Insider Tips on Creating a Publicity-Friendly Retail Website

In the over 10 years I’ve had my Public Relations business, I have worked with many clients who have sold products through their Websites. Their goal in getting media coverage is to get more traffic to their sites, as well as sales.

To achieve those goals, I have often asked clients to make changes to their Websites, to make them publicity-friendly. The changes I suggest are based on feedback from the media, as well as experience.

Here are my three favorite Insider Tips:

1. Create a grammatically correct, professional-looking home page with no spelling errors. When pitching the media, you must include a Website where people can buy your products, and usually that Website is yours. If the media has any interest in your pitch, they will generally take a look at your Website to make sure it looks acceptable. Acceptable means that the Website, and mainly the home page, looks clean and polished, and has no spelling and grammar errors. Fact: More than one media contact has told me that a Website being pitched is not professional enough for them to consider sending their readers to.

2. Provide clear, colorful, photographs. As the media needs to see a visual of your product, your media pitches will also include a link to the products you are pitching, preferably on your Website. The photo that the media contact sees should be clear and include all color options (color is important and often is a deciding factor when laying out products on a magazine page). This picture is the first and sometimes the only time (if samples aren’t requested) that the media will see a visual of your product, and many editorial coverage decisions are made on that first impression. Spend the money to get professional photos taken.

3. Delete mention of national media coverage of the product you are pitching on your Press Page. While it’s exciting to you to list your national media coverage, the media isn’t so excited. They want to be the first to cover products, and if someone else has done that already, it’s an instant turnoff.

These three tips will lead to media-worthy, publicity-friendly Websites. Here’s to more great publicity!

Margie Zable Fisher is the president of Zable Fisher Public Relations. For more insider tips, including how to make sure your publicity-friendly Website leads to sales, get Margie’s free report, “Quick Start Free Product Publicity to Sales,” at http://zfpr.com/freepr.htm.