What Is A Press Release?

A press release is a newsworthy statement written for distribution to multiple media outlets.

Concise and with a specific format -- a press release is typically around 400 to 600 words in length.

When you want to provide the media with breaking news about your business, product, service, or event -- a well written press release will help you “get the word out”.

When News Is Not News

The purpose of a Press Release is to provide “news” and get you some media coverage.

When you sit down to write it,  just remember that a Press Release is not a vehicle for trying to “sell”.

In other words, a press release is not an advertisement.

When you have finished writing your Press Release and realize that it looks and sounds like an ad – then you should toss it out and write another one!

Press releases are great vehicles for gaining some quick publicity – but they are not meant to be “commercials”.

Keep these Four Important Points in mind as you prepare your Press Release:

1. Proper Press Release Format

Want to see a sample Press Release? Visit www.press-release-writing.com

You will see the following components:

•    Contact Information
•    “For Immediate Release”
•    Headline
•    Dateline
•    Summary
•    Body/Quotes
•    Background/Company Info.

To indicate the end of your Press Release, center 3 “#” symbols or simply -30- at the bottom of the page.

2. Start With a strong Headline.

The truth is, you only have a matter of seconds to grab the attention of readers.

Make your headline count by standing out and stating boldly what your Press Release is all about.

3. Make sure your Press Release is Newsworthy.

Remember always that a Press Release is about NEWS.

Don’t forget to include pertinent details and facts, and resist the urge to “splurge on non-essential words”.

4. Include a Memorable Quote

A relevant quote from you will help to add credibility to your Press Release.

Create a quote that serves you well – one that makes your news item memorable.

For a step by step tutorial on creating great press releases on your own, check out this excellent video from EzineArticles.com.

(Email subscribers click on the Title of this post to access the embedded video presentation).

And finally, when you have finished writing your Press Release, you can submit it for free online distribution by visiting www.pressexposure.com

Enjoy your time in the media limelight!

What is a Domain Name?

A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is the unique web “address” of your Website or Blog.

A Domain Name is the identification label attached to a specific URL.

For instance, the domain name for our website is: www.studiologiconline.com and the domain name for our Blog is www.mystudiologic.com.

When you enter these addresses into your browser, you will land directly at our website or Blog.

As you might imagine, choosing a memorable domain name that is related to your brand, product, or service is an integral part of your potential online success.

How Do You Select And Register A Domain Name?

Just as you took your time to figure out a name for your business, you should carefully consider the domain name for your Blog and Website.

You can always work with a web consultant to help you choose a domain name, but you can also do it yourself – with the help of family and friends.

Getting others involved with helping you choose your domain can be a lot of fun – and you’ll likely end up with a domain name you love.

What’s In A Name?

Selecting a name that is related to your business, and that is also easy to spell goes a long way on the Internet. The problem, of course, is that so many of the best names are already taken.

Let’s say that your business name is The Widget Shop. The easiest thing to do would be to select www.thewidgetshop.com as your domain name.

But that name may already be taken.

So it may be necessary for you to experiment with other similar names while thinking about descriptive terms that relate to your business.

As the owner of The Widget Shop, you could choose WidgestRUs.com or WidgetsOnly.com or JustWidgets.com.

Simply make a list of domain names you like – at least 10 or more to begin with.

Remember: over a quarter million domain names are registered every day. So the name you want may not be available for registration!

The important thing is: try to make it a dotcom (.com).

Dotcoms are the most popular and recognizable domain extensions on Earth.

Domain Name Wish List In Hand – Now What?

Once you have a list of domain names you like, it’s time to register one of them at the site of a Registrar.

There are thousands of accredited Domain Name Registrars to choose from – but you’ll only need one.

The registrars we use and recommend are NameCheap and GoDaddy.

Visit the registrar’s website and look for the “search domain” box. Be sure to have your credit card ready to make your purchase.

Enter the first domain name you would like to register into the box, and you will find out whether or not that domain name is available.

If it is available, proceed to the checkout page and pay for your registration.
(A domain name should cost you around $10 for 1 year of registration).

If the name you want is not available, you’ll have to keep entering names into the search box until you find an available one.

Just keep in mind that there are still plenty of great domain names still available.

If you must, use extensions such as .net and .org.

Have fun – get creative, and snag the perfect Domain Name!

Lots of people have discovered that YouTube, Vimeo, Blip.tv, and other video hosting sites are a great way to promote a product or business.

The problem is: you are probably a far cry from “video producer”.

How can you make your own promotional videos and showcase them online – without hiring outside production help?

You’ll need Video Editing Software.

Today I will show you 5 important features to look for when shopping for an entry-level Video Editing Program.

1. Ease Of Use

Since you are a beginner, you will need video editing software that has an intuitive interface. The editing tools should be clearly identified, easy to find, and simple to use.

Importing your video clips from your camcorder to the software application is the first step in digital video editing – and this step should be super easy.

2. Timeline and Storyboard Interface Option

To make video editing easier for you, you should be able to toggle between using a storyboard editing format and a timeline editing format.

A storyboard format lets you arrange your various video clips like you would arrange pictures in a photo album.

After the video clips are arranged in the order you want them, the timeline allows you to easily add audio/music, titles, effects and background music based on minutes and seconds within your video project.

3. Additional Audio Tracks

When selecting a video editing application, pay attention to the number of audio tracks you can add to your video. If you want lots of sound effects, voice-overs, and music -- you will need lots of audio tracks on which to add them.

4. YouTube Publishing & Uploading

Since YouTube is one of the most popular video hosting sites on the planet, sooner or later you’ll probably want to have a video hosted for free on YouTube.

Some video editing programs allow you to render your video project directly to Flash Video Files (FLV), and then will automatically upload your videos to YouTube.

Of course, you’ll need to set up a free YouTube account first!

5. Price

Adobe Premier Elements, Sony Vegas Movie Studio, and Apple iMovie (included with iLife) are all around $100.

You really don’t have to spend much more than this as a beginning video editor.

The Bottom Line

With any of these programs, you can easily edit and share your videos on YouTube, Vimeo, Revver, Blip.tv and other video hosting sites.

Compare applications, and start making videos!