Press Tip 2 (pt. 2) — Use your press release to get noticed by Google News, Yahoo News and others!

Okay, you've read Press Tip 2 (pt. 1) — Write a press release to promote your Meetup in the news and now you're ready to tell the world. Lets look at the bunch of new websites that'll help you spread your news to the people who write it.

Here's how it works: You upload the press release you created in the first part of this lesson (it's a brief story about what your Meetup's doing and who's in it) and these sites will put it where everyone can see it. You may even catch the attention of your local news and/or people that cover news of your Meetup topic. Pretty great, huh?

It's already worked for The San Diego Rubber Stamps Meetup Group. They wrote this press release and both Google News and Yahoo News posted it on their news services:

Southern California Rubber Stampers Look Forward to Inky Tuesday

San Diego rubber stamp enthusiasts meet monthly to eat, swap goodies, gossip, and make beautiful hand-stamped art.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) October 14, 2005 — The third Tuesday of the month is a special day for San Diego rubber stamp enthusiasts — it’s "Inky Tuesday," the day that avid rubber stampers from the San Diego area and Tijuana come together to teach each other new stamping techniques, swap extra stamping supplies, and admire each others’ handstamped art at the San Diego Stampers Meetup.

"It’s something we all really look forward to," Says Nicole Yost, who coordinates the events. "We have free make-n-takes, we swap supplies and rubber stamps, and we get a chance to see lots of beautiful handstamped art made by other members." Yost is a local rubber stamp artist who designs an offbeat line of rubber stamps based on tattoo art and other pop-culture themes for www.AstaArts.com.

"All skill levels are welcome," says Yost, "We have some folks who have been stamping for years, and others who are just starting out. Everyone has something unique to contribute, and everyone is welcome." The group is open to anyone in the San Diego area, and is free to join.

The San Diego Stampers group meets monthly in Mission Valley. More information about the San Diego Stampers group, including meeting times and locations, can be found at www.SanDiegoStampers.com.

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Want to give it a shot? The press release services listed below will help you get your news out there.

Free and inexpensive press release services:

• I-NEWSWIRE: http://i-newswire.com
• PRWEB: http://www.prweb.com
• THE OPEN PRESS: http://www.theopenpress.com
• FREE-PRESS-RELEASE.com : http://www.free-press-release.com
• PR FREE: http://www.prfree.com
• PR LEAP: http://www.prleap.com
• PRESSBOX : http://www.pressbox.co.uk (United Kingdom only)
• WEBWIRE: http://www.webwire.com

These sites are good about making sure that press releases they distribute look professional, and many of them will help you refine yours. Some may charge for extra services (e.g., help writing a press release, increased distribution) so be sure to review your options. Also be sure to read about their services thoroughly before diving in.

If you decide to make a "contribution" to some of these services (e.g., PR Web), it increases your chance of getting noticed and doesn't cost all that much. What's neat, too, is that some of these services offer an ability to track who looked at your release and when they did it.

Try one or try them all! We look forward to seeing your news broadcast on the Internet!

All PR Tips can be found at http://orc.meetup.com/archives/2005/10/press_tips_gett.html.

Disclaimer:

Meetup.com does not endorse any of these services and your use of them is at your own discretion. The above headlines and group examples are presently fictional.