Free Archives - TODAY INDIA

Free Paid Surveys For Daily Income

Free paid surveys are great for people interested in earning money from home. A legitimate opportunity for people who take the job serious. Market research companies may actually pay you to join. Many survey sites online boast millions of members getting paid for sharing their opinions.

Free surveys get paid because companies need you. They need you to shape the products of the future. Sometimes you may be asked to critique a product or service before it had a chance to hit the market. For example, a company may find after an extensive survey campaign for their product it was a hit with everyone except 35 – 42-year-old men who live in the suburbs. There was no way to identify this without surveys.

You never have to worry about your information being made public. Even though you sign up with your name, email, and maybe address, your information is kept confidential. The results of the survey may be made public, but your personal information is never made public.

The marketing surveys allow businesses to fine tune and tweak products based on the results of the campaigns. It is vital for people to be honest with their feedback. Do not think you can just fly through the surveys and receive a reward. You may receive a few payments or two but you will not qualify for the highest paid surveys in the future.

Getting paid for online surveys is a great gig if you love sharing your opinion. They literally have surveys for just about everyone. If you love movies you may be asked for your opinion on a movie trailer before it comes out. Another survey may ask your opinion about a certain electronic device, nature, baby products, shopping habits, and much more.

In order to get paid doing surveys you will need a PayPal account. Many of the legitimate survey sites will send your cash through this method. Other forms of payment include checks, gift cards, e-cards, products and services, sweepstakes, and more.

Paid research surveys is a billion dollar industry. Would you be interested in earning even a little bit of that in your spare time on topics that interest you?

With online paid market research surveys your able to work whenever and wherever you want. If you want to spend just an hour doing surveys that is fine. You can do them at night, during the day, in your pajamas, totally up to you.

Avoiding Scams

The best paid surveys are free to join. You should never be asked for your credit card in order to join a survey site. Unfortunately scams do exist but you can easily avoid them by reading the about pages and doing a few searches online about the company.

Companies invest a lot of money in market research to seek out honest people interested in sharing their opinion. The best people are the folks who would have shared their opinions anyway without being paid.

Teaching Children to Write by Free Writing

When it comes to writing, starting is the hardest part, but free writing makes it so much easier! Even with a chosen topic, a blank page or computer screen can be discouraging. Free writing will get kids past the blank page.

I make myself and my students free write because it is the easiest and best creative writing idea out there. Many professionals prefer to jump start their imaginations this way. It is also called quick, madman or practice writing.

The first time you ask children to do this, they will stare incredulously and grumble. They will be hard pressed to meet the time requirement of three minutes. However, after a regular discipline of free writing, they will begin to enjoy this time and it is amazing what they can produce. I often have to force them to stop at the end of ten minutes.

The rules for free writing:

Write quickly and uncritically. Aim for quantity, not quality.

You must write for the mandatory time period (begin with 3 minutes and work up to 10). There is no need for a topic. Begin writing. Do not think of what to write. It doesn’t matter. It’s the process, not the product that is important.

Your hand must be moving the entire time and you are not allowed to talk. Not even a peep.

If you can’t think of anything, then write, “I don’t know what to write,” or repeat the last word or letter over and over so that writing continues no matter what. If students consistently cop out in this manner ignore it. In time, they will come around. It’s way more boring to do this than it is to write.

Use a non-ticking timer. I don’t know why that provides incentive, but it does.

Use a scribbler. Write the date on the top right-hand corner. Continue just below this entry the next time. These writing samples are often used for future stories.

When the timer goes off, read what you have written and give it a title. Write your title on the top left-hand corner.

For best results, the parent should free write in his or her scribbler each time the child writes.

Spelling, neatness, grammar, spacing, etc. do not count (I can’t stress this enough).

What you write is private. You may share with the others by reading aloud when you are done, but that is entirely voluntary. The parent should honor children’s privacy. Only when we feel safe to write our true feelings will our creativity be released.

Be faithful with this activity. Start every day with it and stick to it like brushing your teeth. In a very short time, it will produce fruit. I used this technique with a junior high creative writing course. We started each class by free writing for ten minutes. I assigned a certain number of free writing sessions for increasing lengths of time each week. Sometimes I made them write in unusual locations. The results were phenomenal. Their writing took off, and I attribute it directly to the free writing exercises. I have heard similar success stories from many parents.

