[Press Release Secrets #7] Tonight's Free Live Training!

Kevin and I have been getting so many questions about the strategies I shared last week, we just decided (about a minute ago) that we should do a live webinar TONIGHT at 6pm PST (9pm EST).   Click here to sign up.   We'll try to cover ALL the strategies from the Press Release Secrets emails, including: Launch Jacking and how to make the fastest internet money possible... How to write the best titles so you get WAY more clicks… How to rank a Press Release in Google and make sure it keeps ranking for a LONG time… Managing your reputation online easily with press releases... How to make sure your releases stay safe and play by Google's own rules… AND we'll give a little demo of Press Advantage so you can see what our other customers are raving about! …and more! ... Not to mention, LIVE Q&A. Bring questions! Remember, it's TONIGHT at 6pm PST (9pm EST.) Register FREE here.   See you there!   Bobby & Kevin Co-Founders, Penny Backlinks/ Press Advantage   http://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3790342394325292033

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[Press Release Secret #6] Find out if you're getting ripped off.

Emperors!   This week has been great! Kevin and I got on the phone with a number of you to talk about press releases 1-on-1, and we learned a lot.   I love talking to our subscribers. We get a much better sense of people's concerns in their businesses. Since we're all separated by this wide divide we call the Internet, I find it even more important to make an effort to get on the horn and connect.   If you'd like to talk, just give us a call during business hours! 720-GOOD-SEO.  Or just email us and we can schedule a time.   Meeting in person is even better. We've hosted get-togethers at industry events in the past, but I'd also like to extend an open invitation to any of our customers to stop by our office during business hours here in Las Vegas, Nevada. With so many industry events in our town, we're lucky to get the chance to connect year round with visitors from all over the world.   Here's our address: 4680 Polaris Ave, #250 Las Vegas, NV 89103   We're a block down from the In-n-Out Burger (dangerously delicious,) and just across the road from CityCenter (Home of the Aria, Cosmopolitan and other famous Vegas hotels.) Stop by any time and members of the team will be happy to talk!   By the way, if you don't ever personally reach out to the customers in YOUR business, I highly recommend it. You'd be amazed at the power of one great connection.   Anyway, that brings us to today's letter. After speaking with so many people, I'd like to quickly address some common questions regarding Press Advantage in Q&A format.   Even if you don't plan on signing up, you'll still learn some things (including how to find out if you're getting ripped off by a cheap provider!)   Here we go...     1) Iggy wrote: "It's like I expected. By Americans, Of Americans and For Americans. Not for me. thanks"   Oy. Would it help if I said I'm not a fan of big government? :)   Actually, we've found that our press releases rank just fine overseas, so long as it's an English speaking country. So, if you're using press releases to rank for keywords and drive traffic, or build links, there's almost no difference.   We wouldn't be opposed to trying to get some great overseas distribution, but we just weren't able to find it when we looked.     I understand your frustration though and wish we could do more.     2) Shane wrote: "Your service looks good, but seems overpriced compared to others out there:" [Links to a service on Warrior Forum that does everything for $49.]   Ok, this is a BIG topic that I obviously didn't explain well enough. My bad. So, let me make it abundantly clear now:   Not all press release distribution is the same. In fact, a lot of it is completely worthless and will not help you rank. The backlinks will not be very helpful either. Buying the ultra-cheap stuff is worthless for SEO unless you're going after extremely low competition keywords.   There are a lot of details that go into the various wires and distribution channels that are available. I personally spoke on the phone with close to 10 different higher-up-the-stream PR distribution companies to work deals and figure out which provide the best distribution for what they charge.   What resulted was a package that gets you, in my opinion, the best "bang for your buck" available anywhere. Something that gives you a damn good shot at ranking for TOUGH keywords and bring in the bucks.   Here's a quick distribution test, to see if you are being ripped off:   How many times does your article get placed on the MAIN DOMAIN of a news site vs. being placed on a SUB-DOMAIN of that news site?   For instance:    MAIN DOMAIN:             newssite.com/stories/your-story-here SUB-DOMAIN:   finance.newssite.com/stories/your-story-here   Did you notice the difference?    (Press Advantage places over 75% of its releases smack dab onto MAIN DOMAINS.)   