According to this press release, 60 Second Ideas has named their top 10 small business blogs of the first quarter of 2006.
I'm passing this along to you, SmallBizMentor visitors, for two reasons. First of all, many of these blogs are excellent sources of information and resources. For instance, I recently recommended John Jantsch's Duct Tape Marketing to you myself. And Yaro Starak, well, he just takes the cake.
Secondly, take a close look at the press release in question. Notice who created the top 10 list in question. Now, notice the last blog listed on the press release as a member of the top 10 list.
Yes, indeedy, they are both 60 Second Ideas! This, folks, is a prime example of how to use a press release to create something newsworthy, something that will read to the media and editors out there as an "article", in an effort to gain free publicity for your own company or organization. The point of a press release isn't to create sales, per se, but to expose the media and the public to your company, products, services, and brand. The more exposure, the more "familiar" you'll appear to the potential customer. They hear your name enough, see your name enough, and they believe they "know" about you and your offerings.
I'll withhold my own opinion as to whether this was done cleverly or not in this particular case; you tell me. How did they do? How do you read this? Is it an effective way of spreading the word about one company while offering a tip of the hat to other colleagues? Or do you read it as a method of taking advantage of others' products/services? (There's no right or wrong answer, but your choice will say a lot about what marketing options are right for you!)
Do go visit the sites on their list, at the very least. (The press release includes live links to each site on the list.) They are all interesting resources, for certain!
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