writeimage » press release

If Your Marketing Isn’t Working, Change The Message

Jonathon Narvey — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 18:10:37 +0000

I’ve lost track of how many clients (business or non-profit) who thought they had a product, service or donor campaign that was going to sell itself. Nothing sells itself.

If the messaging on your website content, press releases, brochures or other marketing methods aren’t getting you results, then change it. Particularly with online content, its remarkably easy to switch up calls to action or sales pitches at the click of a button. As this video shows, the same principle holds for your business copywriting as for the guy who’s holding a sign on the street.

The 7-Point Business Marketing And Communications Toolkit. Session 2

Jonathon Narvey — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 22:36:20 +0000

Looks like my last 7-Point Business Marketing And Communications Toolkit presentation for the Better Business Bureau was so popular, they’re bringing it around again for those who were on the waiting list to get in. I’m looking forward to meeting my fellow Vancouver-based entrepreneurs and business owners for this second round.

We’ll be talking about how to use your website, blog, newsletters, sales letters, press releases and more to promote your business.

This upcoming session is already sold out. Of course, if you didn’t manage to register for this back in February but want to learn more about how we can help your business with professional copywriting services, give us a call for a consultation

Hire Us To Write Your Company’s Press Releases

Jonathon Narvey — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:50:11 +0000

One of the best ways to raise awareness of your company’s name and brand is by being featured in the news through press releases. And thanks to the syndication of blogs and social media, news features about your business can stay relevant long after the story comes out.

But to get featured, you have to get attention. We’ve gotten our clients national and international news coverage through press releases that get noticed by news editors who look at hundreds of these things every day. We could do the same for you. Hire us to write your press releases

How do we do it? It’s not magic. We write compelling headlines that make editors sit up and take notice. We follow that up with your news presented in such a way that reporters are intrigued and want to learn more.

Added value of press releases. A lot of company managers think of press releases as a one-shot deal. But why not add your press release to your business website to make it more available? Syndicate it through your blog and social networks? Re-use that press release so it serves multiple marketing purposes.

How much does it cost? You can get a single press release a la carte for $250 or get a package deal. Compare that with the cost of your own time, or getting an internal marketing person to spend time putting together multiple drafts until it sounds just right. You’ll see it’s great value.

Hire us now and save! For the rest of March 2011, try us out to write your press releases for just $125 per release. That’s half-price!

Hire WRITEIMAGE to write your press releases to help build your company name and brand

How Press Releases Build Business

Jonathon Narvey — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:19:18 +0000

Press releases are another tool you can use in your marketing plan to create buzz for your brand.

Most marketing plans work on reaching directly to your customer base. In contrast, press releases are read by the media sector, including reporters, editors, as well as bloggers. They are always looking to find new stories to increase their viewership and thus their advertising revenues.

This unique dynamic can be used to your benefit with a cleverly-crafted press release. Capture the media’s attention and they will actively seek out your participation in their stories. Being “in the news” offers two great advantages:

Authority. The media must provide their audience with reliable and useful information, otherwise they will lose their market. A positive or even neutral write-up by a respected reporter or writer carries far more weight in the public’s mind. More importantly, it avoids stimulating the audience’s sales resistance.
Economy. Ads can cost a lot of money. Whipping off a press release and distributing it costs comparatively little.

With relatively little investment and creativity, you can be reaching a wider audience and getting the same kind of publicity as Fortune 500 corporations.

Start generating some buzz. Call us to take care of your press release writing needs

(Contributed by Vancouver copywriter Michael Yamashita)

Why Press Releases Still Matter

Jonathon Narvey — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 08:34:19 +0000

I’ve heard some of my colleagues in social media or fellow bloggers suggest that the press release is dead. More and more journalists are getting their news tips from blogs or Twitter. Who’s still reading press releases?

Actually, reporters are still reading press releases as much as ever. They’ve just supplemented their news sources by checking out blogs and other sources. But assuming they’ve got a system and know how to track RSS feeds, it’s not going to take them much longer to read these other sources. They’ve got time for both.

If you’re not getting enough (any) response from your press releases, there could be a number of issues. It could be the release itself. Was the headline grabbing? Was the content actually newsworthy? Did you remember to put in your correct contact info (You’d be surprised how often that problem comes up).

