If you don’t have much money to advertise, using free PR marketing is one of the fastest ways to get your business off the ground. And thanks to the wonders of the Internet, it’s super easy to send out press releases and news releases. Even better… there are many websites that will distribute your press release for FREE!
A couple years ago I did a teleseminar just before World Hypnotism Day on how to use free publicity. In order to help everyone get their news releases out, I put together a list of the top ranking and high traffic free press release websites.
But things move fast in Internet time and I checked that list and found the sites I listed were no longer the top sites as measure by Google’s Page Rank rating or by Alexa’s traffic rating.
So, I put together this new list. I decided to sort it by Alexa traffic ranking instead of Page Rank because each Alexa number is unique. Then I wrote a little bit about each one so you can get an idea of how they might be different.
I also have noted if they require registration. When I have a little time, maybe I’ll add screen shots for each to this article.
The Metrics Briefly Explained
Google’s Page Rank goes from zero to 10, with 10 being the most authority (Google’s home page) and zero meaning brand new website. Page rank explanations can get complex, it’s easiest to remember a link from a higher page rank number is better.
For the Alexa rank, a lower number is better. A rank of “1″ means the most trafficked site on the Internet. As of this writing the top 3 sites were Google, Facebook & YouTube.
Note: The Page Rank and Alexa data are as of July 23, 2010. They will change over time so you may wish to check them depending on when you read this.
One more thing… this is important. If you are planning to use PR Marketing, you don’t need to use all 10. PIck 2 or 3 for any given news release. A good strategy to use them all would be to rotate where you put out you releases over time.
Now, here’s the list!
Top 10 FREE News Release Websites:
1. PRLog.org PageRank = 6 Alexa Rank = 943
PRLog was founded to help small, medium and large businesses and organizations in their online activities. In addition to a Press Release Directory, they offer a Business directory and Product Directory.
Ordinary looking website, but they deliver good results because they allow inbound links and are well optimized for the search engines.
Also You can schedule when news release go out, and you get distribution to Google News and other search engines.
2. Free-Press-Release.com PageRank = 5 Alexa Rank = 1,885
Offers free press release service and also paid release services. They also have a pretty comprehensive Tools and Tips section on writing and distributing Online News Releases.
Easy press release distribution service. You get more features if you have a paid account. Also, you can place a banner on your news release, which points to your website.
3. 1888PressRelease.com PageRank = 5 Alexa Rank = 6,928
This service allows you to distribute releases to search engines, newswires and websites to help increase awareness of your product, company, or self for free.
They also have paid services to help you target journalists.
This site allows you to attach files, logos or images to your press release so they’re ready for journalists and others who need the information for publication. Paid accounts get extra services.
Registration required.
4. PR.com PageRank = 6 Alexa Rank = 8,284
PR.com is a unique website where companies can promote literally everything about their business in a one stop shop business marketplace.
PR.com is a directory of businesses, products and services, a press release distribution service, job search website, and online publication of articles, reviews and celebrity interviews.
Their free press release service is pretty bare-bones. They also offer paid services starting at $199.
5. PR-Inside.com PageRank = 6 Alexa Rank = 8.466
One of the view high ranking free PR sites based out of Europe. Located in Austria they provide free distribution of news and press releases.
Not visually attractive at all, they are optimized for search engines, and thus their Pagerank of 6.
Registration required.
6. ClickPress.com PageRank = 5 Alexa Rank = 12,498
Provides “global news distribution” and free tools for PR. All submissions are free and news releases remain in their searchable database permanently.
ClickPress content is distributed by a number of world-class news services, including: Google News, Moreover, NewsNow, Topix.net, MSN News, Ask Jeeves News, Lycos News, NewsKnowledge and the IPD Group.
7. PressBox.co.uk PageRank = 5 Alexa Rank = 12,952
One of the top free press release distribution sites in the United Kingdom. They have been online since 1999 (which is like 117 in Internet Years).