When your article is on the MAIN DOMAIN of a website, it is borrowing the full SEO power of that website. It is much more likely to rank for tough keywords. It is more likely to get indexed by google. Its backlinks will count for more than backlinks that come from a sub-domain.   When your story goes on a SUB-DOMAIN, it usually (not always, but often) means the site uses that one sub-domain for all of its press releases, and often Google has completely written that part of the website off as being less important.   Now, I'm not saying it's always the case. In fact, finance.yahoo.com is a great sub-domain that ranks really well. But they are NOT part of a larger network, and they charge a lot for submission so it keeps most of the scum out.     Now, there is still SOME benefit to using the sub-domain distribution. Pretty much all the major distributors include some cheap networks in with their more expensive distribution. We do it too. But that's because they're super-cheap (basically free) to submit through, so it's an easy benefit to offer.   It's a lot like baking someone a cake. Expensive distributors provide as many different distribution sources (layers of cake) as they can for the price. Forum guys and other cheap providers give you as LITTLE as they possibly can (a small slice of brownie), while still calling it a "press release."     (My cake metaphor.)   Our distribution costs us real money, theirs is literally free.   In fact, the package they sell you for $49, I could sell to you for under $10 and actually still make money on the deal. But then I would not have the awesome, successful customers we have today, who know the difference.   The number and quality of the pickups you get will tell the full story. You will also know the difference when one ranks for a tough keyword, and the other can only rank for a very very easy keyword. A lot of these guys will show the release ranking for "the title of the press release" in quotes in google. Well, that can be accomplished by ANY PAGE that has an original sentence in the title. Don't be scammed!   Press Advantage is also, as far as I know, the only press release service to actually list the exact domains that we distribute to on our website.  We show you the exact domain, whether it's a subdomain or not, and the PR of the domain.  A lot of other distributors only show you logos and not domains.  Why's that, you ask?  Because a lot of the time, the release isn't even going on a domain owned by that news outlet, but rather just *linked to* by that outlet.  We don't play those games here.   Furthermore, our writing is GREAT. It is not just "good." It is from college-educated types who do not make sloppy grammar mistakes! If you want your press release to convert customers once it ranks, it needs to read clearly. Great writing is worth it. Their writing costs $2 from some SEO chop shop and will make no sense.    [/End Rant.]   3) Sherry (and a few others) asked me: Am I able to give instructions directly to the writer?   Absolutely! I must not have made this very clear, because this popped up a few times.    You can give as much or as little instruction to the writer as you like. There is an optional set of instructions you can fill out individually for every release. You can specify an exact headline, the keywords, the angle of the story and absolutely anything else you want.   The information goes directly to the writer, and they will follow it precisely.   On the other hand, if you're not too concerned about the particular topic, you can let us handle the whole thing. The writer will pull a topic inspired by your website on their own, according to our press release writing guidelines.   4) Ken told me: "I'm not really an SEO, I just use Link Emperor for my financial sites. So the "World's Greatest SEO" mug was a little off base, but thanks anyway!"   To that I say, every man deserves a coffee mug that announces their particular intellectual wheelhouse to the world. A good mug is like a knight's squire. Proclaims your greatness from the mountaintops / tabletops of your office. So Ken doesn't know it yet, but he will be receiving a "World's Greatest Financier" mug in the mail!   If you want a custom "World's Greatest" mug, just say the word. I got your back.   Frosting and all,   Bobby MacDonald Co-Founder, Link Emperor / Press Advantage   P.S. If we still haven't gotten back to you, we will! Still working through some of the emails...   P.P.S. If you haven't signed up already, our current introductory offer ends Sunday! Click the link below, and bask in the business a TOP-NOTCH press release can bring :)   (Our most popular deal is the Standard Distribution with 2 releases per month. This gets you the majority of the distribution you want, while saving you 22% over the 1-per-month deal!)   http://www.pressadvantage.com/mug

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[Press Release Secret #5] How to get free writing (quality, too!)

