Adam Oakley - Express Writers

PR Tactics: When to Release a Press Release

January 1, 2021October 9, 2013 by Adam Oakley

“When to release a press release:” this is a frequently asked question in today’s PR & online marketing world. It might sound silly, but the answer matters a great deal now that everyone is vying for the (limited) attention of key online and paper publications. Even the most brilliant PR writers might be at a loss as to why their response rates are so low. Was the writing poorly done? Not necessarily. The problem might be in distribution, particularly timing. When to Release a Press Release: PR Distribution Tips To develop a keen sense of when to release a press release, PR writers ought to ask themselves a couple of simple questions: 1) When do editors check their emails? 2) How do I make sure that my email and PR land at the top of the inbox by the time editors sit down to work? 3) When are editors too busy to give my material a chance? 4) How do these factors come into play when I decide when to release a press release? If you work on answering these questions, planning when to release a press release becomes more strategic. Let’s talk about days first. When to release a press release? The best day is Thursday. Weekends are for rest and recreation. Saturdays and Sundays are usually earmarked for quality time with kids, or to catch up on hobbies. It is generally not advisable to distribute your PRs on weekends when editors aren’t thinking about work. The best days to release a press release are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Mondays are fine, but reporters, editors, and practically everyone who is working is busier on the first business day of the workweek. Getting a PR published on a Monday is like driving to work at rush hour. Remember this the next time you decide when to release a press release. Based on data provided by GetResponse, Thursdays record the most number of click-throughs compared to any other day of the week. This is a very useful pointer on when to release a press release, but remember that PRs are still news. They are meant to be timely and fresh. If a product is launched on a Monday, and you would like to send out news on how the launching went, release the PR as soon as possible: on the same day or on Tuesday. You don’t have to wait for Thursday just because we say the stats are higher then. “Strike when the iron is hot” is a good tip to remember when deciding when to release a press release. Editors couldn’t care less about old news. Also factor in holidays and vacations when you figure out when to release a press release strategically. Obviously these are very slow days, and are among the worst days for PR engagement (unless you own a retail shop or a small restaurant so your business is at its peak). For most types of businesses though, it is poor timing to send out PR: On three-day weekend holidays like 4th of July, Labor Day or Memorial Day weekend. Never go for long weekends when you pick a date to release a press release. During the Christmas week, particularly three days before Christmas Day A couple of days before the New Year and a day after Other major religious holidays in your country and abroad When is the most ideal time for distributing PR? 8:30 to 9:00 A.M. To figure out the ideal hour when to release a press release, here are some useful stats and facts from the Entrepreneur: The fewest emails are sent from midnight to 6 am because everyone is asleep probably (including PR writers and distributors) The majority of emails are sent from 6 am to noon, and click-throughs occur more between 8 A.M. to 9 A.M. In the afternoon, there is a high-click through rate from 3 P.M. to 8 P.M., but opens happen mostly from 3 P.M. to 4 P.M. Finally, most PRs sent through email are responded to within an hour after they’ve been sent. The chances of PRs being read drops after that first hour As you plan when to release a press release, take note of what these numbers tell you about the habits and schedules of editors. At 6 am, very early birds send their PRs out in the hopes of getting ahead. The problem with this tactic is that at six, editors have probably just gotten up, and are still preparing to get to work. By the time the clock strikes eight, there’ll be more than a hundred emails listed ahead of the very early bird’s PR. It won’t be noticed. Wondering when to release a press release for maximum exposure? Sometime between 8:30 A.M. and 9:00 A.M. is the best time to email in a PR. There is a greater chance that your target editor will be at his desk and ready for work. He will instantly see your material as it comes. If such clever timing is combined with catchy titles and well-written leads, you might actually get the response you are hoping for. In some cases, news breaks midday. If you don’t want to wait for the next business day to spread the buzz, email in your PR early in the afternoon. Because of high-click through rates recorded at this time, 3 P.M. to 4 P.M. is an ideal hour to release a press release. Business days usually end around 5 P.M. to 6 P.M. Editors don’t have the energy and the inclination to scout for great PRs towards the end of an exhausting day. The state of mind of your first audience (journalists and editors) is an important consideration in deciding when to release a press release. Some online resources on when to release a press release claim that people check their emails around 8 pm just to make sure they haven’t missed anything urgent. You can give it a try if you want (competition for attention might be less tough at 8 … Read more