When I began free writing each morning, I noticed two things happened almost immediately. One was that I began to look forward to that time. It became therapeutic. I never knew what would flow out of my pen and I discovered many things about myself. The second was that writing became much easier. When I say writing, I mean the writing that I did apart from free writing. What I free wrote was immaterial. Most of it I never looked at again. The real pay off came when I had to write an article with a deadline. I would sit at my computer and dive in, head first. No longer did I stare at a blank screen. Like a long distance runner, I was instantly in stride and I took off.

If you will trust me and try this consistently for a healthy period of time (months), you will notice a difference in your children’s writing. I would love it if you would write a comment about it on this site and share with others that it really does work!

Using Free Resume Writing Software to Build a Resume From Scratch

You’re looking at a blank page trying to write a resume, and are questioning whether you have enough information to fill a single sheet of paper to list your skills and experience. Does this scenario sound familiar? If so, you are not alone. Writing about your professional work experience is one of the most important tools in your job search. However, writing a resume from scratch can be a time consuming and frustrating activity. There are many resources available to help simplify the process of building a summary of your academic and work history. These include professional writing services. Though they can be very effective, these services can also be quite expensive. For individuals who are inexperienced or haven’t created a summary of their work history in a long time, a cost effective alternative may be using free resume writing software.

Free resume writing software is a great solution if you’re a “do-it-your-self” type of person, can’t afford to hire a professional writing service or have less than perfect writing skills. In most cases, these applications can either be installed on your computer, be web-based and come with a selection of templates to help you write a summary of your academic and work history from construction to completion. Furthermore, these solutions can help highlight your strongest assets, make improvements or updates where necessary.

There are many providers who offer this type of software, however in most cases their applications will be shareware or trial-ware designed to help write and edit traditional, web-based and electronic resumes. There are some vendors such as The Resume Builder.com who provide a free resume writing software service where you can create your work history online. However, if you like it and want to be able to use it, you’ll need to get a membership which costs $14.95. This does though give you one year unlimited access including hosting of your work details on the web. Further to that, if you do creating anything, your work is kept on their servers for 14 days if you decide you want to become a member.

Most free resume writing software will typically allow you to build a summary of your professional work history in minutes with the use of an easy to use interface or wizard. This enables you to enter all your career information step-by-step which is ideal for beginners. Additionally, many applications have been designed to be fully customizable and allow you to construct something that is professional and tailor-made.

If you do opt for using free resume writing software to build a resume from scratch, always ask someone else to review your work and give you feedback. Though this software will help make the whole creation process easier and quicker, it won’t prevent you from making spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. Having a second pair eyes to read over your work will help bring to attention anything that appears unclear or confusing.

When a Free Resume Ends Up Costing You More Than a Professional One

The most commonly searched keywords regarding resumes inevitably include “free” or “template” in them. Nobody wants to pay for something they think they can do themselves. A quick search will yield dozens of different services and sites offering free assistance with writing your own resume. But before you decide to sign up for any of these services, you ought to do your research on them first. Just like with any industry, even resume writing services has its shady underbelly.

One of the most common free resume template services involves an application where you provide your information such as name, education, work experience, etc., and the application plugs it automatically into a ready-made template. But before you are allowed to save your document or print it out, you are asked to pay a small, negligible fee, often around $2 or sometimes give your credit card information for a “free” trial that you can supposedly cancel at any time. Not so bad for something other people may pay several hundred dollars for, huh? Think again.

Hidden deep in the fine print, that no one seems to read anymore anyways, is the agreement you make to be charged for an automatically renewing subscription service. Before you know it, your credit card is being charged $40, $50, or even more every month. If you take a look at some of the consumer reviews for some of these “free” resume services, you will find that unfortunately many people do not pay very close attention to their credit card statements and may end up having these reoccurring charges for more than a year. What you thought was “free” or only a couple of bucks ends up turning out to be several hundred dollars or more, depending on when you notice the fraudulent charges.

Oftentimes, you will have little to no luck disputing the charges with your bank or credit card company. If the charges are reoccurring on your account, you will have been assumed to have agreed to them. This is another good reminder to always keep a close eye on your bank and credit card amounts. And good luck trying to dispute the charges with the actual company over the telephone or email. Why would they want to give you the time of day to cancel the charges when hidden fees and surcharges are their bread and butter? Always be suspicious of businesses without verifiable, physical addresses, and do your consumer research beforehand.

