400. WebPR › webPR tactics › social media news releaseMost of the sites offer a free option and a paid option. The paid option provides a discussionhost of additional benefits, and it is worth considering paying for a membership Journalists usuallyto one of them. extract information from a news release and supply commentary when theyBenefits of online news releases write an article. How do you think the fact that the • Online news releases allow for almost instant publishing of news news releases are now online. being read directly by the • A well-written news release can garner top rankings in the news public affects the news engines (Google News, Yahoo! News, MSN News etc). Adequate release? optimisation can also result in SERP rankings. • Content is syndicated quickly via RSS. • Links are built naturally and effectively from online publishing. • Distribution is increased beyond your contact list. • Reach is far greater than that of a traditional news release. • Reach and distribution can be easily tracked online.Here are some news release sites to consider • www.i-newswire.com • www.pr.com • www.pressexposure.com • www.1888pressrelease.com • www.sanepr.com • www.pressbuzz.com • www.pressbox.com • www.pressreleasepoint.com • www.amazines.comA savvy PR officer will also distribute news releases to bookmarking sites andsocial networks.16.5.3 Social Media News ReleaseBlogs and other consumer generated media (CGM) are sometimes referredas citizen journalism. The reach and influence of CGM means news releasesare often finding their way to the inboxes of content creators. While manyjournalists are becoming disillusioned with the standard news release format,the news release can be seen as over-hyped corporate speak by time-sensitiveand transparency-focused bloggers.Pitching to bloggers can be a sensitive task, and there are some guidelinesoutlined in this chapter, but PR firms such as Edelman (www.edelman.com)and Shift Communications (www.shiftcomm.com) have created templates for a 403