12 Powerful Attributes of Good Web Copywriting

January 1, 2021October 9, 2013 by Adam Oakley

Impressive, powerful web copywriting is not like cutting yourself a piece of cake and eating it. It’s more like building yourself a home with nothing but brainpower and doing it all inside a single day. Think HARD WORK. Typically, us as readers and end consumers just see the other end of the spectrum–we just read the good copywriting every day. But what makes it happen? What makes good copywriting occur on a page (or on your computer screen)?

Some Content Writing Tactics to Avoid

January 1, 2021October 7, 2013 by Adam Oakley

As with every job, career path or even calling, there are some things it is always better to avoid as content writers. As Google improves its search technology, there are many previous habits that are no longer going to be useful. 4 Content Writing Avoidable’s The Internet is a constantly adjusting entity. It is hard to choose a word to accurately describe the technology that continues to amaze generation after generation. The older generations, like the Baby Boomers, are still wrapping their minds around the instant access to so much information. The younger generations (is that you?) still find a moment when they stop and think, “Wow, I didn’t know I could do THAT.” We all have a lot to keep learning from the world around us. The Internet is now a huge part of that world. It continues to change and create new things for the next generations to learn. For now though, we’ll come back from the cosmos that is the potential of the Internet. We’ll focus on the changes in SEO writing now and the previous successful tactics that no one liked, but they knew were useful to make money. These can (thankfully) be left behind now. 1) Don’t Write Low Quality This is good news. Any low quality writing, low quality guest posting sites and article submissions of basically fluff pieces, won’t be of any use in the future. So the writing that is done for pennies won’t even be worth that anymore. Better quality writing for better quality sites will again be the order of the day, while cheap and useless will be relegated to the past. Writers take pride in their work, much like an architect or a NASA scientist after a successful shuttle launch. That pride has been taking a huge hit because people don’t understand the effort that goes into creating good quality writing. Writers have been on a level with fast food workers or under appreciated workers in foreign countries – particularly since those workers in other countries can work for less than writers in the U.S.A. and feel like they are making a remarkable wage. Now, English as a second language – writing is not going to cut it for high-ranking results from Google. It’s back to paying for quality to get what a business needs, so avoid doing low quality work and prepare to reap the benefits of your time well spent. 2) Avoid the Ones Building Reputation the Wrong Way Building links quickly to compete with long-standing brand names or companies with impressive histories will also be something you won’t see anymore. Those who are willing to take the time and build the right image through the right processes will see the success they aim for in business. As a writer, recognize that the shortcuts previously implemented won’t be making you the money anymore. Google techies are getting smarter. Their programming is written to make sure those shortcuts and poor quality efforts to draw in customers will disappear into the dregs of the search engine results, buried in thousands of pages of more attention-worthy content. Get yourself, as a writer, back onto those pages with your writing efforts. Links will need to viewed for the quality of information they provide. Your writing, with adequate research, will be the forefront of the success of new and improved link building. Sound good? It should sound fantastic. This is the way information in print was shared previously, with care and attention to veracity and use. 3) Avoid Fluff Writing I’ve been seeing this warning more and more from companies searching for a writer to blog for them or handle their outsourced projects. Previously, as long as the SEO keyword was repeated enough, the rest didn’t matter. Next, it looked like a well-put together piece, but actual research on the topic was a waste of time. Companies wanted to give the impression of effort without paying for actual quality. Now, the quality is once again the important aspect. According to a humorously titled piece, “Friends Don’t Let Friends Write SEO,” the truth comes out. Great writing is not about the words incorporated into the set-length piece. Instead, the important part is the ideas shared and retained after the piece has been read. The great writers know this. The benefit now is that others are once again recognizing that. So writing for the Internet can go back to the level of quality it should present. 4) Never, Ever Forget the Audience From this infographic for SEO writing tips for 2013, an important Don’t is gleaned. When you write to fit in a set number of keywords during a set number of words overall, you have forgotten the main point of any piece of writing. What does your audience care if you say the company name six times? The bots may care, but they AREN’T the ones you should be thinking of as you write each piece. Remember those classes? It doesn’t matter if they were in high school or college. Even in elementary school, your English teacher talked about the audience. Remember to answer the questions the audience might ask. Give detail and share new ideas it hasn’t already seen multiple times. Well, the repetition of that keyword is not meeting the goals the audience sets for you, the writer. Remember those goals instead. As a website content writer, you know the essentials to creating a memorable piece. The classic novels, all the way to a news article or a magazine piece that will be discussed and used in future classrooms, all meet the same expectations. They improve the reader in some way once that piece, novel or article has been read in full. So don’t let your writing be dragged to the lowest level with the least respect. Take heart in the knowledge that things are turning around again, and writers will be expected to write quality work once again. Now, the battle turns to … Read more

