Having a good

Having a good relationship with your canine pet is essential if you are planning of having a pet dog. That is why it is also important that you must train your dog, for it to be compliant, closely controlled and to further enhance the relationship between the canine and the owner. Training enables the canine pet to have positive patterns in terms of behavior.

Most dog owners do not know it but training your canine pet can be quite enjoyable and also worthwhile. That is, if you exert extra effort, time and dedication – not to mention a whole lot of patience – in training. Most importantly, safety measures must be considered at all times during training.

Equipments that are use for dog training are primarily designed to provide safety precautions. These dog training equipments offer additional protection to avoid unpredictable and accidental attacks that may and can happen during training sessions.

Have you ever noticed

One of the most powerful ways to bring traffic into a website and build links is to use press releases.

If you’re using online methods to distribute your press release, you’ll find that every time you submit on, it will bring in both traffic and links.

Even if your press release doesn’t generate any interest from reporters, it will still help your website.

A great press release can completely change your business and bring in a flood of traffic, links, and even get you on CNBC or Oprah.

Even when given all the benefits of press releases, however, most people will never use them.

They have a list of excuses that include: I don’t have anything newsworthy; My business is different; I don’t know how to write a press release; and this one really befuddles me – because someone might actually call them and want to interview them – they’d have to *gasp* actually talk about their business to someone.

Of course, they’re just that – excuses. Coming up with something newsworthy is relatively easy. Any business can benefit from the use of press releases, they’re even relatively easy to write. For those who are afraid you might actually have to talk to someone, though, I’m not sure what to tell you – a lot of times, no reporters will call, but they might.

Here’s a few tips for successful press releases.

1) Headlines Are Vital

Just like a great headline can make or break a salesletter, the headline of your press release can make or break it. If your headline doesn’t grab someone’s attention, then it doesn’t matter how great the rest of your press release is because nobody’s going to read it. If you need help coming up with headlines, just go to your library and look at the headlines of magazines and newspapers. You’ll find plenty of great headlines within their pages.

2) Not An Advertisement

Remember that your press release is not an advertisement. While you can certainly use them to promote a new product or service in your business, the actual press release should read like it’s being written by a neutral third party. Think of yourself as the reporter writing the story about the product, why it was created, and a little history. Don’t hype up the product, just give them the facts.

3) Quotes

Have you ever noticed how just about every article you read in a newspaper has a quote from one person or multiple people? That’s because quotes make your stories more interesting. Always include a quote from someone in your press release, even if the only person you can quote is yourself.

So next time you’re looking for to get more traffic or links to your website, give the press release a try.

One area I really struggle

Most business owners do not realise that they are an expert in their field. The media always require expert opinion when collating data for a story. How can you bridge the gap and get your business in the papers?

To do this affectively you need to keep a look out for any breaking story that is in the same line of business as yours. As an example say you are in the computer repair business and a story breaks out about a new virus doing the rounds. Contact the reporter or media organisation that broke the story and offer them your expert opinion.

At this point, do not talk about your business but rather focus on the story, possible solutions and problems if this virus is not controlled quickly. If you are lucky the newspaper will publish your expert opinion and next time a story requires further information they will get in touch.

Many people do not realise that the media organisations have an insatiable urge for new material. How can you fill this requirement? One way of helping the media is by writing articles. I sell franchises, so I write many articles about the franchise industry. I am careful that within these articles I never talk about my business but rather focus on the franchise industry.

I write about anything and everything to do with the franchise industry apart from the field I am in. The reason for this is that the media hates self promotion articles.

These articles have been published on many franchise websites, newsletters and magazines around the world. The only reference that the article was written by me is the signature at the bottom of the article which they are obliged to publish if they want to use my work. I call this viral marketing.

It is even better when the stories are published on the medias website as then you have live links back to your website. One article I wrote "Business Cultures Old and New" has been published in many different websites and publications around the world. It has been translated in many different languages.

I am actually amazed at which articles have worked for me. An article that I might have spent a week working on might never catch on whilst one that was written in ten minutes could really catch on. The secret is to write many articles and leave it the media to decide which ones they like.

One area I really struggle in is in creating a catchy headline. By chance I manage to get it right some of the times. I have noticed that the headline can make the difference between the article being successful or not.

Another useful bit of information is that negative articles tend to do much better then positive ones. People are much more eager to read about scams operating in your industry than they are about the opportunities.

I will leave you with on final thought. Never ever make up anything in your article and always research any facts that you include within. If you do quote any statistics, keep a record of where these came from just in case you are asked to substantiate your research. Your words will come back to haunt you if you have any half truths and your article does well.

It’s a chance not at all

Here’s the formula I use for these kinds of releases. I call it the 3S approach -- Situation/Surprise/Support.

The first paragraph sets up the situation. The second paragraph reveals the surprise. The third paragraph supports the claim made in the second paragraph.