Assuming your press release was written well, the problem could be your distribution. Are you sending your releases to the type of reporters who cover the news you’re putting out? Have you put in a phone call, email or Tweet to follow up to build your relationship? I’ve often called reporters the same day I sent out a release and discovered that they simply hadn’t seen it (Reporters’ inboxes get inundated), so they thanked me for the heads-up. A follow-up contact isn’t necessary every time, and there’s a blurry line between cultivating a relationship and bugging the reporter, but it’s definitely OK to check in for those occasional releases that are perfectly up that reporter’s alley.

Special Offer. Press Releases For $100. Save $200!

Jonathon Narvey — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:52:43 +0000

Has your company or non-profit got some big news to announce? But your time-strapped in-house communications professional just doesn’t have the time to get it done? Or maybe you were planning on writing the press release yourself… last week.

Contact our Vancouver-based copywriting services company within seven days, by Thursday September 16 and you can hire us to write your press release for just $100 (plus HST — sorry, folks. We’re in BC).

Our press release writing service normally costs $300, so you’ll save $200.

Time is limited and this deal is limited to just 10 customers on a first-come, first-serve basis. Get ‘em while they’re hot (off the presses).

Write A Press Release Like A Neanderthal

Jonathon Narvey — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 03:57:01 +0000

Press releases follow a predictable format. You’ve got a line saying “For Immediate Release” and the name of the organization under that. Then you’ve got a title. Maybe a subtitle. Next, the main content; the “news” of the news release. After that, some information about the organization. Finish with the contact information (and make sure that phone number and email address are accurate!).

That’s pretty straightforward, right? But the problem with following a strict formula that everyone else follows is that it’s kind of boring. Not necessarily boring for the writer — but for the recipient. Media newsrooms receive thousands of press releases a day. It’s hard to stand out.

One way of standing out is by using hard-hitting language with an instantly newsworthy angle (so it certainly helps if you actually have big news to report). Headlines are particularly important. For instance, “A Foot in the Door — Accountemps Identifies Five Myths and Realities Behind Temporary Work” sounds way more interesting than “GLR Resources Inc. – Company update“.

A second way of standing out is changing the look and feel of the press release. You can have a bit of fun playing with fonts and language if it’s in keeping with the theme of the thing being promoted. A brilliant example comes courtesy of the Neanderthal Arts Festival happening in Vancouver from July 21 to August 1. I’ve copied the text below, but I highly recommend clicking on the PDF to see what it looked like when it came into my inbox.

Click to see the PDF of the Neanderthal Arts Festival Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEANDERTHAL ARTS THEATRE FESTIVAL

Theatre Festival More Fun Than Play With Rocks

JULY 9 2010 AD – VANCOUVER – You thought theatre extinct like Neanderthal. Theatre not extinct. Neanderthal not extinct!

Me show you what extinct. Listen now human. Or me crush skull.

Humans come Neanderthal Arts Theatre Festival July 21 – August 1, 2010 Cultch Theatre in East Vancouver. Look 6 one-act plays. Four plays by local humans. Two plays by far away human tribes. That not all. Upintheair present Walking Fish Festival as part of Neanderthal Festival. Five short plays by new human artists.

“Festival good time for humans,” say Neanderthal Consultant Og Ra. “Make laugh. Make think. More fun than play with rocks all day.”

Tell friends, Og say. “More good: all bring spear and bear not come in!”

Showtimes and ticket sales, visit http://www.thal.ca/

Neanderthal Arts Theatre Festival Shows Descriptions
(Note from Media Rep Tok Bok: “Theatre humans insist write descriptions Neanderthals no understand. Tok Bok angry. Tok Bok go get axe.”)

Plays By Local Humans

The 4H Club. A brazenly comedic look at the follies of the newest incarnation of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The story spans the past century as the dysfunctional quartet of Death, Famine, War and Pestilence barge their way through history.

The Hanging Judge. In a cemetery outside 17th Century London, two trolls meet by the discarded corpse of a hanged judge. The mangier troll, Blemish, has brought a bag with him inside which is a bound man. Hilarity ensues.

Nigeria. Peter has had an experience in Africa — perhaps magic. Kris is fairly certain the magic lies in “freemarket” libertarianism business thought. Joan doubts all of them. Sebastian, Joan’s husband, is mysteriously absent.

