iPitch : Apple's Media Spin!!

Apple launched its iPad this week and made the media across the world go into a tizzy. The buzz that followed the launch was any PR professional’s dream come true – every one had something to say about the new Apple product.

7000 Apple tweets per minute during iPad announcement.

Thousands of technology journalists and bloggers across the World hooked to every word Steve Jobs had to say about his latest offering and a front page headline on most publications across the World.

A quick search on Google – is enough to showcase the media frenzy Apple unleashed with its recent product launch.

Over 6 Million coverages for its iPad is currently visible on the search engine of which more than 330,000 are mentions in blogs from all over…

Am I then surprised to hear a fellow tweeter tweet – “I would love to join the PR team of Apple – it is the easiest job on Earth.”

Looking at all the eyeballs Apple manages to get and all the tongues it sets rolling, I feel like agreeing with my tweet buddy. iPod, iPhone and now the iPad each outdid the other in terms of media coverage.

As a company Apple has always been tight lipped, which has worked for it in many ways. Speculations about its tablet PC were rife in the market, videos of its tablet PC were available on YouTube for over a month before the launch, yet it could not diminish the curiosity of the technology buffs and managed to take all by surprise.

While I would like to believe all this interest in Apple and its products is because of the great work and efforts put in by their marketing and communications team – in truth it’s not their doing, at least not ‘just’ their doing.

The real credit goes to the people behind the products Apple launches. They have managed to establish themselves as the creators of the most desirable products in the World – known for their cutting edge technology and exclusiveness, which every time manages to change the course of future technology.

Very rarely do you see the pride of owning a branded gadget like that among the Apple users.

Cynics can debate that despite the technology they were down in the dumps and almost on the verge of closure before they re-created themselves with the iPod, and yes there is truth in that – but then iPod was a success because of its technology and the way it managed to capture the imagination of music lovers all over.

Public Relations as a profession is a lot about creating that feel good fluff around your clients and their products, but for it to really make a mark it is important that the product in itself is good, of high quality and one which finds favor among its users.

At the end of the day, if the user experience is compromised, then how much ever good you write about it – the truth will finally find its way out.

Public Relations as a profession is a lot about creating that feel good fluff around your clients and their products, but for it to really make a mark it is important that the product in itself is good, of high quality and one which finds favor among its users.

At the end of the day, if the user experience is compromised, then how much ever good you write about it – the truth will finally find its way out.

I wouldn’t like to undermine the role PR professionals can play in creating the hype and building a company’s brand reputation – after all it’s my bread and butter.

But the truth is even if I were the best PR person in the World, with the best of media relations I would not be able to build the hype and keep it going if, the end product I was promoting was not good enough.

That is where Apple makes a mark. Its products and their users speak on its behalf. Apple believes in making – the ownership of an Apple product an experience. From the way Steve Jobs launches a product to the way Apple stores market it – everything is about experience.

UTalkMarketing Editor, Clark Turner quotes, “Tim Greenhalgh, a PR consultant at Liberate Media in his post, “No one does desire like Apple, and no one presents desire as well as Steve Jobs.”

Apple iPad

Good or bad, every time Apple launches its products – it creates something that is desirable by millions around the planet. And when millions want information on something – there will be thousands who would seek to provide them.

When you should just go out and make a public announcement !

Make that announcement now..

Press release is one of the best marketing tools – because it lets you speak your version of the story, gets across your company’s news updates to your relevant audience (Stakeholders, potential investors and customers) and in the online space, helps you build credible backlinks.

If you search the term Press Release on Google – it throws up thousands of articles and posts which tell you how to write that perfect press release. I am sure on that front you will find a way out there – either yourself or with some hired help.

While most companies use press releases to announce their big moments, very few realize that press releases need not be restricted, to just the big moments but are more effective when used for all the significant moments in a company’s lifespan.

Let me put down some of these obvious and not so obvious moments for your future reference. You can always add to this list depending on the needs of your company.