One very typical 3S is discussing a common problem in the first paragraph (For centuries, people have accepted memory loss as an inevitable result of aging.) The "surprise" paragraph announces the solution to the problem (But one local man says he’s ready to prove the medical establishment wrong.) The "support" paragraph then tells the story. (John Smith, an Anytown entrepreneur, says he’s found the key to retaining a strong memory function far into old age. His "Memory Maker" software is based on ancient Chinese texts that were used more than 2000 years ago to...)

Another 3S -- let’s revisit our mudslide watching friend. How would you start his story using this method?

While John Smith’s colleagues at the National Atmospheric Center are watching the skies for signs of lightning and tornadoes, his attention is focused elsewhere.

John Smith is listening to the mud.

As the Chief Mudslide Analyst at the NAC, Smith spends his days glued to a seismograph, eyes and ears peeled for the telltale signs on an impending slide.

Along with the 3S in action, I also followed the 7th Commandment. That really short second paragraph is a visual grabber, and will keep the journalist reading right into the meat of the release.

9. Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness. This may seem an obvious point, but it always bears repeating.

Tell the truth.

Don’t inflate, don’t confabulate, don’t exaggerate. Don’t twist facts, don’t make up numbers, don’t make unsubstantiated claims. Any decent journalist will be able to see right through this. If you’re lucky, you’re release will just get tossed out. If you’re unlucky, you’ll be exposed.

It’s a chance not at all worth taking. Make sure every release you write is honest and on the level.

10. Thou Shalt Know Thy Limitations. Not everyone can write a press release. A good feature release, in particular, isn’t an easy thing to craft. If you just don’t feel like you have the chops to get the job done, hire a professional.

One last tip: right before you start writing your release, spend an hour or two reading your daily paper, paying special attention to stories similar in feel to yours. Immerse yourself in how the pros do it and you’ll be in the right frame of mind to tackle the job! To view professional press releases updated daily, go to: http://www.publicityinsider.com and click on the "Press Release Gallery"

he hard news story i

In baseball, it’s said that you know an umpire is top-notch when you never notice his presence. If he’s doing his job, he won’t call attention to himself in any way. It’s much the same for the writer of a press release. When the recipient of a release focuses only on its content -- and not on its creation -- the writer has succeeded. With that in mind, here's The 10 Commandments of Press Releases:

1. Thou Shalt Be Professional. No goofy fonts, rainbow paper or silly gimmicks. Even lighthearted press releases represent a communication between one professional and another.

2. Thou Shalt Not Be Promotional. If you can’t get enough objective distance from your company to write a press release that’s not filled with hype and puffery, hire someone to write it for you.

3. Thou Shalt Not Be Boring. Even the driest subject matter allows for some sparks of creativity. Journalists like knowing that there’s a human being communicating with them, not some corporate robot.

4. Thou Shalt Be Brief. Learn to cut out extraneous words. Keep your sentences short. Include only the points necessary to sell the story. The well-crafted one page press release is a thing of beauty.

5. Thou Shalt Know Thy Recipient. A features or lifestyle editor is a very different creature from a city desk editor. If you’re promoting the opening of a new winery, the food and wine editor may be interested in all the details about what kind of aging process and wine press you’re using. The city desk editor just wants to know when the grand opening is and what’s going to happen there.

6. Thou Shalt Use The Proper Tense. When writing a hard news release -- a contract signing, a stock split, a major announcement, etc.) use the past tense (Acme Industries has changed its name to AcmeCo, the company announced today...) When writing a soft news release -- a trend story, a personal profile, etc. -- use the present tense (Jane Smith is one of the best marathon runners over 40. She’s also blind. Thanks to new technology from AcmeCo, Jane is able to...).

7. Thou Shalt Think Visually. A press release is more than words -- it’s a visual document that will first be assessed by how it looks.

I’m referring to more than font size or letterhead. I’m talking about the actual layout of the words. Whether received by mail, fax or e-mail, a journalist -- often unconsciously -- will make decisions about whether to read the release based on how the release is laid out. Big blocks of text and long paragraphs are daunting and uninviting. Short paragraphs and sentences make for a much more visually inviting look.

When writing a non-hard news release, I often use a simple formula -- the lead paragraph should be one or two sentences at most. The next paragraph should be very, very short.

Like this.

8. Thou Shalt Tell A Story. How to arrange the facts of a hard news release is pretty much cut and dried. The old "who, what, when, where and how" lead and "inverted pyramid" concepts still hold. (Rather than engage you in a course in basic newswriting, I’ll direct you to a really good discussion of what the inverted pyramid is.