This letter may be one of the most important I ever send you. And NOT ONLY because at the end I'm going to offer you a gift that literally will knock your socks off. Something you've never been offered before in your entire life, and something that truly shows you that WE LOVE YOU. But in this letter, I'm also going to tell you how to get free writing, which, as you know, is one of the world's most valuable commodities in the Internet age.  And not low quality, either. Certainly not spun. (Sounds like a gimmick, I know. But we use it every day!) I'm talking top-notch professional, US-based press release writing that earns you money. Something even a college english professor would enjoy! However, first we need to have a little talk about your OWN writing habits. You see, in the results from that survey the other day (ah, you thought I might forget, didn't you?) ... get this: 51% of you said you wrote your own press releases! AND… 19% of you said you were paying OVER $40 per release! So, if I didn't know that our subscribers are some of the smartest people in the entire industry (fact), I might just swear that 70% of you were crazy. But I do know you're a genius, so I'm just going to politely show you, in detail, how we do things around here :) If YOU happen to be writing your own press releases yourself, you know that it takes forever and is an expensive use of your oh-so-valuable time. But I'd also be willing to bet that if you write them yourself, you're not running enough releases every month…   Because writing them sucks!  And in my experience, if I don't like to do something, I often fall behind schedule (or never get around to it at all.) So, considering the value of a press release once it's gone out... that would cause you to leave a LOT of money on the table for every release you don't get around to submitting. Accounting for that each and every month, over the course of a year… well, I'm sure you know exactly how much that costs your business. Money down the drain. However, if you DO happen to pay one of these press release writing experts (and you fall into that 19% paying $40+ for each release,) then you know what a fortune THAT adds up to at the end of the year as well. Yet, I'd much rather pay $40 per release than not have them at all! It can be a pain.  Luckily, there IS a better option. I'll explain in a second. Long story short… Last year, all of these press release hangups started to BOTHER Kevin and I.  We don't like inefficient processes, and you know we love solving problems! Which is why, over the past few months, we took a deep-dive into creating a next-level solution for Press Releases. GASP!  (Did you know that part was coming?) :) We actually broke down our own personal, in-house press release system that we've been using for years and AUTOMATED IT 100%. Assigned our best developers to it. Spent countless man-hours. Built a beautiful system that was designed to handle practically unlimited capacity. Just really, really crushed it. And here's a crazy surprise you might never have expected to hear from us: … hold… … hooooold…... … hooooooOOOOOoooooolddddddd…. … … ... IT'S COMPLETELY WHITE HAT.   Yes, I said it! (I can hear the sobs from my Google-hating soul brothers... I know… We haven't sold out, it just happens to work best this way. I swear!) So, here's the deal: It's called Press Advantage. We're proud to say it's the most fully automated press release distribution empire the world has ever seen… and we are just getting started :) We even hired an elite squad of top quality, US-based writers. No spun content here! Just plain 'ole tireless but effective hard work on their part. In addition to the top-notch writers, our genius programmers developed a seamless method of complete automation, to tie the whole beautiful system together... ...and here are just a FEW highlights of what it does: Automated Writing By Professionals, Because Your Business Can't Grow If You're Stuck Writing Press Releases!   Automated Ordering, So You Get Releases Even When You're On Vacation...   Automated Approval (Optional). Once You Trust The System, You'll Never Work Another Day In Your Life… (Well, That Would Be Nice Anyway...)   Automated Editing (By Real Smart Editors, So You Don't Even Have to Read the Darn Things If You Don't Want To...)   Automated Distribution To The Best Outlets (I Won't Even Begin to List Them All Here, But We Called Just About Every Damn Company In The Industry To Set Up Relationships and They Kick Ass. You'll See Them ALL On The Site Once You Click The Link...) Over 200 placements GUARANTEED, Including Yahoo! Finance...   Customizable Writing Instructions, So You Get EXACTLY What You Want, Every Time...   Automated Distribution Reporting. Because Googling The Title Of Your Release To Find All The Pickups Really Sucks...    Automated Rejection Handling (For the occasional whoops!) Because You're Too Busy To EVER Be Stuck Editing A Press Release...   One-Off Ordering In Case You Need A Press Release RIGHT NOW...   World-Class Customer Support. The Same We Provide For Link Emperor... Which We've Been Complimented On Countless Times Over The Years. You Will Always Have A Friend At Our Office!   100% Satisfaction Guarantee, Because If You're Not Happy We're REALLY Not Happy. You Will Never Get A Faster Refund Than You Receive From Us...   …And Even Some Surprises That Are So Badass They Can't Be Written In Print For Fear of Causing Blindness! Can you tell I really love this software? Yet, I know what you're thinking... "This Sounds Amazing, But It's Probably More Expensive Than My First Wife." And that's a reasonable concern. After all, press releases are expensive to begin with, without all these extra benefits. Not to mention the writing... Trying to re-create this service on your own through different vendors could easily cost you $200-$400 Per Release. And I actually know guys that are happy paying that. But it's NOT going to cost you that much. In fact, It's not even going to cost you half that much! But we'll get back to the price in a second, because I can't wait to tell you about this next feature. This is really what I consider to be the coolest part of all. Ready? Press Advantage Includes Professional, US-Based Writing with Every Release, Totally Absolutely 100% FREE!  Yes, you read that right. F-R-E-E Writing. I know we're crazy. How will we make money? (I don't actually know.) But the writing is free, and it is fantastic. And that one fact alone makes it a better deal than any other service on the market.  We love you guys. We hate inefficient systems. That's why we only make awesome stuff. "Ok, Well How Good Is This Writing Quality In REALITY? Because The Ones You Used to Send In Link Emperor 2 Years Ago Were Cheap And Badly Written. They Were Useless For Anything Except Bulk SEO, And I Couldn't Dare Show My Clients... Are They Still Like That?" Let me put this clearly, so you never think those words again. This service bears absolutely no resemblance to those old releases. We learned that writing quality is one of the #1 hot-button issues for our customers. So, we tackled that issue head-on by taking painstaking care to hire the best of the best writing applicants and accepting nothing less than top-notch, local American writers onto our team. In fact, we went so far that we actually built out an entire in-house writing service for ALL types of products, but I'll save that conversation for another day. Suffice to say, we've changed the way we think about writing A LOT. And here's another thing that should come as a surprise: This service is actually so cool that we decided not to focus on selling it to SEO's at all. We're just making it available to you guys since it's so ridiculously useful for your purposes. Our long-term plan is to sell directly to Main Street businesses, signing them up individually for a full-service press subscription. It takes zero knowledge of SEO, and zero effort to maintain. Perfect for mom 'n pop! But, before we can launch to the public, we need to make sure everything's as absolutely simple as possible. We need real experts (like yourself) to tell us what you think! That's why I'm going to make you a one-time offer today, the one and only offer I'll make in this whole email series... and it's an absolute no-brainer. Can You Tell I'm Making 100% Sure That You're Excited To Try This Service?  (And anybody who didn't take advantage WILL feel guilty when it's gone...) You won't find an opportunity like this anywhere else, guaranteed. I say that confidently, because... No press release service on the PLANET is prepared to give you the gift I have in store. I am so damned excited about this gift, I can't even tell you. Are you ready for it? Here it is: From Now Until Sunday, We're Opening The Doors To Press Advantage With Style. Not Only Will You Get The World's Greatest Press Release Service At Our *Special Introductory Rate*, But Also... If You Try It By Sunday, We... Will... Send...  You... A "World's Greatest SEO" JUMBO SIZE COFFEE MUG!!! No I am not kidding! We'll email you to confirm the right shipping address! And boy, does that make me smile from ear to ear. I truly hope you accept our offer. In fact... Even If You Choose To Cancel After Your First Press Release, We'll Still Give You A Full Refund. You Can Even KEEP The Coffee Mug! It's Yours! Did I mention that I love you unconditionally? So, act fast. Don't delay.  You will feel like an absolute fool if your coffee mug is not sitting on your desk one day soon because you put it off. That "Other SEO" in the office, "World's 2nd Best," will surely start welling up with tears when he sees it. And that, dear subscriber, will be worth the price of one thousand coffee mugs... I promise you that. Click The Link Below To Try Press Advantage Today. You're Getting Top-Quality Press Releases Written & Submitted Every Month, PLUS A "World's Greatest SEO" Coffee Mug That Will Cause Your Competitors To Cry (But Only If You Order By Sunday!) >>>> Click Here To Try Press Advantage Today <<<< Coffee has never tasted so delicious, Bobby MacDonald Co-Founder, Penny Backlinks // Press Advantage P.S. This is an introductory price that may not last long. As we add features every day, we are likely to raise the price sometime in the next few months. When that happens, it will already be too late for anyone else to take advantage of this special deal. P.P.S. Remember, you're getting top-quality press releases fully written by US-based professionals and submitted every month for FREE! You also get incredible distribution, gracious customer support, entirely customizable writing instructions, full distribution reports, a 100% money-back customer satisfaction guarantee, all at a special discounted introductory price, and... A "World's Greatest SEO" Jumbo-Sized Coffee Mug that's yours forever, even if you cancel! (But Only If You Order By Sunday.) Click here to get it: Click Here To Try Press Advantage Today

