I just read a very good article on the Online Marketing Blog entitled: “Lowdown on Press Release Optimization“. In the article, author Lee Odden looks at both the positives and negatives of using PR firms to write press releases.

I wanted to create a nice little resource page with a list of all free press release submission sites, but it looks like Lee has already done all the work. If you’re looking for links to free press release sites, just read his article, they’re all there.

As I noted before, using a press release to announce this site brought in a very small spike in traffic. But that’s not to say it wouldn’t work for other blawggers.

In completely unrelated news, I was listening to NPR yesterday, and they had a piece about small businesses blogging in the UK. The example given was Englishcut.com, a blog written and maintained by thomas mahon, a tailor in London.

The story went on to say that the blog does not explicitly advertise Mahon’s services whatsoever. Instead, he actually suggests other, cheaper shops to his readers who ask his advice. This would sound counterintuitive to some. But he’s established a remarkable amount of goodwill and buzz, and people actually note that they’re saving their money to purchase one of his tailored suits.

It’s all about relationship.

Popularity: 4% [?]