s newspaper is tomorrow’s birdcage liner, but the internet is forever. As a result it is more important to me that a story work well in the on-line world.
While traditional press releases are often written leaving the reader wanting more, on-line releases are complete, written with an eye toward search. Here are a four tips to improve your release:
Keywords – Think like your reader. What words will people use when looking for companies like yours. Be sure those words appear in your release.
Short Headlines. - Google results display only the first 63 characters of each headline and with Twitter limited to 140 characters, you want to have room for the headline and the link in your Tweet.
Remember the human reader - Search is important, but you want the reader to stay when they arrive. Don’t miss the mark by writing copy that’s overly repetitive, spammy or unreadable.
More Short Topics – As releases age, they tend to drift lower in the search results. You will get more bang out of a campaign of several releases spread over a period of time rather than one single longer story. Multiple releases create multiple links to your site, more opportunities for people to find you.
