DWPub Sporadic

Where is this place?

Where do you think this is? A classy new bar in the West End, or the latest place to be seen in the provinces?

Nope. It' s the UK offices of online publisher CNET. Nice, huh?

A world apart from the dingy newsrooms I remember.

If this is the reward for ditching print and going 100 per cent online then journalists really have got something to look forward to.

Enhance your editorial contact lists

FeaturesExec isn’t just a great place to get editorial forward features information, it’s also a great place to get editorial contacts. And it’s even more powerful now we've increased the number of contacts you can download in the Press Lists Express system.
You can now search, view and edit a list of up to 1,500 editorial contacts (up from 1,000) and then download or email them directly from within the Press Lists Express system.
If you’re a subscriber try it out at www.featuresexec.com/ple. If you’re not call 0845 370 7777 or email sales@dwpub.com for information on how to subscribe.

Online press release distribution on the rise

Online press release distribution is continuing to reach new heights as the Response Source/SourceWire Press Release Wire looks set to break yet another record.
The number of releases distributed on the wire reached record levels in March and May, and this month is set to be another record-breaker. The current volume is double the average for 2005.
More search engine optimisation (SEO) agencies are using the service, but PR agencies and in-house PR professionals are keeping pace thanks to the growing importance of online PR.
You can now add pictures to your releases too. Pictures attract attention to your release and improve its chances of coverage.
To submit a release go to www.dwpub.com/submit or check out our press release distribution information pages. For advice on how to use the service call Gemma on 0845 370 7777.

Tips for using journalist enquiries effectively

Another record-breaking service is the Response Source Journalist Enquiries System which is on track to deliver 15,000 requests from journalists this year.
Given this huge volume we do get a lot of feedback from senders and receivers of the Response Source enquiries. The things we hear a lot are:

• PR professionals tell us the journalist enquiries are often too vague
• Journalists have told us they often receive too many ill-considered replies

Response Source’s incredible success is down to the way it is used thoughtfully by the vast majority of those who send and receive enquiries. As an aid to make sure everyone gets the best out of the service we have two guides:

• Response Source Guide for Journalists
• Response Source Guide for PR professionals (pdf)

As ever, please keep the feedback coming in - email admin@dwpub.com or call 0845 370 7777. If you ever have any concerns about how the system is used in a particular instance, please let us know so we can investigate.

Learning about social media

My first post since 10 May. That puts me well down the blogging hierarchy. One of the few rules of a successful blog is to do it often.

I'm learning. And I have been pondering recently how the PR community should learn about social media and online PR. Then it dawned on me the best way for anyone to learn about this kind of thing is to just get out there and give it a go. I've learnt a lot about blogging that way (I may not have become an expert blogger, but I have a much better feel for the concept).

A case in point is my recent education in social networking. This comes courtesy of setting up my profile on Facebook. It's rather fun.