Many people who are looking to have a resume written are unemployed and looking to save money wherever they can, so they turn to “free” resume making websites that they believe will improve their chances of securing interviews. The sad reality is that there are many companies out there whose entire business model is based off scamming the poor and destitute with hidden fees and a sub-par product. If you are looking for help writing your resume, always do your research before you hand over any credit card information. Furthermore, ask friends and family what has best worked for them. Legitimate, professional resume writing services may not be for everyone, but they do help a great deal of job seekers. Sometimes the initial investment is well worth the reward. A well-written, effective resume could be the difference between you getting a new job in the next couple of weeks vs. you getting a job in the next couple of months, and all of that lost income will add up.

Actually Free Resume Templates

It is likely you have resume templates already installed on whichever word processing software you have. There are plenty of places where you can legitimately download them for free online and just enter in the necessary information yourself. For many people, this is as far as resume writing goes. Write a simple objective, name the school you went to, describe your work experience, and list any certifications. The problem is that, while templates may give you a basic format outline, it does not tell you what to actually write in it or how to write it. Just as all individuals are different, so should every resume be different.

Remember, free resume templates are designed to grab your attention, not the attention of the people who actually matter, such as hiring managers and recruiters. They may try to wow you with different fonts, graphics, and colors, but this is not what employers are looking for. You may think you will come off as interesting, creative, and eye catching if you used a unique resume template, but in the eyes of the hiring authority it will be clear as daylight that you used just another generic resume template.

When I have been in charge of hiring before, one of my most memorable examples was an individual who described themselves as a “creative type” and “proficient in Microsoft Office.” Their resume formatting and style was a little out of the ordinary for sure, but it was also obvious they used a rather common resume template. Why would I want to hire someone who says they are “creative” and “proficient in Microsoft Office,” if they can’t even format their own resume?

When looking at resumes, hiring authorities want documents that are simple, clean, and get straight to the point. With a competitive job market, a Human Resources official may sift through hundreds of resumes for a single position. They don’t spend too much time on each one, normally just a quick glance before they decide if it goes in the garbage or if the candidate needs a closer look.

A final warning about free resume templates is the question of how Applicant Tracking System (ATS) compliant they are. Many companies, especially large corporations, use ATS software to pre-screen applicants. This software scans the document for things like experience level, skills, certifications, educational background, industry keywords, and more. If you have a strangely formatted resume, it will be difficult for the software to read your resume. Even if you are the perfect candidate and have an otherwise well-written resume, it may get thrown in the garbage before a pair of human eyes ever actually looks at it.

Free Up Finances – Fold Your Letters

Saving time and money without sacrificing quality is a factor that many businesses aim to achieve. But cutting costs doesn’t necessarily mean quality standards have to decrease as well, in fact the opposite is true. Indeed, cost cutting and quality control are considerations relevant to all departments, from production and operations to business administration.

When it comes to the administration side of things, one of the most practical ways to save money is by assessing how your mail is packaged and posted.

As such, if you already use a franking machine then it is good to know that there are further ways in which you can cut the cost of your postage, whilst improving customer communication at the same time. Cost cutting doesn’t mean you should stop using mail altogether – this is actually one of the best means of communicating with customers and is crucial in achieving repeat business. What’s more, it is also an extremely effective means of attracting and sustaining a new customer base.

You may or may not be familiar with the different sizes of envelopes that you can post your letters in. But the smallest size used for business post is usually DL; C5 is the next size up, whilst the larger C4 holds an unfolded A4 sheet.

It is important to understand that Royal Mail charge postage depending on the weight of items, as well as the size of the envelope used; smaller envelopes benefit from lower postage costs. An easy cost cutting tip is to simply fold your letters, enabling them to fit into smaller envelopes and thus reducing overall costs. Folding down from large letter format mail can result in Royal Mail charging 15p less per item of postage – if you consider the quantity of mail you may send, this may mean large savings.

Of course, this is all very well if you don’t send large volumes of letters and have enough time to fold what you do send, but any more than a few letters every day and you could find the task time consuming and tedious. For this very reason you can use products such as folder inserters to improve the efficiency of your mail preparation.

Common documents such as bills, invoices or statements can be easily handled. In addition, you can use advanced options for customised communications which in turn boosts customer loyalty and improves overall communication.

There are several different models of folding inserting systems that you can choose from depending on your requirements. There are models compact enough to fit in a home or small office, and machines large enough to cope with large mailings every day. Smaller machines can generally cope with around 4,000 pieces of mail per month, whilst larger machines are capable of handling much larger quantities.