Tiny Replicas. Simon and Ethan want a baby. Unfortunately, neither of them has a womb. But when four people come together to create a new life, someone’s bound to feel left out.

Plays By Far Away Humans

Highway 63: The Fort Mac Show. Behind every barrel, every economic projection or environmental scandal, there are people. At the heart of the world’s largest energy project at Alberta’s Highway 63, theatre creators from across Canada blend verbatim and improvisation.

Countries Shaped Like Stars. The courtship of Gwendolyn Magnificent and Bartholomew Spectacular is a tale of love best heard through a tin-can telephone. With performer-operated lights, water glasses, whirly winds and a mandolin, they create the sounds and images of a landscape altered by regret.

Neanderthal Theatre Arts Festival Media Contacts:

Tok Bok, Neanderthal Media Rep
To contact Tok, send message chiseled onto rock at cave #3, Vancouver BC.
No Phone
No Email

Andrew Templeton, Human Media Rep
778 896 2844
andrewtempleton@yahoo.ca

Remember, It’s All For A Good Cause. Those Poor, Poor Neanderthals

Speaking at Social Media Club. Lessons from the Olympics

Jonathon Narvey — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:44:51 +0000

I’m speaking as part of a panel of communications professionals, social media consultants and bloggers at the next event of the Social Media Club in Vancouver. The theme for the evening is discussing the positive and negative impacts of social media on the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

It’s happening at 7 pm on Thursday, March 18 at the BOB Coworking Space in Vancouver’s Gastown District, 163 E. Pender Street.

See more information about this event below.

VANCOUVER OLYMPICS DEMONSTRATE BOTH GOOD AND BAD IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Local leaders in traditional and social media gather to discuss impact of social media on the 2010 Winter Olympic Games

VANCOUVER, BC – In the afterglow of the 2010 Vancouver Games, top BC media leaders will come together on March 18, 2010 to discuss the positive and negative impacts of both social and traditional media on the Games. The panel discussion will be held from 7-9pm at the BOB Coworking Space in Vancouver’s Gastown District, 163 E. Pender Street.

In its first official event, Social Media Club Vancouver, a trade association dedicated to business uses of social media, and the Vancouver Blogger Meetup will bring together a panel of established media experts to discuss expectations versus realities in media coverage of the Games—a large, high-profile, complex and geographically dispersed event.

The panel will include Kirk LaPointe, Managing Editor of the Vancouver Sun; John Biehler, citizen journalist and blogger; flashmob specialist Laurent Piche; Colin Horgan, columnist at the Guardian; freelance journalist/bloggers Jonathan Narvey and Shane Birley; and moderator Colleen Coplick, founder of Type-A PR and the MissManifesto network.

“The 2010 Winter Olympic Games were perhaps the most ‘social’ Games ever,” said Eric Weaver, president of Social Media Club Vancouver. “VANOC, the City of Vancouver, individual teams, news outlets and private companies were all utilizing social media at the Games. Many of these groups found innovative and unusual ways to integrate social media into their communication efforts. We saw some really fascinating uses, and some cautionary tales. This panel discussion will point the way toward more integrated and effective uses of both types of media in the future.”

Discussion will cover key learnings on social media at the Games, how traditional and social media impacted the event, where media shone and where it failed.

The event is free, and interested parties can register at http://smcyvrolympiclessons.eventbrite.com/

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ABOUT THE PANELISTS

MICHAEL ALLISON, CONSULTANT, WILCOX GROUP
Michael provides communications support to clients including General Motors of Canada, KFC and Lesley Stowe.

Michael advises clients on approaches to social media that complement existing PR goals and strategies. He plays an integral role in creating employee social media policies, writing for the web, engaging online influencers, training clients how to use social media tools and building meaningful relationships. For General Motors of Canada, the official vehicle supplier of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Michael led an integrated social media strategy involving the Chevrolet brand for the duration of the 106-day torch relay.

Michael holds a master’s degree in professional communication from Royal Roads University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Victoria.

JOHN BIEHLER
John is a Vancouver-based e-business analyst for a large corporation, a technologist, a consultant, conference speaker, trainer, photographer and gamer.