Based out of London, they have a large journalist following who use the site to find news stories.
The also offer copywriting services if you need help writing a release.
8. OpenPR.com PageRank = 4 Alexa Rank = 17,144
OpenPR is based out of Germany, and distrubutes worldwide. They are in the top 10 of “most popular sites” in press releases for Germany, Austria & Switzerland.
This site is run by journalist Roland K. R. Becker and his team of editors.
Their mission is “to give smaller companies the chance to go public with their news at any time.”
9. PRLeap.com PageRank = 5 Alexa Rank = 21,699
PR Leap is a leader in online press release distribution. Over 30,000 companies have used our service to send out press releases embedded with videos, photos, and files, to bloggers, journalists, and knowledge workers
Registration required.
10. NewsWireToday.com PageRank = 6 Alexa Rank = 23,797
A press release news distribution network. Their stated mission is “to ensure that every organization has access to the media, regardless of size and geographic location.” They have both a free and paid distribution services.
Site design is not the best, but it’s hard to argue with their page rank when it comes to link juice.
Registration required.
As a rule I don’t carry business cards**. When people ask me for one they are shocked. They can’t imagine why I wouldn’t have one… until I ask them how many cards they have at home which they have no clue about who the person was that gave them the card.
So far 100% of people I ask admit this is true.
Then I ask “Why should I want to add yet another meaningless piece of paper to your home?”
The point of this is not to say you should be like me, but to point out that most people have a business card only because they heard (or read) somewhere that it’s one of the first things you do when you have a business.
In the last few years, this same wrong thinking has applied to websites… “you have a business? You NEED a website” And the result is a large population of websites that are nothing more than a giant BORING business card online.
THE PROBLEM
No one ever stops to think about the purpose of the business card (or website) and what is it’s place in your marketing funnel BEFORE you bother to have the card (or website) made.
If you have been following my teachings at the NGH conference, on the Hypnothoughts Internet Marketing Group, and here on this site, you will have heard me talk about the importance of 2-Step Lead Generation.
I won’t go into all the reasons Hypnotists should use 2-Step Lead Generation, but I will say the ones who have listened to me and are using it are going gangbusters even in the middle of a recession. I’m talking 6-figure incomes.
PERMISSION BASED MARKETING
So here’s my point… you aren’t likely to get a sale from a business card. There’s not enough room on it for a decent pitch. But there is plenty of room to get a likely prospect to give you their contact information so you can do follow up marketing.
This is them giving you PERMISSION to market to them. It’s like they are raising their hands and saying “please tell me more”. In sales lingo, you now have a ‘qualified prospect’. A very valuable prospect. And one who is much more likely to buy if you develop the relationship correctly.
So, with this concept in mind… the question becomes “what can I put on my business card to attract the kind of client I would like to work with?” And “what can I offer them of value to get them to give me their contact information”
Think of this as a sale. It’s an exchange of value. You offer them information on how they can solve a very important problem. They give you contact info, which is ‘permission’ to send them follow up information.
As my friend Craig Garber likes to say, even if you are giving something away free, you have to sell it as something of value.
Key Point: Like any sale you need GOOD SALES COPY to increase conversions. This means eye-catching headline, listing of benefits, and an offer… at a bare minimum.
And yes… (almost) no one else does this. That’s why so many business cards are freaking BORING and you can’t remember who gave them to you.
Finally, I leave you with this thought provoking video by Joel Bauer. Joel is a magician who got tired of barely scraping by and studied Direct Response Marketing. He now works trade shows and gets at least $10,000 a day. He does this by guaranteeing tons of traffic for the booth, which is what all business want who spend the hundreds of thousands of dollars on a trade show.
I have his business card and saved it even though I’ll most likely never hire him. It’s one of the few worth showing to other people.
Cheers,
Craig
P.S. I have articles on Lead Generation and Copywriting on my website.
