We invited author Janet Meiners Thaeler (@Newspapergrl on Twitter) to talk with us about her book: “I Need a Killer Press Release, Now What?”

This episode includes discussions on:

• Online public relations versus traditional public relations
• How to identify what topics are newsworthy and appropriate topics for press releases
• Blogger relations and outreach campaigns
• Press release formatting

If you haven’t read Janet’s book, which is really a good, comprehensive guide to online public relations, we encourage you to do so.

Resources

I Need a Killer Press Release — Janet’s book website
Amazon — a link to purchase Janet’s book

This week’s episode discusses online press release tips, definitions a la Google and some updates from the world of Facebook.

Online Press Release Tips

Codella, founder of NewsCactus — a hosted, social media equipped online newsroom software, discusses the dos and don’ts of publishing press releases online.

Among the key points:

• Write like the person doing the search
• Have a strategy for incorporating keywords
• Optimize your copy to incorporate keywords
• Publish often

Google’s Definition Service

Ever wondered what a specific word means? Have you searched for “what is couscous?” or some similar query?

There’s an easy, simple way in Google Search to find definitions without visiting an online dictionary site.

Just type in this query:

define:couscous

Google Search returns a page of online definitions.

This is a great tool and a good timesaver.

Facebook Updates

Facebook announced it has reached 350 million users. What’s so amazing is that just last August the social network had 100 million users. It is definitely the social site to watch in 2010.

And in other Facebook news, they also announced they’re removing networks on the site.

A word of caution to corporate communicators: if you put all your eggs in the Facebook basket, what happens when the rules are changed?

Understanding that all social networking and social media sites have rules of their own that are likely to periodically change should guide you in your company’s participation on various social channels.

It also underscores the importance of engaging with your constituents through channels you own and manage just as frequently as on channels that are outside of your control.