Since the opportunities of going public with a news update vary in each company – this list cannot and should not be treated as the end of all thought and discussion – but more as the beginning of one…

So here you go – Occasions and reasons for you to go out with a Press release…

1. Launch – Any kind of launch, your company, product, service, new division etc.

2. Client Acquisitions

3. Partnerships

4. Mergers

5. Quarter and Annual results

6. New feature updates

7. New Appointments

8. Awards and accolades for the company and for those in the management team

9. Chartering new markets

10. Diversification

11. CSR initiatives

12. Green initiatives

13. Positive Industry Analyst reviews

14. Change in Location of your head office

15. Event/Webinar announcements – those you organize and those you are participating in

16. Published Reports / Whitepapers

17. Any offline or online conference your are hosting

18. If a company spokesperson is speaking at an event – you can have a post event release – focusing on the main points in his speech (provided they are significant)

19. Comment on a significant Industry development – in support or in opposition

20. Announcing your entry into the social media space – Opening your Company’s Twitter or Facebook account (It’s a great way of telling people where to find you on social mediaphere)

And before I close this post here are some must remember tips -

Tip #1 – If you are holding a press conference or an event – remember to have a pre – event and post-event press release.

Pre- Event press release – Should explain the reason for holding the event – (Launch, Partnership announcement etc.). Names of individuals, who would be addressing the event and their brief introductions, date of the event, details of your company.

Many companies and PR professionals today give pre-event releases a miss – but it is significant because it might give a journalist enough reason to write a heads-up report on the event, also it helps in getting your event listed under the upcoming events section by the various media publications – ensuring better attendance at your event.

Post – Event press release – Should elaborate on the announcement made at the event, significant quotes of those who address the gathering. Since, this is a more thought after release – PR professionals should think through the most significant development at the event which has news significance and build their release around that news peg or angle (use quotes that add to that point).  This will ensure your release has a better rate of coverage.

Tip #2 – We are aware that press releases are your company’s mouth piece – still it is best not to overplay (do not underplay either)  your achievements and appear very promotional when writing them. Those press release which appear balanced in their approach have a better chance of getting carried by the media

Tip # 3 – Remember to post a copy of the releases on your company website and on free Press Release submission sites.

If you can think of any more reasons or occasions for issuing a press release, write in and I will update this list further 

Press release is considered one of the best marketing tools – as it lets you publish your version of the story, gets across your company’s news updates to your relevant audience (Stakeholders, potential investors and customers) and in the online space, helps you build credible backlinks.

If you search the term Press Release on Google – it throws up thousands of articles and posts which tell you how to write that perfect press release. I am sure on that front you will find a way out there – either yourself or with some hired help.

While most companies use press releases to announce their big moments, very few realize that press releases need not be restricted, to just the big moments but are more effective when used for all the significant moments in a company’s lifespan.

Let me put down some of these obvious and not so obvious moments for your future reference. You can always add to this list depending on the needs of your company.

Since the opportunities of going public with a news update vary in each company – this list cannot and should not be treated as the end of all thought and discussion – but more as the beginning of one…

So here you go – Occasions and reasons for you to go out with a Press release…

1. Launch – Any kind of launch, your company, product, service, new division etc.

2. Client Acquisitions

3. Partnerships/tie-ups

4. Mergers

5. Quarterly and Annual results ( if your are profitable its good to let your stakeholders know)

6. New feature updates in your product or service

7. New Appointments at the senior management level

8. Awards and accolades for the company or for those in the management team

9. Launching in new markets

10. Diversification

11. CSR initiatives

12. Green initiatives

13. Positive Industry Analyst reviews

14. Change in Location of your head office /Website address

15. Event/Webinar announcements – those you organize and those you are participating in

16. Published Reports / Whitepapers

17. Any offline or online conference your are hosting

18. If a company spokesperson is speaking at an event – you can have a post event release – focusing on the main points in his speech (provided they are significant)

19. Comment on a significant Industry development – in support or in opposition

20. Announcing your entry into the social media space – Opening your Company’s Twitter or Facebook account (It’s a great way of telling people where to find you on social mediaphere)

And before I end this post here are some must remember tips -

Tip #1 – If you are holding a press conference or an event – remember to have a pre – event and post-event press release.