When you have diverse products such as folder inserters [http://www.pitneybowes.co.uk/Mail-Management/Outgoing-Mail-Management/Inserting-Systems/inserting-systems.htm] available for your business needs, there really is no reason for communication not to be improved, whilst freeing up your finances at the same time.

Free Domain Names Online

With the way the internet is growing these days, it’s no surprise that there are a ton of people that want to own their own website. There are even more people that want to have their own domain name. Having your own can become a bit difficult. There is of course the option to own a sub domain but that will not help most people, because while they have a domain name by using this method, it will never end up at the top of the Google hit list, no matter how many great keywords they use. For those who don’t care about it, that’s great because sub domains are generally free so long as you use the free ones, and they are offered by many different websites. So the question on everyone’s mind these days, is it possible to get absolutely free domain names?

It is possible to obtain a free name that you actually own, but even free comes with a certain price. One of the biggest issues is that you’ll generally end up filling out a lot of different offers. Yes, we’ve all been through this, the scenario where they offer you something for free, and you get excited thinking you’re going to have the newest video game console, or absolutely free domain names in this case, and then they make you answer a bunch of questions. You’re fine with the questions, until you get to the one that requires a paid subscription to some ridiculous magazine in order to proceed. That’s where you end up drawing the line and clicking on the X.

If you do manage to get your own, and somehow manage to get it without giving up any money, then you’ll probably notice that you have to pay for the hosting. Without it, your site will never go live because even though you have your website made, with all of its cute little flash buttons and the like, it’s never going to be live on the internet until you shell out the cash for the hosting. Normally you’ll discover that the company offering the paid hosting is the same company that you got this free domain from. They’re going to get their money no matter what. If you do manage to get free hosting along with absolutely free domain names, then you’ll probably find that your page is littered with advertisements over which you have no control. You might be okay with this at the moment, but later on you’re going to realize that this isn’t the website you had in mind when you went looking for absolutely free domain names.

One more problem you run into, is that if you did not acquire the rights to .com, .org, .net and every other extension under the sun, people will be free to copy your name with a different extension. Say you have rubblecake.com, and someone makes rubblecake.org. This means that others may accidentally navigate to that site instead of yours, costing you both traffic and ratings.

All in all, it’s better to buy your domain name if you are serious about having your own website. It’s better for you, and it’s definitely better for everyone that visits your website on a daily basis.

Free Trade Magazines

Free trade magazines or we can say a best way to understand adopting career change and earn good money, are the baits thrown by the magazine owners to lure customers at once. All the online users must be familiar with such luring offers which often come across. Free trade magazines can prove to be of great importance to the small and medium scale industrialists too, as they provide necessary information about the marketers and government policies affecting the particular industries.

Subscribing a free trade magazine seems to be a very economic affair but, after doing it you will realize the truth lying behind such a sumptuous offer. Companies offering trade magazines for free know the ideal psychology of the people, which is the reason why they claim to provide their products for free initially. Once you subscribe it, you will be asked to pay a particular amount to continue the subscription. The first few editions might be given for free, but gradually you will realize that it was no different than subscribing any other trade magazine with genuine payments.

Paid subscriptions on the other hand are rather transparent in their working. Magazine providers ask for amount initially and do not mislead the customers by proposing unrealistic offers like free trade magazines. Those who like toying with fresh ideas would try using such lucrative offers like free trade magazines at least once. People who want to make it big and require information about how to initiate their business and other related things like to subscribe to trade magazines in general. Trade magazines will provide them with all the essential information and tips to attain their goals. If you are too keen to work out something in a commercially viable way, you might get struck in the beginning even.

Those who like to switch careers need appropriate information to plan their actions. To know what the new line of work entails you need to understand the basics and pre requisites to establish the one of your choice. For all that, you can subscribe to some relevant magazines. There are cases when people with already established career get a feeling to switch to another career where their interest lies. To follow your interests you need to get trained relevantly, so that you could commercialize your services and earn handsome money from it.

To know what remuneration you could attain by opting a new career, and the mode through which you could hone your skills to fit in the industry well, you need perfect and to the point information from a reliable source. For this purpose subscribing to a free magazine seems to be a very beneficial option. Free magazines may ask you about your credit card information initially, but won’t ask you to pay for the trial subscription at that time. Later on to continue the subscription you will have to make the payments as per the magazine provider’s rules.