SHANE BIRLEY
Shane Birley is a blogger, author, web developer, poet, and creative writer based in Vancouver, BC. He is a partner in Left Right Minds, a web development, arts management, business blogging and on line marketing content consultant company. He also writes Nerd Sense, a blog for non-nerds about technology and a collection blog titled Why The Internet Is Cool where he writes about random things found out on the Internet. He is the co-host of the Vancouver Blogger Meetup.

COLLEEN COPLICK
Colleen Coplick is a PR professional and popular Vancouver-area blogger. A self-described writer, photographer, instigator and connector, Colleen specializes in social media strategy & marketing, feature writing, and blog writing, teaches seminars, and is a regular conference speaker.

COLIN HORGAN
Colin Horgan is a freelance journalist and blogger. Born and raised in Calgary, Colin Horgan earned his Bachelor’s degree in history from Carleton University in Ottawa. After moving to London, England, Colin returned to Canada and became a blogger and contributor for the Calgary Herald. Recently, Colin has been a contributor to the Guardian, where his writing focuses on Canadian politics and culture. Colin currently blogs at TrueSlant.com, and his work has also appeared in the Globe and Mail and online at Maclean’s.

KIRK LAPOINTE, MANAGING EDITOR, VANCOUVER SUN
Kirk LaPointe has been the Managing Editor of The Vancouver Sun since 2003, and is responsible for the day-to-day online and newspaper operations of Western Canada’s largest newsroom. He is also the executive in residence and an adjunct professor at the graduate school of journalism at University of British Columbia. Kirk blogs on media change at themediamanager.com and is an avid social networker on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin, among others.

Kirk has held several senior news positions in Canadian media, including Senior Vice President responsible for all of CTV News, the founding Executive Editor of National Post, the associate publisher and editor in chief of The Hamilton Spectator, the editor in chief and general manager of Southam News, the Ottawa bureau chief and general news editor of The Canadian Press, and a host for CBC Newsworld.

JONATHON NARVEY
Jonathon Narvey is a Vancouver-based communications specialist, freelance journalist and copywriter. He is the founder of WRITEIMAGE, a corporate copywriting services company.

A native of Winnipeg, Jonathon moved to the west coast of Canada soon after beginning a career as a writer. He writes primarily about politics, current events, and life in Vancouver, along with other interests such as environmental sustainability, business and technology. He has contributed articles and columns to print and online media publications such as the National Post, Vancouver Sun, Granville Magazine, Business in Vancouver, Sounding Board, Winnipeg Sun, the Vancouver Courier, and the North Shore News.

LAURENT PICHE
Laurent Piche is a “flashmobber” and co-founder of Improv Everywhere Vancouver. Laurent and his team cause scenes of chaos and joy in public places. Created in August of 2001 by Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere has executed over 100 missions involving thousands of undercover agents.

—————————————-
ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA CLUB VANCOUVER

Social Media Club Vancouver is a local chapter of the Social Media Club, a worldwide trade organization dedicated to the advancement of social media. The Vancouver chapter is a business-focused social media association aimed at generating learning, friendships and opportunities for all of its members. Composed of marketers, media professionals, advertisers, bloggers and business owners, SMC Vancouver holds monthly meetings around the business uses of social media.

# # #

For more information about Social Media Club Vancouver, please contact Guacira Naves at g@onlinestrategy.ca, or visit http://smcyvr.com.

Copywriting Tip 4. Press Releases Boost SEO

Jonathon Narvey — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 07:46:34 +0000

Press releases are an often overlooked element of an organization’s overall marketing and SEO strategies. The messaging should be consistent with other collateral you’re putting out, adapted for “press release” style. And when it comes time to distribute them, use all of the messaging capabilities at your disposal, not just a media contacts list.

Put it on your website, your Facebook fan page and any other external platforms you use. Make sure you’ve got links back to your site to a custom page so you can track your hits a bit easier.

I use OpenPR.com to distribute my press releases. It’s quick, easy to use and if it is approved, it can quickly go to the top of the Google News page for your topic. Just remember to use appropriate tags!

Of course, before you distribute your press release, you (or your trusted copywriter) will have to write the piece. Watch the video below for some reminders about basic press release writing rules.

Press Release Writing Tips