I Trimmed My Twitter Fat

A few months ago, I joined Twitter. And like most Twitter newbies, I immediately started following everyone under the sun - including everyone who followed me. I was petrified that if I didn't reciprocate being followed, then, my followers would stop following me.

Well, after I'd been on Twitter for about a month and observing some absolutely ridiculous tweets, I finally asked myself, "Why am I following all of these people? It's not like I'm desperate for business!"

Besides, I could care less about flyfishing, or the best manure to buy. And I don't want to hear about how much you hate Barack Obama - or that you had sex with someone you met at a seminar.

Yes, these are all tweets that I observed while following certain individuals. And those were some of the "better" ones.

Don't get me wrong. I don't mind a little personal chit-chat every once in a while - within reason. But the main reason I joined Twitter was for business purposes.

Anyway, I decided to "trim my Twitter fat," so to speak. So, I slowly and meticulously looked over the list of people I was following - deleting names as I went along. And when I was finished, I had basically cut the number of people that I was following in half - to approximately 600. Then I waited for the other shoe to drop - a mass exodus of my followers.

Well, guess what. That mass exodus never happened. Sure, I lost a few followers. But for the most part, my followers stayed with me. I was both surprised, and relieved at the same time. Because I had erroneously been lead to believe that if you don't follow people back, they'll in turn stop following you.

Now I need to make one thing perfectly clear. I'm not suggesting that any of you drop any of the people that you're following. I'm not suggesting that at all. What I did, I did for my own personal reasons. We all have our own reasons for using Twitter. And if you enjoy a lot of personal chit-chat, more power to you.

That being said, if you have been thinking about dropping some of the people you're following, but were worried about the fall-out, if my experience is any indication, then, it's safe to assume that you can also trim some of your Twitter fat, without fear of any significant repercussions.

How to Write A Press Release

Do press releases really work? In a word, YES! I've used press releases on numerous occassions with excellent results.

And if you've never used a press release to promote your business, you're missing out on a highly effective marketing tool. The secret of press releases is the fact they bring a news slant to your marketing campaign. And because it's ingrained in our psyche, we tend to pay attention to the news.

So, how do you write a press release? Press releases should be written using the same elements that you would use when writing an ad or sales letter. If you're new to the marketing game, those elements are known as AIDA. I'm not going to go into detail about AIDA here, because that's an entire article in and of itself.

Therefore, if you would like to know more about AIDA, I highly recommend you read this article by Tom Chandler. Go ahead and read it now. I'll wait:

Okay, now that you know what AIDA is, you have a pretty good idea how to construct a press release. But I'll add a little more detail to help fill in the blanks.

Here is what PRWeb has to say about writing a press release:

"The purpose of a press release is to inform the world of your news item. Do not use your press release to try and make a sale. A good press release answers all of the "W" questions (who, what, where, when and why), providing the media with useful information about your organization, product, service or event. If your press release reads like an advertisement, rewrite it."

That last line is important:

"If your press release reads like an advertisement, rewrite it."

Even though a properly written press release incorporates the same elements as an ad or sales letter, it is neither of those things. A press release is a news item - period. That means it needs to be newsworthy. If at all possible, try to tie your press release to a current news item.

For example, the hottest news story for the last few months has been the healthcare debate. It's mentioned in the newspapers, and on television on a daily basis. If you were a new insurance company just starting out, you could cleverly tie your marketing campaign to the current debate.

However, in order to do that, you would need what is known in the marketing business as a hook. A hook is basically a compelling or enticing offer. It can be a cleverly worded phrase, or catchy jingle that commands attention, arouses interest, and makes the prospect receptive to the offer being presented.

Your insurance company could build a hook around the headline...

"Affordable Health Care For All. Similar to Medicare. No One Turned Down!"

Do you think a press release like that would get the media's attention? You bet it would!

Again, this is just an example. Hopefully, you get the gist of what I'm talking about. But in case you don't, here are some examples of well-written press releases by renowned marketing expert Dr. Kevin Nunley:

http://www.drnunley.com/press_release_examples.htm

After your press release is written, you can distribute it using a press release distribution service like the following:

http://www.free-marketing-tips-blog.com/2010/06/best-press-release-services.html