Some magazines can be used as a part of continuing professional education in the fields like insurance and engineering etc. The information provided in the trade magazines is very beneficial for its readers as it tells them the opportunity cost to switch from their existing career to a another career to their interest. It states the real picture of the industry and helps the individuals in deciding about whether to venture upon their new interest or not and how.

Economics 101 – Free Trade and Outsourcing Jobs

Free trade is an often misunderstood and polarizing subject. In my musings with everyday folks to academics it is shocking how confused the subject can become. Speaking in generalities, most Americans want a healthy, robust economy here in the United States. That is what I want and that is why I am an avid supporter of free trade. This is why the issue of shipping jobs overseas has particular importance to me. In my experience most people see shipping jobs overseas and the decline of American manufacturing as an unequivocally bad development. Avid supporters of free trade often take a negative stance towards businesses who shift operations overseas. This line of thinking is simply wrong. If this sounds crazy or offends you then that is exactly why you need to read on and gain some perspective. I want jobs in the United States and I want people and businesses to prosper and flourish but demonizing businesses for making shrewd decisions to stay competitive is pointing the finger at the wrong party. The problem isn’t the business that “ships jobs overseas,” it is the policies that make the business “ship jobs overseas.”

To illustrate the point I would like to talk about the sugar industry in the United States. Beginning in 1816 the United States implemented tariffs on sugar imports. These were designed to placate the newly acquired Louisiana territory and their sugar plantation owners. These tariffs were intended to protect the sugar industry in the United States and provide incentive to buy American sugar. In 1934 the government implemented import quotas to complement the tariffs and funnel subsidies to American sugar growers. For almost two hundred years these policies have protected sugar growers in the United States but this encroachment on free trade has not come without its costs.

For 59 of the last 60 years sugar prices have been equal to or higher than the world market price. At one point sugar in the US sold for 21 cents per pound when the world market price was 3 cents per pound. Every cent the price of sugar goes up costs the US economy between $250 million and $300 million to consumers. A commerce department study estimated this costs consumers more than $3 billion dollars a year in the United States. In 2002 Kraft moved its Lifesaver factory to Canada. In 2004 Brach’s moved its candy production to Mexico. Hershey Foods shut down operations in Pennsylvania, Colorado, and California and relocated them in Canada. Chicago, once the candy manufacturing capital of the U.S. has lost thousands of jobs. In 1984 both Coke and Pepsi stopped using sugar in their products and switched to high fructose corn syrup causing a drop in sugar consumption in the U.S. of 500,000 tons per year. Since then a slew of manufacturers have made the switch to high fructose corn syrup. In 2006, a Commerce Department study concluded that for each sugar industry job saved nearly three food manufacturing jobs were lost.

When businesses pull the trigger and move operations overseas we need to have a deeper understanding of why they are moving business overseas. In a previous article I spoke of our minimum wage that raises the cost of labor. The United States also has the second highest corporate sales tax in the world. These things tilt the scales and often make it more profitable to do business overseas. Many people like to spout the mantra “Buy American” but in a global economy this is often difficult to do and racked with confusion. Toyota has three of the top ten most American vehicles. Saying “Buy American” doesn’t hold much weight unless you talk with your wallet. People act in a fashion that gives the most bang for their buck. That is why we get cheap clothing and electronics from overseas.

Buying American is great as long as the price makes sense. When the price doesn’t make sense, it can hurt the economy and cost us jobs. I know this sounds scary and goes against what some of you might feel in your heart but it’s true. When you spend inefficiently and buy American products that cost more than equivalent foreign products, the difference in price is money that would have been spent in another part of the economy. If you spend $100 more on an American bed than you would have spent at IKEA, that is $100 taken from another part of the economy. The aggregate effect of this mentality could cost American salesmen jobs or American distributors. This is just like spending more on sugar to prop up American sugar growers while costing thousands of jobs in the food manufacturing industry in America.

It is misguided to blame companies for making tough decisions to stay competitive. If an American manufacturer decides to keep jobs in the U.S. when it is more efficient to outsource their jobs, they become less competitive. That means their prices will likely be higher. Their profits will be lower which means they have less money to expand or invest in research and development. If they cannot stay competitive then they will likely go under costing all of their jobs rather than just jobs they would have sent overseas. These are all things that need to be considered in free trade. Tariffs and subsidies cause distortions in the market where the negatives often outweigh the positives. Forcing “Buy American” policies when the price doesn’t makes sense may prop up one industry but at a cost to other industries and we often forget that.