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[Press Release Secret #4] Matt Cutts & Avoiding Google Penalties!

Earlier this week I received a question from our friend Chad, which I think would be helpful to share with everyone.   He wrote (shortened for brevity): "Google doesn't value press releases anymore. Matt Cutts himself has said that press releases have no backlink value."   And yes, Matt Cutts did tweet this.    In fact, a while back Google made an update to their terms of service which specifically said that they consider press releases to be a form of advertising. And all advertising, in Google's mind, should use nofollow links.   (There is nothing wrong with advertising, obviously. They sell it to you themselves. But if those links don't have the rel="nofollow" tag included, Google considers that manipulation and could give a penalty for it.)   They particularly are on the lookout for followed links that ALSO have keywords in the anchor text.   I apologize if any of this is confusing. Just hang on and I'll provide a simple summary.   Sounds bad, right?   Well actually, it's not that bad at all.  Here are a few things to keep in mind:   1) You don't need anchor text. Since penguin, we have been using WAY more "naked" links. Those are links without anchor text, where the URL itself is the anchor. And they're working really well! Especially when the keyword is already in the title of the page you're linking to.   2) Nofollow links are great. In fact, we use them all the time! There's been a ton of evidence showing that nofollow links actually help pages to rank, despite what Google says. And the cool part is, you're actually following their own rules! So the chance of penalty is quite slim.   In fact, most press release companies have switched over to automatically forcing nofollow on all their links since that announcement, and there hasn't been any issue.   3) Press releases rank amazingly well on their own. Obviously Google doesn't think they're complete crap, otherwise they wouldn't put them right at the top of their SERPs every time they find one! Which makes me feel really good about using them in the long term, overall, even if we never used them for link building.   4) Matt Cutts is often a source of misinformation. Any SEO who's been in the game for more than a few years knows that a big part of his job is to say scary things and try to intimidate people into not doing SEO. Some of what he says can be misleading if not totally inaccurate. Sorry Matt, but we have businesses to run and Google is just another competitor business in the big scheme of things.   5) For more info, here's a nice article by Barry Schwartz on Search Engine Land where he talks to John Mueller (one of Google's other top guys) about the specifics. He did a great job. Check it out: http://searchengineland.com/google-links-in-a-press-release-should-be-nofollowed-like-advertisements-168339   So, in summary, here's what we recommend:   Run a lot of press releases, because they offer awesome benefits. Just make sure you stay safe.  When we run our own, we usually nofollow all of the backlinks (the news wires generally do this for you anyway), and the links that we do use are almost always naked (no anchor / just the URL for anchor text.)    If you run the occasional press release with anchor text it's no big deal. As with everything in SEO and life, moderation is key.   Yours truly,   Bobby MacDonald Co-Founder, Penny Backlinks   P.S. I've been getting a lot of questions about what resources to use for submitting press releases, and tomorrow I will be going into detail on that. So hold on to your hats.   P.P.S. Thanks for all the positive feedback so far! Are you enjoying this series? Not enjoying? Love it? Too basic? Send a reply and let me know! I read all the replies even if I don't always have time to respond personally.

