There is no disputing the power of a well-written, newsworthy press release. In fact, it is one of the single best things you can do for your business.

Newspapers, magazines, radio and television news programs are filled with stories about businesses and organizations every day. What you may not realize is that those stories are often the result of a press release. There is a bit of skill involved in crafting a truly newsworthy release; the rewards can help stretch your promotional dollar significantly.

In this 8-page, no-fluff guide, I’ll share the 6-step “Publicity Litmus Test,” the 5 critical self-evaluation questions that will result in a killer press release, the 7 steps to successful self-promotion, and 14 resources from my own  personal PR rolodex.

To download your copy, click here.

Unless you’ve been living in a sandtrap, you’ve no doubt heard of Tiger Woods’ recently publicity nightmare involving his alleged infidelity.

While I am no golfer, (unless we’re talking Putt Putt), I did see a marketing lesson among the headlines. Only time will tell if Tiger can regain his “golden boy” status — but in the meantime, here’s a few reputation management tips you can garner to improve your own game:

Take responsibility right away. I really think that Tiger dropped the ball (I couldn’t resist) by not coming clean right away. There were too many things about the much-publicized car crash that just didn’t add up. Among them was my personal favorite — that Elin smashed in the back window of the vehicle in order to get Tiger out. Call me skeptical, but a much more likely scenario is that while she may have gotten him out of the car, Elin took a “slice” out of Tiger in the process…back window be damned.

Tiger has enjoyed years of fame, and millions of dollars from his talents. Sponsorships account for more than a small portion of his income each year — and those sponsors count on the celebrity cache of Tiger’s brand to help sell their products. In addition, Tiger’s style and personality have won many new fans for the game — including throngs of young fans who look up to him as a role model. True, he’s only human; but for those whom society has placed on a pedestal — and are richly rewarded as a result — shouldn’t they be held accountable for their actions, just as anyone else would?

Give sincere, heartfelt apologies. In this instance, you can’t settle for par. Family should obviously come first. Then, reach out to your fan base, and extend them an apology for your behavior. Finally, look toward those sponsors whose brands may have suffered as a result of your actions. They may drop you, and that is certainly their prerogative. Be that as it may, they are no less deserving of an apology.

Rebuild your image. Just as a caddy would advise you on how best to make that perfect shot, you must surround yourself with people, products and services that can help restore your good name. Tiger must demonstrate that he is committed to his family, and intends to put an end to his philandering. The status of his marriage is still uncertain — however, he has children that will be directly impacted by his actions. Making his wife and children his first priority will earn him support among his fan base. They won’t immediately forgive him, but they will be willing to do so in time.

Many celebrity athletes have been disgraced at one time or another, (names like Michael Vick, Pete Rose, and Tanya Harding come to mind), and while not all of them have recovered, some of them have. Michael Vick’s highly publicized dog fighting ring sent shockwaves through the NFL, and incited both fans and non-fans alike. However, in a very controversial move, the NFL allowed Vick back in. He is currently the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.

In golf, business and in life, the same rules apply. If you make a mistake, the best thing to do is get out in front of the situation and take responsibility. Apologize when you make a mistake, and make sure the apology is sincere. Finally, take steps to prevent any reocurence of the mistake, and work to win back trust and support.

Hopefully Tiger will emerge from this situation a better man. In the end, strength of character will trump athletic ability.

Online news distribution service PRWeb today announced that it has added the ShareThis Widget to enable its customers to share their news with popular social networks.

“Already recognized by Technorati as the newswire covered the most in the blogosphere, ShareThis will further enhance the online visibility of PRWeb releases as news is shared in more places than ever before,” said Jiyan Wei, director of product management for PRWeb. “Through ShareThis, our customers will be able to leverage the growing popularity and importance of social media platforms to drive traffic, stimulate viral activity and reach an even larger audience.”

For those who may be unaware, ShareThis is the sharing network that makes it simple and easy to share any online content. Through ShareThis, users can share content with a wide variety of social networks and email options, including Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and MySpace, among others. To use the ShareThis functionality on PRWeb, customers and readers can simply click on the ShareThis button included every online news release and select the social media networks where they wish to share their news.

Why Should this Matter to You?
Glad you asked. Think of how quickly social media has enabled news to be shared in real-time.

Events such as the plane landing on the Hudson in New York, to the recent political uprising in Iran have clearly demonstrated that social media has carved out a significant role in the way we receive our news.

So, what do you think? Will this new addition have any bearing on how you design your releases, and what components (video, audio, etc.) that you might add as upgrades?

For more information on this, or any of PRWeb’s other distribution services, please visit them online at http://www.prweb.com.

Do you know the difference between Advertising and Publicity?
Many business owners tend to use them interchangeably, when in reality, they are quite different. Advertising is the vehicle you use to promote your business and your brand. Publicity is what you utilize when you want media outlets to promote your business or brand FOR YOU, by way of a newsworthy hook.

The Key is to Make It Newsworthy
The key to making headlines (versus becoming the latest addition to the local landfill), is to be sure that your press release is newsworthy — a task that may take a bit of practice to become proficient. If your release reads more like an infomercial than a news article, chances are you need to go back to the drawing board.

Ask yourself a few pointed questions — and be HONEST with the answers:

• Does your press release pass the “So what?” test?
• Have you referred to yourself in the third person, and remained OBJECTIVE with the subject matter?
• Have you avoided the use of industry jargon that may confuse your readers?
• Have you avoided the use of hype?

The Seven Secret Keys to Self-Promotion will help you learn to identify prime opportunities, as well as how to position yourself and your brand in order to the best use of them. This FREE download includes a 6-page PDF, as well as an MP3 of the original seminar audio file.

To grab your copy, click this link.
(*Note – file is 31MB, and may take a few moments to download)