So you want to promote your work from home business with a press release. After all, writing a great press release can help get the word out to media sources about your products or services and can result in a fair amount of traffic to your website and/or an increased number of phone calls to your office. So now that the press release is written, how do you get it out to the public?

First off, research local, regional, and national media outlets and make a media list. Tailor it to include those outlets who are most likely to be interested in the release. Don’t bother sending your press release to an outlet that is highly unlikely to use it.

Secondly, you should research whether or not a media outlet prefers submissions by fax, email, or snail mail (rare). Try to find out as much research on submitting to the media outlet as you can - such as the name of the editor responsible for the specific section you are targeting. A news editor is more likely to read a fax or email directed to his or her name rather than to a generic title, such as Healthy and Beauty Editor, X&Y Times.

If emailing a press release, send as a pdf file if possible, as opposed to a word processing document that can be altered.

Thirdly, plan when you will send your release. Ideal times are early in the day, or on a slow news day when nothing of major importance seems to be happening. Mid-week is generally the most ideal time to send a press release.
Now as for what kind of publications and media outlets to send your press release to:

1.) Trade Publications - Did you know there are trade publications for practically every industry out there? These coveted publications are a superb place to submit information about your specific business or product related to the trade.

2.) Local Press - Newspapers of today are working hard to stay on top in an Internet dominated information world. As a result, many are choosing to emphasize local coverage. Send your press release to each and every local newspaper distributed in your area - even the free ones you think nobody reads (they do!)

3.) Submit using the Internet. There are many sites out there that will post your press release for free - (this is after all “free publicity,” right?) However, you may want to consider paying for a distribution service that will allow hot links so that any readers of your press release can click directly through to your site. Not only will these links increase your rankings on search engines, they make it a heck of a lot easier to reach your company.

4.) If you feel it is appropriate for your business, by all means send the release to broadcast and cable television and radio. For these media outlets however, be sure to keep the release far shorter. Most news items are 20 to 45 seconds long. To really grab these news outlets’ attention, emphasize the most important, dramatic aspects of the story it is you are telling.

If anyone has ANY more questions on press releases - please do let me know!

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