Free trade works but we can’t pick and choose what kinds of free trade we like. When companies move overseas we need to stop blaming the companies and look at the policies that push them to do it. We can’t pretend that shipping jobs overseas has only one effect that is negative or that usurping free trade to keep certain jobs here doesn’t have negative effects. Companies don’t ship jobs overseas to satisfy some insatiable greed, they do it to survive in a competitive world market. It gives us low prices so our dollar goes further and our quality of life is higher. If we want manufacturing in America we need to address the reasons why businesses outsource manufacturing. We need to address things like our corporate tax rate, minimum wage, tariffs, and import quotas. Free trade is an amazing way to allocate funds efficiently for a maximum benefit to society. When we see things happening in the economy we don’t like you are likely to find that the source is a policy that hampers free trade rather than free trade itself. Get rid of the sugar program and we will see more jobs in America.

Social Media Marketing – How to Use Free Online Tools For Site Promotion

Discussing, promoting and sharing information are some of the advantages in social media marketing. It includes social networking, social bookmarks, forums, wikis, and blogs. Facebook, MySpace, Plaxo and LinkedIn are few examples of websites used for social media marketing.

Small and big businesses are now using social sites as tools to spread brand awareness and discuss their products and services. The best part of these applications is that they are free of charge. It is a great advantage for small business operating on a low marketing budget.

Social media requires long term commitment and consistency. Business owners should also have done research on selecting the appropriate social applications in line with their company’s mission and goal. Here are some popular and successful social media tools for small business.

Create a Blog The sites that receive the most traffic are blogs. A blog is like a journal that is written by an individual and is regularly updated. Your company can use or create blogs to share multimedia, news and information about your business. Through the use of blogs, a small business can develop a specific image or personality and educate people about their products and services or the industry in general.
Use Twitter Twitter is a micro blogging and social networking service that allows users to read and send messages to the public. By using Twitter, you can promote your products and broaden brand awareness. Twitter is a fast-growing online community and its popularity is still on a rising trend.
Facebook Fan Page Most people are now using Facebook. Facebook is the most well-known social networking site in the world today. It is not only known for personal profiles but also for business profiles. This social media tool allows you to share your company’s videos, photos, event posts and concise wall posts. By replying to the fan’s questions on your wall post, your customer service will be enhanced.
Use LinkedIn LinkedIn launched in May 2003. It is a business-oriented social networking site and is usually used for professional networking. You can post your resumé and receive approval or recommendations from fellow employees, clients and business partners. This is also an efficient way of hiring competent employees and recognizing business opportunities. Users can make connections and interact through LinkedIn Polls, LinkedIn Groups and LinkedIn Answers.

Social media is now a fascinating tool in the world of business today and is modernized to meet the consumer’s demand. It is highly recommended to do research on the effective tools in social media to promote your company’s services, products and brands to your target market.

Online Press Releases Create Loads of Free Publicity for Your Home Business

Online press releases are one of the fastest and easiest ways to get your home business in front of your target market.

Many times when people think of the term “press release,” what comes to mind is a major life-changing news story published by a large corporation or government agency. According to the World English Dictionary, however, a press release is simply “an official announcement or account of a news item circulated to the press.”

What does that mean for the home business entrepreneur?

You have a powerful tool for generating publicity and getting noticed — right at your fingertips.

Why Online Press Releases?

In the past, news was released in print, on television and on radio. In recent years, however, the internet has completely changed the way individuals and organizations get the word out.

The average consumer now expects to get their news immediately, especially online, so when you publish a press release about your home business on the web, it’s possible to see a major influx of traffic to your business within hours and minutes instead of the weeks and days it used to take.

Here’s why it works.

Many of the press release sites are considered important authority sites by the search engines, so if you optimize your report properly as explained in this article, your news item will appear higher in the search results for the terms your prospective customer cares about.

Moreover, the fact that they are identified as authority sites means the links from the press release sites to your website are given more weight. So from the search engine perspective, you are more of an authority and your website rank increases, making it easier for your intended audience to find you online.

Additionally, due to the relevance associated with press release sites, your perceived authority in the minds of your readers multiplies. You then have an avenue by which you can educate the consumer about your home business, build rapport and truly form a connection.

But What Would I Write a Press Release About?

