Complete Guide to Internet Publicity: Creating and Launching Successful Online Campaigns Steve O’Keefe Wiley Computer Publishing John Wiley & Sons, Inc. NEW YORK • CHICHESTER • WEINHEIM • BRISBANE • SINGAPORE • TORONTO 71249_O'Keefe_FM 12/14/01 6:24 PM Page vi 71249_O'Keefe_FM 12/14/01 6:24 PM Page i Complete Guide to Internet Publicity 71249_O'Keefe_FM 12/14/01 6:24 PM Page ii Praise for Steve O’Keefe’s PUBLICITY ON THE INTERNET “This book is the most important marketing resource in print today!” —BBL Internet Media “This is, by far, the best nuts-and-bolts explanation of what goes into a successful online campaign I have seen to date. RECOMMENDATION: run to your local book store and buy a copy.” —Richard Hoy, Moderator, Online Advertising Discussion List “Written in a lucid, engaging style and grounded by thorough research and the author’s extensive real world experience, I can’t imagine a better constructed guide to this dynamic and complex field.” —Ken McCarthy, President, E-Media “(Publicity on the Internet) has been my Bible, survival kit, and warm teddy bear of security...Everyone here wants to use it and I won’t let it go!” —Cindy Railing, Account Supervisor, DuDell & Associates, Inc. “I’ve read over 100 books on the Internet over the past four years, and Publicity on the Internet is one of my two favorites!” —David Scott Lewis, President, Strategies & Technology, The Internet Marketing Consultancy “Publicity on the Internet is a really excellent book, one of the best I have seen on any topic relating to the Internet. Not only is it well organized and comprehensive, it is written in a wonderfully clear and readable style. This book is a significant contribu- tion to the literature about communicating on the Internet. I am recommending it to everyone I know, except for our competitors.” —Bob Novick, Impulse Research “Publicity on the Internet is great. I have read the first 4 chapters but I can safely say I enjoy it so much I can hardly stand it.” —Susannah Breslin, Postfeminist Playground “I learned more in the first fifteen minutes I spent with Publicity on the Internet—and not just raw knowledge but directly useful information—than in reading several other Internet business books all the way through. All I can say is, Bravo!” —Shel Horowitz, Author, Grassroots Marketing 71249_O'Keefe_FM 12/14/01 6:24 PM Page iii Complete Guide to Internet Publicity: Creating and Launching Successful Online Campaigns Steve O’Keefe Wiley Computer Publishing John Wiley & Sons, Inc. NEW YORK • CHICHESTER • WEINHEIM • BRISBANE • SINGAPORE • TORONTO 71249_O'Keefe_FM 12/14/01 6:24 PM Page iv Publisher: Robert Ipsen Editor: Cary Sullivan Assistant Editor: Christina Berry/Scott Amerman Associate Managing Editor: Penny Linskey Associate New Media Editor: Brian Snapp Text Design & Composition: D&G Limited, LLC Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. In all instances where John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is aware of a claim, the product names appear in initial capital or ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Readers, however, should contact the appropriate companies for more complete information regarding trademarks and registration. This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright © 2002 by Steve O’Keefe. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York Published simultaneously in Canada. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copy- right Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 750-4744. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158-0012, (212) 850-6011, fax (212) 850- 6008, E-Mail: PERMREQ @ WILEY.COM. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: ISBN: 0-471-10580-5 Printed in the United States of America. 10987654321 71249_O'Keefe_FM 12/14/01 6:24 PM Page v Dedicated to the memory of Russell L. Eberlein, owner of the Internet 71249_O'Keefe_FM 12/14/01 6:24 PM Page vi CHAPTER Contents Acknowledgments xi Chapter 1 The Power of Internet Publicity 1 The Promise 3 The Problems 4 The Principles 5 The Practice 9 The Prognosis 11 Chapter 2 E-Mail News Releases 13 Using and Abusing E-Mail News Releases 14 Types of News Releases 20 Writing E-Mail News Releases 25 Formatting E-Mail News Releases 30 Finding E-Mail Addresses of the Media 36 Sending E-Mail News Releases 47 News Release Follow-Up 51 Top Tips 54 vii viii Contents Chapter 3 Online News Rooms 55 Newsroom Organization 56 Newsroom Architecture 61 What Should the Site Contain? 