Press Release Experiment: Part II

Please read my post, Press Release Experiment: Part 1, for the background on my experiment.

Just to recap...Thursday, July 3, I set out on a mission to follow a press release that I generated for my business. I wanted to see how fast it travelled through the Internet via news wires, RSS feeds, blogs and more. I also wanted to see if one press release could generate any inquiries and eventually provide a return that I could measure against my investment. I released it to local Indianapolis-area media on my own, via email. I also released it to national/international media through PRWeb on July 7th.

As of 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 16th, the headline had appeared on 39,127 websites. Just on PRWeb alone, there were 426 full-page reads. The eBook version was downloaded 250 times. The PDF version was downloaded 36 times. And, 20 people downloaded the printer-friendly version.

That's 800 people who, on just PRWeb alone, has either read, downloaded or printed my press release. That's just one (1) website.

Today, my press release appears on nearly 500 business-related websites, blogs, and podcasts. I have even been quoted by newspapers and business publications in Europe and the United Kingdom. If I use PRWeb as a benchmark, which is very unscientific, and multiplied 500 sites that have posted my press release by 800, that's about 40,000 people that have read, downloaded or printed my release.

I can also track my website statistics. The average daily number of visitors to my website is nearly twelve times what it was prior to the press release distribution.

What I can't track are the newspapers, marketing journals, magazines, radio stations, television stations and other sources where my press release has been embraced and reported on.

Has my business benefited? Oh, yeah. I've received more than 60 emails from people I've never met, asking about my business. They've asked me to review their website. Two are sending me their marketing materials for review. Others want to know how much to budget for marketing and advertising. Others have asked about the benefits of blogging and podcasting. And, I've had a few asking me to help write press releases for their business.

I've had one on one appointments with three business owners in the Indianapolis area and scheduled another two.

I will tell you that, as I predicted, the number of reads has declined steadily over the past five days. Why? Because the headline is now getting buried in the news feeds. Also, my website hits are declining slightly.

This morning, a local real estate agent was curious how a press release could benefit her business. While she is impressed with my statistics, she didn't see how national or international exposure could be beneficial. First, a well-written release WILL get her local exposure. Secondly, people relocate. They are moving to the Indianapolis-area. Suppose that one person in Florida does a search for "Indianapolis Realtor" and her press release pops up in the top of the search engines. On that press release, they click on a link to that agent. They call her, schedule an appointment and buy a home. If that home is $400,000 and her commission is, say, $12,000 (3%), then she has just gotten a return that is more than 20 times her investment.

I'd say that's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!

I'll continue to track my press release and provide updates. To track it on the Internet for yourself, go to any search engine and type in "BTK & Associates" (be sure to include the quotation marks).

For more information about how BTK & Associates can help you put together an effective press release marketing strategy, visit www.btkmarketing.com or call me at 317.696.6734.