Publicity: A Cost-effective Tool For Freelance Copywriters
Freelance Copywriters, particularly those who are just starting out, can gain an edge over their competitors by leveraging publicity to develop credibility. Taken as a whole, publicity is unrivaled by other marketing methods.
Publicity vis-a-vis Public Relations
People tend to put more stock in independent authorities, including journalists, critics, correspondents and newscasters than they do in direct advertising. Direct advertising is subjective and is viewed as hard-sell dictated by you. A story coming from a news publication is viewed more along the lines of a media endorsement. It therefore:
ªLends your report more believability
ªCan radically enhance your exposure to your target audience
ªHas the potential to phenomenally improve your image of you as a copywriting force to be reckoned with
ªCan Increase your revenue
People and companies prefer to work with marketing professionals they trust. Public Relations, or PR as it is dubbed, is key to speeding up that trust. Moreover, it's an affordable route to gaining visibility and reaching the masses within your industry. Therefore, you boost the likelihood of heightening recognition of and increasing demand for your freelance copywriting services. Also, proper application of PR provides an advantage for you over other copywriters who do not understand how to use it effectively.
The Press Release: Contrary to Popular Belief, the object of the Press Release Has Changed
A well-written press release is your ticket to effective public relations. But, contrary to much of the information spread on the Internet, the way a press release is written has changed. They had to, because the demands of our audiences have changed. People don't want to be sold. People want to be educated. They want to (almost personally) connect with writer, speaker, service or product. They want to relate. Most importantly, they want to know that your product or service has some real value to them and that you're not just trying to make money off of them.
Of course, folks know underneath it all that making money is the point. But it can't feel like that and the minute it does, you've lost the lead.
This no-sell idea is prevalent in many business and commerce areas. Commercial advertisements (especially online) and many other areas of marketing are trying to move away from this concept of "selling." Notice, sale professionals, e.g., cold callers, will choose words like "offering," and swear to you that they are not trying to sell you something, because they understand and appreciate the offensive quality and abrasive feel of the idea.
Exactly What's Supposed to Go Into Today's Press Release?
As a copywriter, you need to prove that you have some marketing-writing value to offer. Decision makers aren't interested in you as much as they are interested in what your writing skills can do for them. There are many ways to address this in a press release. For example, you can discuss your services in the context of a semi-authoritative story that addresses or solves a problem your target audience is likely to have experienced. You could depict how your copywriting services benefited a customer. Chances are your reader will have experienced a similar situation or may have their situation where someone who is capable of doing what you did for your other customer is more than likely capable of helping them with their plight.
The idea is to lay it out in a way that will induce your reader to take some sort of action like visit your website or email you with an inquiry.
The rules and suggestions for great press release writing are fairly simple to understand and apply; however, you need to know what they are, including and especially those relating to search engine optimization (SEO). Devote one or two days to learning the essentials of effective press release writing. The Internet is filled with many credible sources for information. You can find everything from how to write an impressive press release to how to get your press release to the best and most appropriate press release wires or distribution services.
And the best part of it all is you no longer need to wait for a news reporter to pick up your story. You can tell your story to the world of decision makers and influential people in your target industry all on your own. Copywriters are in complete control now!
Stacey Mathis shares her in-depth understanding copywriting techniques, as well as her insight on the running a freelance copywriting business with all who want to be in-the-know. Click here for a small report on "New SEO Press Release Strategy for Freelance Copywriters to Reach Clients Directly" which is available at www.staceythewriter.com/sp/seopressrelease12.html
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