What NOT to Do When Writing a Good Press Release

December 31, 2020October 4, 2013 by Adam Oakley

You just opened your writer’s desk at Express Writers to find a new assign- what? They gave you a PRESS RELEASE? It’s been, well, it’s been a long time since you wrote your last press release – and the last one felt like pulling teeth. You’re still painfully aware of that little fact, and you’re nervous to try your hand at press releases again. If you break out in a cold sweat every time someone mentions writing a good press release, you’re not alone! While press releases are critical for marketing of all shapes and sizes, they’re harder to write, for most people, than a blog or a web page. Fortunately, “difficult” isn’t the same as “impossible.” To dominate the press release forever, all you need to do is study up on standard press release formats! Today, we’re going to provide a breakdown of what NOT to do with press releases, and give you the information you need to dominate your next press release assignment. Going in Blind: The Worst Way to Start a Press Release While we’ve got all the respect in the world for free-flowing writers who bend the rules of grammar and structure to their will, Kerouac would have sucked at press releases. After all, a press release is an informative document meant to be picked up by the media. As such, it’s critical that your press releases follow a certain format and contain certain information. Deviate from this too largely and you risk having your press release overlooked or, worse, putting out a press release that doesn’t fulfill the purposes you wanted it to. Today, it’s critical to have a working knowledge of how press releases function. If you jump in blind and start typing until you reach your word count, your press release is going to fail. While learning the format of a press release might seem like a scary prospect, knowledge is power, and learning the ins and outs of a PR will allow you to dominate it. Writing killer press releases is a methodical pursuit, and the best-trained and most knowledgeable people win the race. 3 Mistakes NOT to Make When Writing A Good Press Release In the world of press releases, knowing what NOT to do is almost as critical as knowing what to do. With this in mind, avoid these three deadly mistakes in your next press release: 1. Providing Subjective Information Press releases aren’t meant to be subjective. Unlike advertising, they don’t “sell” a company or a product. They don’t tell people how great a brand is. Instead, press releases merely present facts that readers can rely on. For example, if you’re publishing a press release about an upcoming event, that document needs to include details about when the event takes place, where it will be held, who is sponsoring it, and how readers can learn more about it. The press release DOESN’T need to feature a bunch of fluff that tells people how this is the “greatest event in the world!” While the former is reliable and trustworthy, the latter is icky and will turn readers off your material. 2. Writing Poorly You did well in your high school English classes. Heck, you even scored high enough on your ACT that you didn’t have to take the Grammar-Spelling-Punctuation test when you applied for the Communications or Journalism program at your college. You pride yourself on your command of English. Unfortunately, that positive outlook won’t get you far when you start getting sloppy in your writing. Even the best writers sometimes fall victim to low-quality writing, and spelling and grammar mistakes. For an example of how immediately poor writing can cause people to abandon your press release, check out this primo example of a bad press release: In addition to being embarrassing for you, spelling and grammar mistakes and poor writing can also cause journalists and readers to abandon the press release without a second look. 3. Format the Document Improperly Press releases abide by a very specific set of formatting rules. Get them wrong, and you’ll look unprofessional and inexperienced, which is a major no-no in the world of press releases and writing for brands. Here’s what to shoot for when you format your PR: At The Top of the Document. The top of the document should include the company’s logo, contact information, and the words “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,” or “Hold until [release date].” After that, you’ll want to include a keyword-rich headline. The headline should be written in title case, and should be short, brief, and to-the-point. For best results, use active voice in your title, and write it as if you were crafting a blog post or other click-worthy document. Your headline is just as critical as anything else, and it deserves to be treated accordingly. The Body of the Document. The body of the document should be populated by short, interesting paragraphs, no longer than 2-4 sentences. Include the who, what, where, when, and why of the press release topic, and consider pulling in some hyperlinks, multimedia content, and influencer quotes that provide a perspective external of the writer’s. Company Contact and Boilerplate Information. At the end of the document, you should include the company’s contact information (unless you plugged it in below the logo, which is fine as well), boilerplate information, which gives journalists and readers some background about the company and its main players, and a few social media links. Once you’ve input all that information, your press release should follow this structure: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Title Case Headline, less than 170 characters Short summary paragraph City, State/Country (if needed)-Month, Day, Year Lead paragraph with who, what, when, where, why and how; most important information here Press release body, short paragraphs Last paragraph Company Information Contact Information ### or “End” 7 Insider Tips for Writing a Good Press Release While mastering the structure of the press release is critical, the battle of creating a great press release is bigger than that. Here are … Read more