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[Press Release Secret #3] One of the fastest paydays possible online.

When the gurus try to sell stuff, they ALWAYS claim that you can make:  "fast cash"  "quick and easy" "just press this button" "all the work is done for you" …you've heard it before. We both know it's nonsense. When you get past the amazing sales pitch, their products are usually crap.    Of course, I don't have to tell you that by now!   However, what I'm going to talk about today is a tactic that comes just about as close as possible to fast cash in the internet marketing world.   It's a strategy called "launch jacking," and I'll lay it out for you plain and simple.   When we first started this email series, I told you we'd be giving out some of the *valuable* secrets that the pros don't want you to abuse… because they're making a lot of money with them right now.   This is definitely one of those secrets.   Even if you don't do affiliate marketing, I'm going to teach you some valuable info about the TIMING of press releases…    Use it however you like.   Here we go!       ==================== Lesson 3: Launch Jacking ====================   In simple terms, Launch Jacking just means you're trying to "Hijack" the rankings for a big product launch from one of the guru types.   They pay out huge affiliate commissions (sometimes over $1000 per referral!)    And the same types of keywords get searched for every single product launch, so there's a pretty simple formula for success.   The main keywords affiliates try to rank for are usually along the lines of: [product name] [product name] bonus [product name] coupon [product name] coupon code [product name] review [guru name] [product name]  [product name] [guru name] buy [product name] get [product name] … basically all the same keywords you and I might search if we were trying to find a product.   Now it's a little tricky, because you can't use Google's keyword information to find out what gets searched the most... That's because it's a brand new product, and Google's never seen those searches before. It takes them a few months to assemble their data.   That means your fancy keyword tools won't help.   The good news is, people always search the same things.  So if you stick with the keywords I gave you above, you'll do great.   The weird thing about brand new keywords like this, is that Google gets all confused when people start searching for a new keyword, and all sorts of content comes out about that keyword all at the same time.   So what Google does, is they split test a lot of different results over the course of a couple weeks. Moving the results all around, up and down the page… to figure out what pages users seem to like best.   However, the vast majority of the money affiliates will make on a launch is over the one single week that the launch happens.  They don't really care what ends up ranking in the long run so long as they happen to be the one ranking in that particular week that the launch happens. A month down the road, far less people will be searching for the product.    …So, when those million-dollar launch days come around, how can you try to make sure YOU are the one on the first page and get credit for all those affiliate commissions?   Hopefully you know the answer already! (It's press releases… shhhh.)   As I've mentioned in past emails, press releases often rank within an hour or so of being published, and they tend to stick around on the first page really easily for a couple weeks.  That's because Google loves news, and fresh content gets a huge boost in the algorithm.   So here's the key:   1.  Set your release(s) up to go out just a couple hours before the product goes on sale. 2.  Once it goes out, fire a TON of backlinks at it as soon as you get the URL you'd like to use.   Finding the URL you'd like to use can be a little tricky, because you want to find the most powerful domain your article is posted on. In order to do that, just put the title of your press release inside of quotations "" and search for it in Google.    This is a good way to find all the different places that have picked up your release, too. But for this particular purpose, you just want the best result.   Whatever is ranking #1 for that search is the page Google believes is most powerful and relevant... so that's the one you want to build links to. It has the best shot at ranking for your big keyword.   By the way, once you have that URL, the easiest way to build links FAST is to place a one-time blast order within Link Emperor. Since our link building vendors are all hooked up directly through our API, you will usually be getting backlinks placed within the very first few minutes.   (I know I am a little biased, but it's true!)   It's a perfect storm, and some of the most well-known launch jacking experts use our software for that very purpose.   I told you this stuff was simple.   Bobby MacDonald Co-Founder, Penny Backlinks

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[Press Release Secret #2] Is your handshake strong?