Check out:

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=38693

So let’s focus on a soft news release. The trend story, the feel- good company story, the "gee-whiz, I didn’t know anyone was doing that!" release. The difference between these releases and the hard news release is simply a mirror of the difference between a feature story in, say, the entertainment section of your newspaper and the breaking news report on page one. The hard news story is about cold, hard facts (A mudslide closed portions of Interstate 70 last night, causing massive delays). A feature article about the guy who spends all day looking at seismograph readouts trying to predict where the next mudslide will occur will be very different. It’s likely to be in present tense, it won’t load all the facts upfront and it will be designed to draw the reader deep into the text. It is, in short, all about storytelling.

No Hit-and-Runs

Anyone who has ever tried to write & distribute a press release may have despaired when it was not immediately picked up by the major media outlets and run, 24-7, on CNN, NBC, CBS, and Page One of the Wall Street Journal. What went wrong? Do reporters still read press releases, or do they select their stories in secret, cupcake-fueled meetings held in underground caves?

While searching for an answer, we happened to meet Richard Brandt, a veteran Business Week reporter who now consults with hi-tech entrepreneurs on how to talk to the business press. He's also writing a book about Google. As someone who spent more than 15 years on the other side of the press release, Richard knows what reporters want--and don't want--from press-release-writing entrepreneurs. Following is our summary of his advice.

1. Save the Spam for Breakfast
One of Brandt's pet peeves occurred when executives would call or e-mail him with a pitch on a topic that fell completely outside of his beat. Entrepreneurs who came to him without any knowledge of his interests were treated with the same ignorance with which they treated him. He avoided them. Ditto for spammed press releases.

So, how *do* you reach a stressed out journalist with an idea you think will truly interest readers?

2. Change Thy Attitude, Grasshopper
Journalists are a lot like us. They respond to folks who have something of value to offer and who are interested in long-term relationships. It follows that the best way to approach them is with with a spirit of giving. Rather than immediately asking a journalist to write about your company, offer her a tidbit of industry gossip or other useful insider information. When you change your attitude, you can't help but also change your approach. And your results.

Which leads us to research.

3. Do Your Homework
Search for relevant articles in a niche magazine or other publication, and find the reporter who has covered that topic. Now, read the other articles that reporter has written. When you've done your homework, you can approach reporters as someone who is genuinely interested in helping them. This simple step will position you light years ahead of your competitors--including many PR agencies. You can't help but stand out.

4. Cultivate a Soulmate
If you happen to have any insider information or connections, e-mail or call the reporter telling him you really enjoyed his article on X, and have some information on Y you think would be of interest. Everyone likes to be appreciated, and it's particularly welcome after a day of spam & solicitations.

5. No Hit-and-Runs
Don't expect to get instant coverage. Most people are offended by the idea of an immediate quid pro quo. Instead, focus on developing a long-term relationship with your reporter in which you position yourself as an expert on her topic. And where you give more than you receive. This builds your credibility. When the reporter is ready to write another story on this topic (or, when you're ready to write your next press release), your name will be on the tip of her tongue.

person makes all the difference.

Finding the press is the easy part, but turning its attention towards yourself or your company in a beneficial way takes strategy, chutzpah, and good fortune.

When Janet Jackson performed at the Super Bowl in 2004, her suspicious "wardrobe malfunction" turned the eyes of the nation upon her, and the furor following the event put her prominently in the news. Whether or not Jackson planned the incident, it failed to sell her CDs or advance her music career.

A publicity stunt is only worthwhile when you are able to leverage the media spotlight to further your communication objectives without damaging your credibility. Here are a couple of publicity stunts that worked and the strategies behind them:

1) In 1984, I broke the Guinness World Record for the most time swinging in a hammock. Interestingly enough, the record I broke was my father’s, and he done this a few years earlier as a way to get media attention for his store specializing in hammocks. The stunt worked for my father, and he got some favorable write-ups that led to an increase in sales.

My hammock record was even more successful in creating publicity because I tied it to a timely event. I sent out press releases and contacted the media notifying them that I was breaking the record as a way to gain attention in a bid to make hammock swinging an Olympic sport. Since I broke the record just before the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the media loved the story and covered it in print and on television. Sales of hammocks rose even higher.

2) John Younger, founder and president of Accolo (an HR recruiting company), read a front page story in USA Today about a controversial Paris Hilton television commercial for Carl’s Jr. It struck him that she had probably never eaten a hamburger in her life – and that this could be tied to the concept of hiring the right person for the job. With this in mind, he proceeded to create a 30 second spoof video entitled “Rethink Recruiting” emphasizing how hiring the right person makes all the difference.

Accolo’s advertisement generated millions of downloads from the company’s website, and it was prominently featured on Good Morning America, Jay Leno, WGN, The Big Idea with Danny Deutsch (MSNBC), the New York Times, New York Post, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Business Times, and many more media outlets.

In a recent email from Younger, he wrote “Accolo has considerably more market awareness when we contact prospects, referral sources and candidates… It positively influenced our largest contract to date.”

If you’ve pulled off a publicity stunt that helped your achieve your business objectives, I would enjoy hearing about it and sharing it with others.