As stated above, a press release doesn’t have to be about an earth-shattering event (although big news can garner a lot of attention quickly, as you’ll see below). Here are 10 ideas you can use to gain free publicity using the power of the press:

1. Announce the opening of your business. If you’ve been in business for a while and have never written a press release about it, write a piece announcing your mission statement. Tell the world who you are and what it is you have to offer.

2. Publicize a new product or service you’re launching. Share the benefits your customer can expect, and tell them how to do business with you.

3. Announce your teleseminars and webinars. A press release is a fantastic vehicle for attracting attendees, so always include enough information to ensure you’re drawing the right audience.

4. Reveal a special sale or any special offers you have going on. Tell your prospective customer exactly why they should do everything possible to seek you out.

5. Remember that major news story? Link big news with something happening in your company. As an example, about two weeks before the time of this writing, Prince William announced his engagement to Kate Middleton. The Franklin Mint then announced the production of a limited edition Kate Middleton portrait doll.

6. Start a Meetup group for home business owners in your area and promote it with a press release. You can announce the establishment of the group itself and send a news release before each event. In this way, you grow your membership and increase attendance at the meetings.

7. Publish a news piece when you launch your website and every time you make a major change to it. Be sure to include an incentive for the reader to actually visit your site.

8. Create a press release when you hire support staff. This is an implied statement that your home business is growing rapidly and your prospects need to do business with you now, while they can still work with you personally.

9. Set up a charitable event and tell the world via a press release. One of the best ways to implement this idea is to offer a product for sale and commit 100% of the proceeds to the charity of your choice. This is especially effective if the product for sale is an information product because it minimizes your cost. Don’t have an information product? Set up an interview with a well-known figure in your market (let them know it’s for charity), record the interview, and sell the mp3 download.

10. Start a contest and write a news article to announce it. Include enough information that the reader can clearly understand the rules and benefits. Contests are fantastic tools for building your list of prospects.

So What Goes In a Press Release Anyway?

One of the keys to success with online press releases is to write your news item so that it will be found when people are searching for what it is you offer.

In order to do this, spend several minutes brainstorming and writing down specific words and phrases your ideal prospect is likely to enter into the search box when they’re looking for the solution you provide. Then use a keyword research tool, such as the Google External Keyword Tool, to identify the most popular search terms in your market.

Select 4-5 of the most popular terms. One of these will be your main keyword, and the rest will serve as supporting – or secondary – keywords. These are the words you’ll focus on when writing the press release for your home business.

Now that you know your keywords, let’s look at what to put in the press release.

1. Title. A good press release title is short, starts with your main keyword, and grabs the reader’s attention immediately. Use action words and power words such as results, secret, risky, revealed, and announces. Remember the goal is to motivate the audience to want to read more.

2. Summary. The summary is one or two sentences that describe what your news item is about, and it should include 3-5 secondary keywords. The summary should entice the prospective reader to read the entire article. It’s also a good idea to place a link to your website in the summary of a press release so the reader can immediately visit your site if they so choose.

3. Dateline. The dateline must include the date and a clear, concise declaration of the news. When someone reads the dateline, they should have an immediate understanding of what you’re reporting.

4. Main Body. The body of your press release should be 300-800 words long, written from the third-person, neutral point of view. It must answer the 5 W’s — who, what, where, when, and why. The body text should focus on a single news item and must not be written like an advertisement. Instead, tell the reader what’s happening and why they should care. Be certain to include 1-3 links to your website in the body of your press release. At least one of the links should use your main keyword as the anchor text (the visible, clickable text in the hyperlink) and at least one of the links should use your actual website address as the anchor text. Take the time to be sure one of your keywords is in every paragraph of your press release.

5. About/Boilerplate. Give the reader of your press release a high-level look at your home business. Tell them about any special certifications, awards, and honors you’ve received. Convey your unique selling proposition. Then place a call to action, with a direct link to your website, as the last line.

6. Contact Information. Provide your name, the company name, your telephone number and the website address for your business so the reader and members of the media can easily contact you. Do not use a personal email address.

So I Just Write a Press Release and People Start Calling?

Well…no.

After you write your press release, you do have to submit it to the online distribution services. These services share your news items with multiple websites so your content is published all over the web, thereby increasing your exposure and the likelihood that your target audience will connect with you and learn about your home business.

While there are some paid services, there are also several that allow you to distribute your news items for no cost.