** I do use highly specific and niche targeted business cards when I speak at conferences. Each card has a headline, and an irresistible offer. The offer is tracked by using a keyed URL so I can measure conversions and ultimately determine ROI.
I also put my photo on the card so people know it came from me and I make it brightly colored and unique so it stands out from the pile.
I don’t give a rat’s whisker about image or “looking professional” (whatever the hell that means), I only care about effectiveness of the marketing piece.
The Short Boring Version (if you are in a hurry)
Craig Eubanks is a Direct-Response Copywriter and Direct-Response Marketing Consultant based in San Francisco California,
Himself certified as both a Master Hypnotist and a Master Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming he has made it his mission to teach those who dedicate their life to change work, the time tested techniques of Direct-Response Marketing so they can prosper and profit with their businesses while doing good in the world.
That’s my picture on the side.
The Fun Version
When people ask me what I do, I say I’m an Alchemist of Desire. It’s much more fascinating than saying I’m a Direct Response Marketing Copywriter or Marketing Strategist. Also, I quickly learned not to say I’m a Copy Writer as people were constantly confused and thought I helped others ‘copyright’ their books and product logos.
It’s kind of funny actually… if you had told me when I was working as a Computer Network Administrator at Cox Communications or a System Test Engineer at IBM, that I would one day make more money writing direct response sales letters… I would have said you’re crazy in the head.
Yet here I am. A reformed computer ‘techy’ guy, now a highly sought after Marketing Strategy Consultant and Direct Response Copywriter for entrepreneurs. And I’m loving it. It is so gratifying to help these businesses double, triple, and even get ten fold increases in sales and profits.
My unique combination of Direct Response Marketing, Copywriting, and background as a Computer Engineer gives me a very useful perspective balancing the psychology of persuasion with building and testing systems that bring in the biggest bang for the buck.
It’s also why Tom Hoobyar, a member of my Mastermind group, nicknamed me ‘The Revenue Engineer’.
And I have a new project underway to specifically bring my knowledge and experience with Direct Marketing to the small business owners in the Hypnosis industry. I myself am a certified Hypnotist and NLP Master Practitioner, so I understand their businesses and the challenges they face.
The people who go into professional hypnosis have a powerful desire to help others in this world, but the majority struggle with bringing in enough cash flow to do it as a full time business. My goal is to show them how to get more clients through applying the time tested techniques of Direct Marketing and how to increase their revenue and profit margins by developing other streams of income related to hypnosis.
I have over 100 articles, podcasts, and videos available for hypnotists all for free on this blog HypnosisMarketingTips.com. Check it out. Even if you’re not a Hypnotist, you’ll find the information useful for your business. If you want to hire me to help you explode your business growth, go to HireCraigEubanks.com to find out how to contact me, how I work, and what my current rates are.
So What’s With The Dog?
The World Famous Hypno Dog
Hypno Dog was discovered after long hours of searching for the perfect character for my super bright yellow t-shirt that I wear at the various hypnosis events I speak at. On the back of the shirt it says these words of wisdom by your’s truly…
“Advertising should NEVER be a confusion induction”
When I first saw Hypno Dog, I knew he was the perfect addition to the shirt (and later to mugs, stickers, etc.) to represent confusion resulting from bad advertising.
Why a dog? I love dogs! And besides he’s wearing purple, which is my favorite color.
Actually I love all critters, but I have a special connection with dogs. I always had a dog growing up and it was usually just me and the dog so I spent a lot of time with my dogs. I understand them, they seem to understand me, and there is no better way to get out of a funky mood than to have a tail wagging buddy greet you when you come in the door.
I can’t have a dog where I live now in San Francisco, but I have lots of dog friends in my neighborhood, and I recently started volunteering with Rocket Dog Rescue here in the bay area.
Want to own your very own Hypno Dog Mug? Just click on the mug image below and you’ll be taken to Zazzle where you can order one of these soon to be highly sought after collector’s items.
create & buy custom products at Zazzle