Press Release Outline 101: How to Put Together & Write a Solid Online Press Release

August 25, 2022October 3, 2013 by Adam Oakley

Fast question: how familiar are you with the topic of a press release outline? If you’re like most marketers, the answer is “not very.” And, hey, we don’t blame you. Press releases aren’t something that most people dabble in, and the writing of them has fallen out of vogue in recent years. Recently, though, marketers in a variety of industries have begun to realize how influential a good press release can be, and people are focusing on the press release outline once again. If you’re interested in learning to outline and create a press release, this article is for you. Read on! What’s the Purpose of a Press Release? Press releases are written to help companies information out to their “publics.” No, that isn’t a typo. Public relations professionals refer to the different audiences as publics, in the plural. While the content of press releases varies, they information within them often relates to a new service, product or discovery that is important to at least some of these audiences. Because the information in a press release usually reflects on the company in a positive way, they’re not typically considered “hard news” by news outlets. Because of this, a company’s P.R. team is responsible for crafting well-written press releases. 7 Tips for Formatting News-Worthy Press Releases Press releases follow a specific format and, in order to create great ones, you’ll have to adhere to it. With this in mind, follow these press release outline tips: 1. Learn the formatting outline for a press release Make things easier for those beleaguered editors, OK? Public relations professionals want to maintain good relationships with the editors in their communities. Instead of deciding that you’re suddenly going to re-invent the wheel, stick to the tried-and-true format. In addition to making things simpler for the editors, you’ll also have a better chance of having your press release picked up when you do this. Here are the main sections of a press release, and they’re what you’ll need to stick to when you format yours: Headline Summary paragraph Location and date line Body Company information Contact details For an example of a press release that includes these sections, check out a recent Express Writers press release on PRWeb. Even in this simple screenshot, you can see all the sections mentioned above, and you can see how they work together to create a cohesive format that’s easy for the readers to understand. 2. Abide by best headline practices (keep it short) Your headline should be short, simple and to the point. Ideally, press release headlines are shorter than 170 characters, including spaces. For best results, include the press release’s primary keyword in the headline. This allows your press release to rank in Google for said keyword, which makes it easier for users to find. 3. Italicize your summary paragraph The summary paragraph covers the main topic of your release. It should tell audiences why the information is newsworthy. Don’t forget to italicize the entire summary paragraph. 4. Include relevant information in your date line This component of your press release should include your City/State information (and country if needed), as well as the month, day and year (use the month, day, year format). It should also include the name of the news release distribution service in parentheses, just like we did in our recent press release: 5. Add essential details to the body of your press release The body of your press release outline starts the line below your date line. The body paragraphs should include the “who, what, when, where, why and how” of the topic, as well as the most critical points. Keep each paragraph limited to one idea, limit them to five sentences in length, and separate them with one blank line between each paragraph. 6. Input your company’s current boilerplate info This part of your press release is written in standard paragraph format. Here, you should write a short, factual overview of the company. Using a standard statement is good here because it will save some time and help you standardize the process. Some companies call this company information paragraph a “boilerplate.” This piece of the press release helps users understand your company, and gives them an appropriate link to locate you online. 7. Add the author’s current contact information Another critical component of the press release outline is the contact details section. This allows interested readers to contact your company for more information, so it’s essential to ensure all included information is current. For best results, include the phone number and extension of the author, an email address, and a critical social link or two. Resist the temptation to go overboard with information here, as shorter is better in this case. The Best Press Releases Cut to the Point The reason it’s so important to develop a press release outline is that press releases are designed to offer only the critical information, and an outline helps you separate the wheat from the chaff. Ideally, your press release should be pared-back and easy for editors to handle. By being as familiar as possible with press releases, the outline of them, and their essential components, you can ensure that the press releases your company publishes are professional, informational, relevant, and useful for your readers. This is a winning format for press releases in the modern age, and can help you stay on-point with your press releases both now and in the future of your company. In addition to making your press releases easier for editors to handle, this can also go a long way toward ensuring that your press releases are always breaking news. Are you in search of talented writers to help you craft professional press releases? Contact Express Writers. We have trained journalists on staff to write press releases!