Today we get tactical. Time to discuss the real stuff you gotta do to bring in those fat paydays we love so very much.   It's all pretty simple.  Definitely not rocket science.   Yet for whatever reason, most small business never get the chance to learn this stuff!   Lucky for you, I'm laying it all out here for free.   There are really only a few rules you need to follow. Once you get them down, you'll be armed to the teeth. Ranking for the big money keywords you might not have believed a "little 'ole SEO" like me or you could rank for.   But we sure can. It's time to play for the big bucks.     ============ Lesson 2: Titles ============     A press release's title will often make or break it, for many reasons.   It's a handshake…    It's your first introduction to a new customer, so it has to be strong! Like bull!   Not weak… Like jellyfish...   Here are some points to keep in mind for press release titles:   1.  The main keyword should preferably be the first word in the title. Otherwise it's harder to rank in Google (this is true for all pages, not just press releases.)   2.  Include your brand name in the title if possible. Here's one of the simplest reputation management tricks in the book. Over time, your releases will start ranking for your brand name and often knock down any negative feedback you don't want there! Brilliant!   3.  The title must be newsworthy.  Otherwise, your press release will likely be rejected by the distributor. Newsworthy titles also happen to get more clicks, so it never hurts!   4. The title cannot be sensational or sound biased. Otherwise, it will again likely be rejected by distributor.   And most important…   5.  The title must be fascinating! Grab the reader by the throat! Otherwise, it won't get many clicks (even if it's ranking in Google.)     So, taking the time to write a GREAT press release title is worth the effort. Because, as we said before, a successful press release is worth its weight in gold.   Actually, I don't think press releases weigh very much but you get the idea.   Of course, writing a news story can be tricky at first. It places some restrictions onto your writing style ... what you can and can't say … but it's easy to figure out pretty quickly.   A great way learn about news headlines (I fully recommend you do this, by the way) is to skim through a newspaper, paying attention to which stories grab your attention and which don't. What's common about the interesting ones?   Here are 3 Tips for Writing a HEART-STOPPING News Headline:   1. Talk about something controversial. Your headline cannot say "Herbalife is a Pyramid Scheme" … that would be an opinion, right? (It also wouldn't be news, because it's not about something recent.) But it CAN say "Herbalife Accused of Being A Pyramid Scheme" ... which is still controversial, sounds more credible and will get a ton clicks when it ranks in Google.   2. Use powerful verbs. I know this sounds kind of weird, and most people try to use adjectives to make things sound interesting. But verbs are actually what makes a sentence exciting. "Stocks Shudder After Fed Meeting" is more startling than "Stocks Sold After Fed Meeting" ... Get it? Thesaurus is your friend!   3. Try to include numbers. For whatever reason, numbers grab people's attention. Always do. People love to hear specific details, like "Cable Companies Fined $2 Million" … so work them into your headlines. Also, they draw the eye if they're written in numeral form. 2 instead of two, etc.   I know improving your titles isn't the MOST exciting thing in the world. But there's nothing that makes a bigger difference, and it costs $0. In SEO, your click through rate (CTR) is everything!   By the way, this headline advice doesn't just apply to press releases. Take a look at every page you're trying to rank and make sure they are all just as exciting. A quick title audit for the pages you have ranking can easily increase your traffic by 10% or more (seriously!)   That adds up to a ton of free business.   To your success,   Bobby MacDonald Co-Founder, Penny Backlinks     P.S. Tomorrow we're gonna talk about something called "Launch Jacking," and specifically how your press release can kick the pants off some of the most competitive affiliate keywords known to man.   Prepare to get nerdy……………...

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[Press Release Secret #1] What Makes a Press Release So Powerful?

