The Value of Online Wire Services	Visited: 2070 Not rated Rate: Select 1 - Terrible 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Outstanding
by Scott F. Geld December 23, 2003

Online wire services are another Internet marketing tool that can increase your company's visibility and lead to a healthier bottom line. You've probably heard of Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI). They are wire services that distribute up-to-the-minute news information to media outlets all over the world. Business Wire and PR Newswire are an example of specialized wire services that distribute (for a fee, and an annual membership cost) company press releases and product announcements to targeted media outlets.

These wire services are valuable marketing tools for your business. The visibility they produce is immeasurable. The concept is simple: you send your press release to the wire service by email or fax, specifying a geographic area for distribution. The wire service then distributes it to hundreds of newspapers, magazines, televisions and radio stations. News releases are also sent to several high- profile online services like Dow Jones News and CompuServe as well.

When an electronic press release is sent out by a wire service, the reader sees only the headline or a few words from the headline. Because of this, it's important to carefully craft the wording of your headline. Make sure it accurately describes the important elements of your press release in the first few words. Be brief and stick to the point. Typically online readers want to get the message quickly and rather than read word for word, they scan to search for key words that interest them. Make sure that your news is not passed over because of an ineffective headline.