Do you have a service or product that you want to get in front of the masses? Maybe you have reached a new milestone in your existing business that you want to shout out to the world. Well, the easiest way to get the message out is through the power of a press release.

Press releases have been around for awhile and can be a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal. If you have a little experience writing, you can create one on your own. If not, you can hire a professional to write one for you. It is well worth the money to get a professional job done.

There are several elements that comprise a press release.

1. The contact information, this allows the press to contact you for a possible story or for potential customers to come to your site to see your offerings.

CONTACT: www.ABCcompany.com Joe Schmoe, President Phone: (123) 456-7890 Boston, MA. 00000 Email: schmoe@email.com

2. The Headline, this is possibly the most important element of the press release because it must be "newsworthy." It can't be a sales pitch but must be crafted as though you are announcing a news item. For example:

WHERE WILL YOU GO?

Local Online Job Network Shows You the Path to Job Search Success.

Not something like, ABC Company Is Offering The Best Job Hunting Technique In Town!

3. The first paragraph of the press release needs to make the announcement. The thing to remember throughout the press release is not to make a sales pitch, that's not what it is intended for. It is meant to make an announcement about something that is considered news such as opening a new store, a new division, relaunching a business and so on. For example, Sterling Heights, MIJune 20, 2004ABC Comapny, a new local online job network for residents of Massachusetts, is set to launch on July 1st to give job seekers an additional outlet to aid in their job search. This is announces the date of the launch of ABC Company.

4. The rest of the press release should give background on the company, the product development or the service improvement etc. For instance, ABC Company offers numerous benefits to both those seeking a job and employers looking for local talent to fill positions. The benefits to job seekers includes the ability to search for jobs by location, date range, categories, job type and keywords. It will give a person the ability to view all jobs posted by a specific local employer.

5. Add at least two quotes from an executive in the company. For instance, "We're very excited about the launch of ABC Company. Being able to provide both job seekers and employers with direct access to local jobs and candidates, respectively, is the best possible solution for both," offers Joe Schmoe, President and founder of ABC Company. Further down in the press release, add another quote like, According to Schmoe, The benefits to local employers besides finding qualified candidates for positions, includes a reduction in time and effort in regards to recruiting new talent."

6. Finish with something like, ABC Company is a local online job bank serving residents and employers of Massachusetts. They are based in Boston, MA. and can be reached by calling (123) 456-7890, by contacting Joe Schmoe via email at schmoe@email.com or visiting www.ABCcompany.com for more information.

That's about it. Easy, simple and quick to whip up.

Once you have the press release completed, you will need to distribute it. The best place to so that is at http://wwwPRweb.com because they offer a low cost solution to distributing your press release.

If you need a professional to write a press release for you, please contact me at writetouch4u@verizon.net My press releases have netted press interviews and stories for many of my clients. I would love to help you "get your message out."

Copyright 2005 Lorraine Cote

This article may be freely reprinted as long as the authors information and copyright notice remain intact.