Pre- Event press release – Should explain the reason for holding the event – (Launch, Partnership announcement etc.). Names of individuals, who would be addressing the event and their brief introductions, date of the event, details of your company.

Many companies and PR professionals today give pre-event releases a miss – but it is significant because it might give a journalist enough reason to write a heads-up report on the event, also it helps in getting your event listed under the upcoming events section by the various media publications – ensuring better attendance at your event.

Post – Event press release – Should elaborate on the announcement made at the event, significant quotes of those who address the gathering. Since, this is a more thought after release – PR professionals should think through the most significant development at the event which has news significance and build their release around that news peg or angle (use quotes that add to that point).  This will ensure your release has a better rate of coverage.

Tip #2 – We are aware that press releases are your company’s mouth piece – still it is best not to overplay (do not underplay either)  your achievements and appear very promotional when writing them. Those press releases which appear balanced in their approach have a better chance of getting carried by the media

Tip # 3 – Remember to post a copy of the releases on your company website and on free Press Release submission sites.

If you can think of any more reasons or occasions for issuing a press release, write in and I will update this list further

15 Easy & Useful Backlink Building Techniques For B2B Companies

Building Backlinks

In the realm of online marketing google page ranks can play a big role in making or breaking your brand image. It is no surprise that the Internet marketing space is full of experts and companies who promise to increase the number of your backlinks and in turn your google page rank.

Getting backlinks for your website or blog is a long and tedious process which requires some strategy and planning.

Wonder why I am discussing backlinks on a PR blog, well because from my experience, when it comes to online marketing, building backlinks is equal to doing Public Relations and vice-versa.

Like Public Relations building quality backlinks help build credibility for your site, win you some advertising real estate on another site and help you direct traffic from another site to your site.

Similar to  public relations – for a backlink (read coverage) to be valuable – it should come from a credible site with a good Page Rank. The content or the website should be relevant to what you offer, and the anchor text provided should clearly mention what your site is about.

A good google page rank not only increases your ranking for search but also helps with branding – since it signifies that their are others who value what you offer as content.

Unlike B2C companies building backlinks for a B2B companies can be a herculean task. But the advantage is since there are not many players in a specific industry it takes lesser backlinks than a B2C website to get a good page rank.

Below are some ways of building backlinks for B2B websites -

1. Directory Submissions

Find relevant directories in your industry with Good Page Rank – at least 4 and above – submit your website and company details to that. People looking for players in your industry usually visit these directories to check out their options and your offerings.

2. B2B Search Engines

It would be a good for B2B companies to submit their details to B2B search engines like  - Business.com, Zibb.com, knowledgestorm etc. in addition to your regular search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN

3. Whitepaper Submissions

Most B2B companies come up with Whitepapers on their industry as a means of establishing thought leadership. You can submit these Whitepapers to good PR sites like – http://whitepapers.zdnet.com/submitpaper.aspx?tag=content;col2

4. Case study submissions

Yes, now you can submit your case studies too. What better way to showcase, your abilities. Research – you will find many more sites like http://techrepublic.com.com/ which allow you to submit case studies.

5. Bookmarking

Bookmark your website pages on the various well-known and well ranked bookmarking sites. Bookmark your press releases, bookmark any news coverages you received, bookmark your articles etc. These may not directly give you backlinks but will help in increasing the value of your original link. Apart from getting you more traffic from these popular sites.

6. Article Submissions

Writing articles with links to your web pages and submitting these to popular article submission sites like Article base, Ezine articles will get you some good backlinks, especially since the content is something you can write around your offerings and hence relevant.

7. Event Listings

Are you hosting a Webinar, or any other events – research –  their are plenty of event listing sites, list your events there. Not only does it give you backlinks it also bring you traffic.