What Does Your Website’s Copywriting Say About You?

January 1, 2021October 2, 2013 by Adam Oakley

Your website’s copywriting says a lot more about you than you might realize. It not only tells users what you’re all about, but it also helps a user decide whether or not they want to become your customer. And, if you don’t have high-quality copywriting on your site you’re probably not telling them much good stuff about you. Copywriting is one of the most essential elements to creating an effective marketing campaign. This art isn’t something just anyone can do either—it’s all about delivering the right words with the right impact that makes a reader jump into action.

There’s a reason companies fight for good copywriters. They’re experts at taking words and making a story. They can dig deep within a reader, make intensive statements and generate profitable results.

How to Write a Press Release for a New Business

January 1, 2021October 1, 2013 by Adam Oakley

If you’ve already gone through the hard work of designing a business plan, partnering up with others and distributing a product, then it’s time to learn how to write a press release for a new business. In order to get the word out, you’ll need to take full advantage of this marketing strategy.

6 Underrated Copywriting Tools for the Modern Copywriter

December 31, 2020September 30, 2013 by Adam Oakley

Copywriters working in this day and age are luckier than virtually any group before them. In addition to the fact that copywriters are practically essential for every online company, modern copywriters have access to hundreds of copywriting tools that can improve and enhance their writing at every turn. From grammar checkers that catch plagiarism and comma splices to stock photo companies that specialize in the beautiful rather than the wacky and useless, now is a great time to be an online copywriter. The savvy professionals who use the copywriting tools at their disposal are likely to enjoy more streamlined work and better outcomes than their tool-less counterparts. If you’re wondering what type of copywriting tools are out there to overhaul your writing, read on! The Evolution of the Modern Copywriter While it’s true that few copywriters working today use a pen and paper to craft their content, the profession hasn’t changed as much in recent years as many people believe. You see, copywriters have always been storytellers, and the fact that the medium with which we do it has changed is only a technicality. Today, as ever, the best copywriters make use of numerous sources of inspiration, from industry leaders and influencers to television commercials and street side conversations. The key to standing out is finding a way to access a familiar topic in an unfamiliar way, and copywriters around the globe draw on their creativity and perspective to help them do this. Today, though, copywriters around the world can also draw on a virtual treasure trove of online copywriting tools designed to enhance creativity, decrease mistakes, smooth writing, and provide a platform for advancement and creativity. While storytelling has always been critical for good copywriting, so, too, has accuracy, and today’s best copywriting tools are designed to help ensure that, while also ensuring creativity. 6 Smart Copywriting Tools That Copywriters Should Use On a Daily Basis If the technology is there, why not take advantage of it? Today, the following six tools are helping copywriters around the globe craft better content, and they’re worth making daily use of. 1. Copyscape Duplicated and plagiarized content can wreak havoc on your online reputation and career. In addition to putting yourself at risk for Google penalties, any plagiarized content in your online copywriting can also cause you to lose clients. Luckily, there’s an easy way to check for duplicated content in your material: Copyscape. Copyscape is an oldie but a goodie. Launched back in 2004, Copyscape is a simple yet effective plagiarism checker that compares the content you input to millions of pages across the web. To suit all audiences and users, Copyscape offers both a free and a paid version, although this is one copywriting tool that won’t break the bank. A credit for a premium Copyscape check costs only $0.05, and you can buy thousands at a time. Credits are good for 12 months from the purchase date. While it is hands down one of the simplest tools on the web, Copyscape also remains one of the most efficient, and it’s utterly reckless at this point for any professional copywriter anywhere to publish content without first