Jul 9

PR Grade Image

Yay! 100%!

Hubspot, the innovative company behind the creation of The Website Grader, has recently released a new tool: Press Release Grader. And I have to say, this is an incredibly valuable tool.

The images I have included in this post are screenshots of the instant report that Hubspot generated for my latest Press Release submission. Hubspot provides products, reports and advice to help small businesses with Inbound Marketing. The Website Grader is a great tool for business start-ups that need help analyzing their sites for Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

I’m a big advocate of Social Media Releases (SMRs) and changing the way people read and write Press Releases. I really enjoy writing releases that help interesting people share great stories with their readers. I can’t wait to scavenge the details, find an angle, and develop a compelling story. I’ve had great success with many of my submissions.

Here is a general overview of the core features of the tool:

Section 1: General Statistics

This section features a short analysis of the word count, sentences, number of links and readability of your release. The readability section is important, and comparable to a word processor’s Flesch Kincaid Grade Level. I would suggest adjusting your copy and writing your press releases specifically for your market. Don’t create releases based solely on industry standards and submission guidelines. Always ask yourself, “who is my target, and what will they respond to?”

Section 2: Content Suggestions

This section includes analysis of basic sections that are included in every press release such as Contact Information, the About the Company paragraph, and the End of Content Markers (###). All Press Release templates include these sections and give the audience general information about the company.

PR Element Pic

The Content Suggestion section also features my favorite tool: Goobledygook Words. Hubspot has specifically designed this tool to compare your press release against the words that have been designated as Gobbledygook in David Meerman Scott’s e-book Change This: The Gobbledygook Manifesto.

In the Manifesto, David explains how a small number of words are vastly overused in distributed releases:

The news release wires collectively distributed just over 388,000 news releases in the nine-month period, and just over 74,000 of them mentioned at least one of the Gobbledygook phrases. The winner was “next generation,” with 9,895 uses. there were over 5,000 uses of each of the following words and phrases: “flexible,” “robust,” “world class,” “scalable,” and “easy to use.” Other notably overused phrases with between 2,000 and 5,000 uses included “cutting edge,” “mission critical,” “market leading,” “industry standard,” “turnkey,” and “groundbreaking.” Oh and don’t forget “interoperable,” “best of breed,” and “user friendly,” each with over 1,000 uses in news releases.

If you have not read this short ebook, I suggest that you visit the David’s site and download a copy. It can help you avoid using unnecessary words and bring clarity to all of your copywriting.

In case you were wondering, my Press Release received a score of zero for Gobbledygook words.

Section 3: Link Analysis

I really like this section as well. I almost managed to get a perfect 33%, 66%, 99% score, but my first link was included in the text a little too early.

Link Analysis Image

I think it’s important to include links throughout your Press Releases. Having three, as Hubspot suggests, provides your readers an opportunity to visit your site at the exact moment they begin making a buying decision. Why wait until the end, after the About the Company section, to direct them to the sales page or website? Capture them at the height of the story, immediately after a compelling headline, summary or incredible quote.

Overall Impression

I highly recommend Hubspot’s new offering. It’s certainly worth trying before you submit your next release. I encourage you to explore their site and try of all of their free tools.

If you’re interested in more free information, Hubspot is presenting a Free Webinar - Doing a Website Redesign with an Internet Marketing Strategy in Mind on Wed. July 9, 2PM EST.

I’ll definitely be tuning in.

P

P.S. If you want to find out more about the Press Release Grader, follow this link to Hubspot’s Video on You Tube, which highlights all of the features that I have mentioned above.

If you don’t think you have a story worthy of a Press Release, take advantage of my Free 30 Minute Consultation. I will help you figure out how to write a compelling press release that drives traffic to your site.

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May 13

Lately, it seems as though I’m spending too much time bouncing around the internet. In order to stay up to date, I frequent a lot blogs and read the latest news about social media. In my recent ventures, I’ve notice that everyone, at some point in time, has been involved in a discussion about Twitter .

For those of you who don’t know:

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send “updates” (or “tweets”; text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to the Twitter website, via short message service (e.g. on a cell phone), instant messaging, or a third-party application such as Twitterrific or Facebook. (Wikipedia )

The topic of this ongoing discussion seems to be whether Twitter is truly a valuable social marketing tool, or a colossal waste of time.

If you watch this video you can see why most nay-sayers find it more frustrating than useful:

For my business, I use many different types of social media. A lot of them are much better at wasting time than Twitter. Personally, I can’t stand getting caught Online with MSN Messenger. My status is permanently set to Offline. And as far as I can tell, Facebook is a perpetual “poking” machine. I can easily spend the first four or five minutes of my visit just poking everyone back.

For me, Twitter creates value by allowing easy interaction with people who pique my interest with their random, witty updates. By following the right people on Twitter, I get instant updates on their posts, services and events. I’m also offered Twitterverse (as it is dubbed by frequent users) specials and giveaways just for being a member and following the right people. I can interact with other marketers and writers to see what they are talking about and discuss the most recent issues that effect the industry.

I can follow people like Seth Godin (still under debate as to whether it’s the real Godin), and Wil Wheaton (just a rumour, but I’ll let you know if I find him). It’s always interesting to find new people to follow. You can follow people who grab your attention through the feed on the main page, or you can link to the profiles of people who are engaged in conversations with users you are already following. Everyone brings their own perspective to the conversation.

As a bonus, there are many Twitter client applications that you can download to your Mac or PC that allow you to interact more easily with your peers. I prefer Twhirl , which functions similar to MSN Messenger and tucks nicely away into the corner of my laptop workspace. I don’t have to stay logged into Twitter’s website and hit refresh every 10 seconds. The updates of people I’m following automatically generate toolbar pop-ups. When I see an interesting update, I can instantly click on the pop-up notice and respond. Some of the other applications are Tweet-r , Spaz , and Twitterific .

I’m fairly new to this particular social networking tool, but I find it extremely valuable and fun. Although updates are short, the service allows you to insert URLs and participate in new viral marketing techniques. No one is shy about sharing links to great website content or blogs. The best people to follow are the ones who share links to insightful information.

Other than the occasional spammers, who are quickly identified and blacklisted, I think it can be a great means of socializing with the right people and spreading your message. And if I don’t like someone, I can simply unfollow or block them.

The great thing about Twitter is the ability to interact with people you admire, and have the chance to observe or participate in some great conversations, 140 characters at a time.

P

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