You may think that writing press releases only works when you have important news to share or company announcements to make and that is wrong! You can write and submit press releases at anytime which will get published if you put an interesting slant to what you are submitting.

Here are some interesting ideas to help get your press release picked up by the media:

• Write a story about how your information product fills a void in your community or solves a problem that is plaguing a lot of people.

• If your company has a focus on charitable contributions tied to the information product you are releasing (ie: portion of proceeds goes to Kiva.org), write up a press release about what your company is doing to help in the community.

• Tell your story and tie it into the information product (perhaps it can be the reason you created it?) - whether you came from nothing to rise to something big or if you've built up your business with a personal struggle, write it!

• Relate your story to what is happening today - watch the news, check out what the "hot topics" are and find a way to spin your own story from that.

By writing and submitting a press release to the media, you'll receive free publicity and the best part is that most consumers will read an article before they'll look at an advertisement. The idea behind that is consumers believe that a press release is written because there is an important story to read and they believe that advertising is simply paid for, a message from the company, and may not benefit them in any way.

Writing a press release isn't a daunting task - most press releases really follow a basic template and once you write one, you can just copy it, replace the information with your "new news" and submit again.

When writing your press release, there are guidelines you should follow. Here are a few to get you started:

• Make sure it is on company letterhead. If you don't have letterhead, at least add your logo to the top of the press release. Add in as much contact information as you can fit. If the media wants to contact you to find out more information or to run a larger news piece, let them!

• Underneath the logo, you should write the words Press Release in caps to be sure that the recipient of this news article knows it is a press release. If it is to be released immediately, add the words "For Immediate Release" and if you want it released on a certain day, add the words "To Be Released On…" and add the date where I have the "…".

• Come up with a really catchy headline - what you think the news piece should be called. It's also a good idea to create a catchy subhead as well so that the editor who receives your story is drawn in before he/she has to read the entire article and so that it gives them a few ideas of their own on how this will benefit their readers.

• Make sure the body is double-spaced and try to keep it to a three-page minimum. If you can tell your story in fewer pages, do so! When you end your article, add ### centered underneath the last paragraph. This signifies to the editor that the story is over.

The format of a press release is actually quite simple once you get the hang of it. Just remember, allow the creative process of writing a press release to be fun and open and you'll come up with a much better story that will be sure to be picked up by the press.

Once your press release is written, submit it to the free online press release distribution sites. The best way to find those (and ensure that they are current) is to simply Google "free press release distribution."