running it through Copyscape. (Get ready: we’re building a tool that’s 25-50% deeper than Copyscape, built with a powerful searching algorithm! Sign up to get notified of Copyfind’s beta launch here.) 2. Dictionary.com & Thesaurus.com The average adult vocabulary ranges from 20,000-35,000 words. While that may seem more than sufficient, we all need some extra help every now and again. When the time comes where you can’t stomach the thought of using “excellent” even one more time, turn to some of the best online helpers out there: Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com. Straightforward and streamlined, these two sites can be a lifesaver when your online copy needs some sprucing up. If you’d prefer not to visit the actual site, use the dictionary or thesaurus feature in your word processor for an on-the-go fix that achieves the same purpose. It’s a supreme service if we do say so ourselves! 3. Shutterstock (& other stock photo sites) Adding visuals to your content is one of the best ways to increase views and understanding. According to HubSpot, adding images to a piece of content can enhance its views by as much as 94%. This is a massive number, and it’s clear that visuals must become an essential part of any good content strategy. Unfortunately, great visuals can be difficult to find. Luckily, though, there are a few places you can turn to find beautiful stock images. While Shutterstock has always been one of our favorites, Pexels and Superfamous are ideal, as well. And while Shutterstock is a paid service, the others are free, and users can choose from millions of stock photos to spice up their content and ensure it’s offering as much value as possible to readers. Check out our full list of free stock photo sites here! To make sure that your images are adding to rather than detracting from your content, follow these two tips: Keep everything relevant.If you’re writing a post about social media marketing, you don’t want to dress it up with an image of a woman wearing pasta on her head (or do you?) By keeping your stock photos relevant, you ensure they enhance your content and add to its meaning, rather than muddying the waters and making it confusing. Opt for high-quality imagery only. High-quality stock photos are the only way to go. Low-quality visuals look cheap and can damage the authority of your content. With that in mind, ensure the visuals you add to your content aren’t pixelated and are of sufficient resolution to blow up to your desired size. 4. KWFinder Keyword research should be a critical component of any good online copywriting strategy. Unfortunately, finding a great keyword research tool can be difficult, and many copywriters aren’t sure where to start. Luckily, there’s KWFinder. A free (or paid) service that allows you to research keywords according to SEO competition, PPC, difficulty, and monthly search volume, KWFinder is a great copywriting tool for anyone who wants to create relevant, SEO-rich … Read more

3 Things That Copywriters Focus on Before Writing Ridiculously Effective Content Pieces

January 1, 2021September 28, 2013 by Adam Oakley

You’ve probably seen them in action a million times, in real life or in different movies: copywriters sitting at their desks, biting off the end of their pens and waiting for divine inspiration to kick in. Unfortunately, this approach is highly counterproductive and has very little to do with successful copywriting. So what should a copywriter do in order to put some of the best ideas on paper in a timely manner? Read on to discover 3 of the most important things that should become top priorities for any content creator trying to come up with truly original, relevant, catchy, memorable copy.

Google Hummingbird: The Most Significant Algorithm Update Since 2010?

January 1, 2021September 27, 2013 by Adam Oakley

Google Hummingbird: September 26, 2013 marked Google’s 15^th birthday.

To celebrate, Google announced a major algorithm update that would affect 90% of all searches, called Google Hummingbird.

The cool part was when they made the announcement a day before their birthday inside the garage where the brains of Larry Page and Sergey Brin came up with today’s biggest search engine.

Google says the name comes from the updates “being precise and fast,” as noted in SearchEngineLand’s article announcement about the algorithm. Over 200 ingredients pool together in Google Hummingbird to make the algorithm work.

Google Hummingbird: September 26, 2013 marked Google’s 15th birthday.

Google Hummingbird: September 26, 2013 marked Google’s 15^th birthday.