8. Submitting Corporate Presentations

All those interesting Corporate presentations you create to pitch to your prospects, submit them to sites like Slideshare.com. It not only helps your site with backlinks but can also bring you some good leads.

9. Getting jobs listed on University sites

Research and find colleges and universities who link degree students and alumni to job opportunities. Links from .edu sites like these are considered authority building links.

Obviously the first thing to do is get used to publishing your job vacancies on your site, and then telling potential linking partners about them. PS: Never take these jobs off your site – just mention “Role Filled” and strike out the text.

10. Partner Linkback

Do you work with certain vendors or have other partners in the industry, add them to your partner list and give a link to their sites, ask them to reciprocate in a similar fashion. You can send across a similar request to others you work with as well – resellers, distributors etc.

11. Testimonial Links

B2B companies can speak to their service providers and suggest writing a testimonial for the service provider website in exchange of a link back for your company. (Choose which sites you would like to go with if the list is long based on their google PR). OR  create a blog post, article or content page with a list of your “favorites (vendors)” ranked in a particular order, then email each of the mentioned sites and tell them that they’re welcome to use a “testimonial” quote you’ve written about them and also link to the “rankings” page. Companies love to link to anything ego-boosting.

12. Create Link Baits

Get a survey or research done and publish the report on your site – approach bloggers in your industry with your findings and request them to linkback to the report if they wish to publish the data.

Similarly you can create content around – something relevant to your industry. A list of 10 things every person from your industry show be ‘aware of’ or ‘beware of’ etc. If the list is interesting, you will find many people who would like to link to it. Remember to publish this content on your website for them to linkback.

13. Corporate Blog

Ensure your corporate blog is on the same domain as your website. Run a blog popularity program. Like submitting the blog to blog directories, rss feed directories, do blogger roll exchange etc. It will help in getting backlinks for your blog, increasing its page rank and thereby the page rank of your home page.

14. Competitor backlink analysis

Actually this is the best place to start working on your backlink plan. If any of your competitors have a website with a good page rank – analyze their backlinks and see if any of those sites where their link is present is relevant to you(which is most likely since you are from the same industry). See how you can approach these sites and get your company listed there as well

15. Press Releases & Blogger reachouts

Press releases are a great way of building quality backlinks. You need not spend big money every time for a press release, make it a point to come out with a press release every month. You can issue it using cheaper wire services like webwire.com’s webpost  services or you can just go with a list of free press release sites – some are researched and  listed here by Big News . You can also reach out to Bloggers who cover your industry space with some relevant and exciting story angles. Write-ups from them will not only amount in a good PR Coverage but also a quality backlink and good Google PR..

If you can think of anymore, please feel free to add here..

In the realm of online marketing google page ranks can play a big role in making or breaking your brand image. It is no surprise that the Internet marketing space is full of experts and companies who promise to increase the number of your backlinks and in turn your google page rank.

Getting backlinks for your website or blog is a long and tedious process which requires some strategy and planning.

Wonder why I am discussing backlinks on a PR blog, well because from my experience, when it comes to online marketing, building backlinks is equal to doing Public Relations and vice-versa.

Like Public Relations building quality backlinks help build credibility for your site, win you some advertising real estate on another site and help you direct traffic from another site to your site.

Similar to  public relations – for a backlink (read coverage) to be valuable – it should come from a credible site with a good Page Rank. The content or the website should be relevant to what you offer, and the anchor text provided should clearly mention what your site is about.

A good google page rank not only increases your ranking for search but also helps with branding – since it signifies that their are others who value what you offer as content.

Unlike B2C companies building backlinks for a B2B companies can be a herculean task. But the advantage is since there are not many players in a specific industry it takes lesser backlinks than a B2C website to get a good page rank.

Below are some ways of building backlinks for B2B websites -

1. Directory Submissions

Find relevant directories in your industry with Good Page Rank – at least 4 and above – submit your website and company details to that. People looking for players in your industry usually visit these directories to check out their options and your offerings.

