Search engines are used by more than 100 million people in order to gain more information about services and products daily. When it comes to public relations and Internet, why shouldn’t businesses and organizations use these means to distribute online news releases?

If a big part of your job involves creating, producing, and sending out press releases, and you haven’t yet taken advantage of online news distribution, it would be wise to do so. After all, online press releases shouldn’t be relegated to the distributor’s website and e-mail updates. Instead, vital information of this nature should also be shared on blogs, web forums, and even social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

The more places online where a press release can be found, the more likely an interested media outlet will run with the story. The biggest impediment to publication is a lack of awareness on the part of journalists and other interested parties. Press releases in the United States are typically read only about 70 times by reporting organizations and the individuals that represent them. The greater the quantity of unique views, the higher the likelihood that the story will be picked up.

And because a U.S. journalist will read an average of only 10 press releases per day, it is important to make it count. This means using a concise headline that is catchy, yet highly informative. It also helps to make your press release succinct. Only the most critical information, along with pertinent biographical material is needed when it comes to the text. You may want to spice things up visually by embedding photos or videos in the press release.

Also, be sure to include the most up-to-date contact information. you may also want to request that the information in the press release not be published for the public at large until a specific date, either because it would be inappropriate to let the information get out sooner or to capitalize from a marketing standpoint. This request is usually made at the top of the press release.

If you have more questions, comments, or recommendations regarding public relations and Internet, you may share your thoughts in the forum below.