It's learnin' time.   As I told you yesterday, we're gonna be getting serious over the next few days talking about all the press release secrets that the pros don't want you to know.   Because the pros know that press releases are pretty darned simple… but also DEADLY EFFECTIVE.   They obviously don't want people spilling their secret weapon, however that's exactly what I'm about to do.   I know guys who have gotten press releases ranking for VERY valuable keywords and earned literally thousands of dollars in affiliate commissions off a single release...   Does that grab your interest?   Well, let's get started.     There are a ton of advantages to using press releases instead of blog articles or other platforms to rank in Google.     Here are the TOP 5 reasons why I love them, and you should too...     =========================== LESSON 1: WHHYYYYYYYY?!?!?! ===========================     1) The information appears to be trustworthy.  Your story is placed on a professional news website.  It's not on some scammy-looking affiliate blog, or even a youtube video that any clown could post.  Because it's on a legitimate news site, readers will take it more seriously. This can radically increase sales conversions!   In fact, it's very similar to an "advertorial." Advertorials are advertisements placed in newspapers that are designed to blend in and look like it's part of the publication.  They use the same style as the regular articles within the publication, so it's not immediately obvious that they are an advertisement.     That makes them one of the most effective ad types, because if the reader believes you're a credible source, you've already won half the battle.     2) News is a powerful attention-grabber.  News angles happen to be one of the most useful weapons in copywriting, no matter what you're talking about. Most copywriters advise adding a news element to just about any headline, if you can. People are addicted to whatever the newest "shiny object" is... so use that to your advantage!     3) They're actually not all that expensive (I'll explain.) Some people never use press releases, because they seem expensive when compared to other types of content. They'd rather just post something to their website's blog or another free platform. (I'd prefer to rank both, actually.)   However! That's not the whole story. You see, your link building expenses go wayyy down with press releases. In fact, many releases will rank on their own without ever building links to them at all… but I do still recommend building links to them, and here's why:   It doesn't take all that many backlinks to keep a press release ranking for a long time. But if you don't build links to them, they unfortunately often drop out of the rankings after 1-2 weeks or so.   ...That's why the backlinks are a good investment.   It easily takes 5-10x more spending on backlinks (often more than that) to rank a blog post from your own website than it does to rank a press release. Don't forget it!     4) They often rank within minutes, not weeks. This is a big deal… If you have clients, you can show them almost instantaneous results! If you're an affiliate, you can time a press release to perfectly coincide with the launch of a new product. And generally, you always want to bring traffic to your site sooner rather than later so you can make faster business decisions.      5) Sometimes you win multiple rankings from one press release distribution. Google will often rank (for instance) the Yahoo! Finance version of your press release, AND a local news station version. That gets you two spots on the first page for your keyword, which is double the value! It also annoys the heck out of your competitors…   Hopefully I've made my point. Press Releases are a highly valuable tool. The pros love 'em.   That's enough for today's installment. These lessons will be quick and to the point.   Talk soon,   Bobby MacDonald Co-Founder, Link Emperor     P.S. Tomorrow we get tactical. I'll need you to wear your tactical gear when you show up.  Helmet, goggles… you know the deal.   Getting down and dirty. How to make sure your press release actually gets read by your intended audience… you know, so you can make money.   I like money…

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Let's play a game called "reveal people's treasured secrets"

Today is a date which will live in infamy... and I'll tell you why in a second. (It involves you getting free access to valuable secrets, with no work on your part. Exciting!) Now, if you've been around for any amount of time, you know that Kevin and I use press releases for everything.  Everything! They're dead simple to rank, and they drive a ton of quality buyers. ...Yet I realized the other day that I've never taken the time to explain, IN DETAIL, exactly why and how we use them.  We've sure mentioned them a lot. Yet I never really laid out ALL the secrets the pros don't want you to know, dear subscriber. And for that I apologize. I've been unfaithful. I don't even like pros. I'm an underdog kind of guy. SO HERE IS THE DEAL: Over the next few emails, I'm going to tell all.  E! True Hollywood Story: How We Crush It With Press Releases. Perhaps this date will even become a national holiday, someday… *National Press Release Secret Revelation Day* Mini-affiliates, rejoice.  You are about to become mega-affiliates.  Local marketers, your clients may kiss you (not sure you really want that, but hey.) Everybody else… well, I'll show you how to rake in cash too. …Now first, I need just a wee bit of info from you. Please fill out this 30-second poll to get us on the same page. (I'll read it, and your response will help determine the types of secrets I need to share.) Tomorrow we begin.  Get some sleep tonight, so your mind is fresh.  Or go out and party, that would be fun too.   Bobby MacDonald Co-Founder, Penny Backlinks   P.S. Seriously, the poll takes 30 seconds. And it will pay off royally in terms of the info I'm able to share in upcoming emails. Click Here To Fill Out The Poll.

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