by PR Newswire
With the shift to self-publishing, many more authors have the exciting opportunity to diversify the virtual book shelves, however they are then faced with the challenge of capturing the attention of new readers looking for their next adventure. No longer just responsible for transferring their creative works onto “paper,” independent authors now have to play the part of editors, literary agents, publicists and marketing professionals to promote their books- and usually without much of a budget. And while word-of-mouth can certainly boost the visibility of an indie author, this word of mouth can be difficult to get going.
So how does one build an online presence? There are a number of tactics – creating an optimized website chock-full of relevant information, being active on social channels, publishing a robust blog with interesting and engaging content to entice your readers and…online press releases.
Yes, press releases.
The traditional, tried-and-true tool is no longer simply used by the powerful brands and agencies to reach the media with the hopes of landing a media mention. Today, online press releases help strengthen one’s online presence, support search engine visibility, and is a catalyst to drive website traffic. The internet is the first stop a reader will go to research a new book or topic and by distributing an online press release, you can increase your chances of being discovered online, growing your potential readers exponentially.
PR Newswire has been helping brands and organizations tell their stories for nearly 60 years. And with iReach, its self-service, budget-friendly online press release solution, independent authors have the opportunity easily upload and syndicate their content to some of the Internet’s most visited websites.
iReach lets you:
- Syndicate your content to 1500+ website such as Yahoo! and AOL, making your content available to the thousands of people visiting these websites every day.
- Host your press release on PRNewswire.com forever with a keyword-rich URL. PRNewswire.com is the industry’s most trafficked website and is built on an optimized platform helping you get found on the largest search engines.
- Make it easy for your audience to share your message and expand your reach through social media with multiple, targeted Twitter feeds and an embedded social toolbar on your release
- Include multimedia with your release to engage your readers even more.
Authors send online press releases to:
- Announce the availability of a new eBook – this is an obvious one. Let your readers know that your book is available for their enjoyment.
- Highlight and publicize great reviews. Readers have an endless number of platforms to share their thoughts about your book, so when the positive reviews flow in, utilize an online press release to propel the positivity forward. It will help make sure your audiences discover the great reviews when they are searching for their next read.
- Promote book milestones – Were you included in a best-seller list, recognized by a blogger, receive media attention or attain a certain number of downloads? Highlight your big wins and let your readers know about your successes.
- Announce a book signing or book tour – If you are hitting the road or holding a reading, let your readers know where they can find you. Online press releases can help you boost your presence offline, too.
A KWL author recently put iReach to the test. Here’s what she has to say!
“I love PR Newswire! Not only was the iReach platform incredibly easy to use, but PR Newswire’s PR Toolkit taught me everything I needed to know about how to write an effective press release. My iReach release appeared on hundreds of sites which greatly impacts my presence online and helps new readers find me when they are searching. And did I mention the thrill of seeing my book cover up in lights in Times Square? I never imagined that could be possible, but PR Newswire made it happen. I will definitely use the service again as soon as I have more news to share. ”
—USA Today bestselling author, Julianne MacLean
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PR Newswire is the premier global provider of marketing and communications solutions that let you produce, optimize, target, distribute, and measure content across all channels. Combining the world’s largest multi-channel, multicultural content distribution and optimization network with comprehensive workflow tools and multimedia platforms, PR Newswire enables the world’s enterprises to engage opportunity everywhere it exists. PR Newswire, a UBM plc company, serves tens of thousands of clients across the world. Follow @PRNewswire and @PRNsmallbiz on Twitter for the latest PR and marketing news and information.
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