66 News Wires and News Feeds 69 Online Presentations 77 Online News Conferences 80 Online Crisis Management 87 Top Tips 94 Chapter 4 Discussion Group Postings 95 The Postings Campaign 97 Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam 102 Writing Effective Postings 105 Posting to Newsgroups 113 Posting to Mailing Lists 119 Posting on America Online and CompuServe 123 Posting on Web Site Message Boards 130 Defending Your Postings 135 Top Tips 139 Chapter 5 Newsletters and Direct Marketing 141 Hardware and Software 142 Direct E-Mail 145 Online Newsletters 153 Case History: Publishers’ Lunch 163 Top Tips 167 Chapter 6 Chat Tours 169 Can We Talk? 170 Preparing for Chat 179 Booking Chats 191 Promoting Chats 202 Conducting Chats 208 Chat Follow-Up 214 Top Tips 217 Contents ix Chapter 7 Online Seminars and Workshops 219 The Benefits of Online Seminars and Workshops 220 Formats for Online Seminars and Workshops 224 Creating Pitch Pages and Other Setup Materials 231 Finding and Securing Partner Sites 243 Promoting Seminars and Workshops 248 Conducting Seminars and Workshops 253 Follow-Up Operations 261 Top Tips 265 Chapter 8 Web Site Registration and Linkage 267 Who Do You Want at Your Site? 268 How People Find Your Site 272 Search Engine Optimization 277 Web Site Registration 285 The Linkage Campaign 291 Top Tips 309 Chapter 9 Contests and Other Fancy Promotions 311 A Tale of Two Promotions 312 Designing Good Promotions 315 Partnerships 326 Contests 331 Games and Quizzes 336 Traffic Builders 341 Major Events 348 Top Tips 352 Chapter 10 Syndicating Your Promotions 355 Syndication Basics 356 Documents, Files, and News 362 Chats, Seminars, and Workshops 367 Your Own Show 374 Associate and Affiliate Programs 381 Case History: myjobsearch.com 385 Top Tips 390 x Contents Chapter 11 Building an Online Publicity Operation 393 Organization and Budgeting 394 Setup and Training 405 Measuring Results 415 Top Tips 418 Appendix Companion Web Site 421 Index 425 CHAPTER Acknowledgments Throughout this book, I use the arrogant pronoun “I” when, in fact, a cast of thou- sands was involved. To list them all here—or even the major actors—would com- pound that arrogance, allowing me to bask in their brilliance. Yet, intellectual honesty requires that I share the credit while claiming all errors as my own. First and foremost, I would like to thank my former employer, Cliff Kurtzman, at The Tenagra Corporation, and my staff, Christopher Lenois, Skye Wentworth, Gwen- dolynn Gawlick, Jeremy Hart, Mohammed “Taz” Tazehzadeh, Kate Bolin, Susan Diaz- Romero, Jesse Vohs, Tonya Lehner, Deborah Fairchild, and Bill Garnett. Over the past seven years, I have been inspired by a group of mentors and col- leagues who have helped me think through the problems of online communication and pioneer solutions of lasting value. I cannot thank them enough for their guidance, wisdom, and support. They include Jill Ellsworth, Alice Acheson, Glenn Fleishman, Richard Hoy, Daniel Kehoe, Ken McCarthy, Eric Ward, Paul Krupin, Ned Schumann, Janet Attard, Anne Papina, Mike Bayer, David Marriott, Don Bates, Richard Morris, Neil Gordon, Heather Stone, Gary Hardin, and Kelly O’Keefe. I thank my clients for funding my research and providing the examples in this book. I thank all the Web masters, forum hosts, moderators, sysops, and chat hosts who worked with me and gave their venues over to the campaigns described here. And, I thank my fellow authors and instructors who have bravely attempted to describe the workings of this new world for the benefit of all who follow. xi CHAPTER 1 The Power of Internet Publicity Five years ago, I put the finishing touches on my book, Publicity on the Internet, and shipped it off to the publisher. It was a good book. It became a bestseller at Amazon.com. It earned dozens of rave reviews from the media and one bad one. I received hundreds of letters from fans thanking me for writing the book. The ones I cherish most are from colleagues in the trade—marketers, publicists, and public rela- tions professionals—who used the techniques in the book and reported that “it worked.” But that’s not why it was a good book. Publicity on the Internet was a good book because money had nothing to do with it. Don’t get me wrong; I’m an unapologetic capitalist. But I’ve been around the publish- ing profession long enough to know that good books aren’t written for money.