2. B2B Search Engines

It would be a good for B2B companies to submit their details to B2B search engines like  - Business.com, Zibb.com, knowledgestorm etc. in addition to your regular search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN

3. Whitepaper Submissions

Most B2B companies come up with Whitepapers on their industry as a means of establishing thought leadership. You can submit these Whitepapers to good PR sites like – http://whitepapers.zdnet.com/submitpaper.aspx?tag=content;col2

4. Case study submissions

Yes, now you can submit your case studies too. What better way to showcase, your abilities. Research – you will find many more sites like http://techrepublic.com.com/ which allow you to submit case studies.

5. Bookmarking

Bookmark your website pages on the various well-known and well ranked bookmarking sites. Bookmark your press releases, bookmark any news coverages you received, bookmark your articles etc. These may not directly give you backlinks but will help in increasing the value of your original link. Apart from getting you more traffic from these popular sites.

6. Article Submissions

Writing articles with links to your web pages and submitting these to popular article submission sites like Article base, Ezine articles will get you some good backlinks, especially since the content is something you can write around your offerings and hence relevant.

7. Event Listings

Are you hosting a Webinar, or any other events – research –  their are plenty of event listing sites, list your events there. Not only does it give you backlinks it also bring you traffic.

8. Submitting Corporate Presentations

All those interesting Corporate presentations you create to pitch to your prospects, submit them to sites like Slideshare.com. It not only helps your site with backlinks but can also bring you some good leads.

9. Getting jobs listed on University sites

Research and find colleges and universities who link degree students and alumni to job opportunities. Links from .edu sites like these are considered authority building links.

Obviously the first thing to do is get used to publishing your job vacancies on your site, and then telling potential linking partners about them. PS: Never take these jobs off your site – just mention “Role Filled” and strike out the text.

10. Partner Linkback

Do you work with certain vendors or have other partners in the industry, add them to your partner list and give a link to their sites, ask them to reciprocate in a similar fashion. You can send across a similar request to others you work with as well – resellers, distributors etc.

11. Testimonial Links

B2B companies can speak to their service providers and suggest writing a testimonial for the service provider website in exchange of a link back for your company. (Choose which sites you would like to go with if the list is long based on their google PR). OR  create a blog post, article or content page with a list of your “favorites (vendors)” ranked in a particular order, then email each of the mentioned sites and tell them that they’re welcome to use a “testimonial” quote you’ve written about them and also link to the “rankings” page. Companies love to link to anything ego-boosting.

12. Create Link Baits

Get a survey or research done and publish the report on your site – approach bloggers in your industry with your findings and request them to linkback to the report if they wish to publish the data.

Similarly you can create content around – something relevant to your industry. A list of 10 things every person from your industry show be ‘aware of’ or ‘beware of’ etc. If the list is interesting, you will find many people who would like to link to it. Remember to publish this content on your website for them to linkback.

13. Corporate Blog

Ensure your corporate blog is on the same domain as your website. Run a blog popularity program. Like submitting the blog to blog directories, rss feed directories, do blogger roll exchange etc. It will help in getting backlinks for your blog, increasing its page rank and thereby the page rank of your home page.

14. Competitor backlink analysis

Actually this is the best place to start working on your backlink plan. If any of your competitors have a website with a good page rank – analyze their backlinks and see if any of those sites where their link is present is relevant to you(which is most likely since you are from the same industry). See how you can approach these sites and get your company listed there as well

15. Press Releases & Blogger reachouts

Press releases are a great way of building quality backlinks. You need not spend big money every time for a press release, make it a point to come out with a press release every month. You can issue it using cheaper wire services like webwire.com’s webpost  services or you can just go with a list of free press release sites – some are researched and  listed here by Big News . You can also reach out to Bloggers who cover your industry space with some relevant and exciting story angles. Write-ups from them will not only amount in a good PR Coverage but also a quality backlink and good Google PR..

If you can think of anymore, please feel free to add here..