Using Traditional Media to Promote Your Online Business or Website

Press releases are short documents that are sent to news organizations to promote some kind of newsworthy event or development. They can be a good way to promote your website as long as the “hook” upon which your press release is built is genuinely newsworthy, and not just an advertisement.

The editors at newspapers, television and radio stations, and online newswires are always looking for content to fill their news hole. If you can create a professional-looking press release that newsworthy information, there is a good possibility that it can be picked up and it could result ina news story.

There are numerous only press release distribution sites that will send your press release to news organizations in your region or even nationally or internationally. Most are paid, but some are free

Before you create your news release, make sure it is in the standard format for press releases. Editors look at hundreds each day, and if yours makes it difficult for them to glean the essential information quickly, it may be discarded without being read.

Also, be sure that what you are promoting is newsworthy and can serve as the starting point for a news story. Make sure to include contact information, such as your phone number, so they can call for an interview.

Free Classified Ads

Most people read classified ads to find used cars, apartments for rent, help wanted postings, and the like. But it is possible to promote your website using free classified ads if you know a few tricks.

Generally, websites offering free classified ads – such as Kenda.com or WebClassifieds.us –won’t let you post ads that promote a business or website unless you purchase a paid ad. But if you write your classified ad so that it offers something of value for free, then you can usually get them published.

For example, let’s say you own website that promotes dog training courses. While you probably couldn’t get a free classified that blatantly tries to sell your products, you could post one that says:

“Learn five secret techniques to turn a bad puppy into a good dog. Get your free report at PuppyPartners.com.”

Then you simply create a short report or brief eBook, offer it on your webpage to people who give you their email address and not only will your free classified ad drive visitors to your site, but you can build a subscription list of potential customers that you can use to market other products in the future.

Free marketing sometimes requires taking some creative liberties.

Newsletters

Newsletters are short reports containing one or more article that are distributed according to a regular schedule, usually monthly, to a group of subscribers who have signed up to receive them because they are interested in the newsletter’s niche topic.

There are two ways to promote your website for free using newsletters: Including links to your website on somebody else’s newsletter or creating your own. The latter probably is the more valuable.

Most newsletter distributors will allow you to include a link to your web page in their newsletter for a fee. This is called a solo ad and if the newsletter is popular enough, it can be one of the best ways to quickly build a customer base.

If you can’t afford to buy a solo ad, some newsletter distributors may let you submit an article for inclusion in their newsletter in which you include a link to your website.

Offering a subscription to a free newsletter is a great way to build your email subscriber list, then creating and distributing a free newsletter of your very own. Although this requires a larger time investment because you probably will have to create all the content on your own, the reward is that you can quickly build a list of dedicated and loyal subscribers.

These enthusiastic fans can then promote your website to their friends, family, members of their social networks, and other people who are interested in your subject niche.

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