When I started at Advent I had no idea what was expected of me or what I would be doing everyday. But I have found my niche in the PR industry – the World Wide Web. It all began with what my colleagues refer to as the ‘funny portals’.

As with all PR agencies, we too churn out press release after press release, some interesting and newsworthy, but some not quite as headline-grabbing as we would like. Six months ago if someone had asked me where press releases are published, I would have said newspapers. And yes, this would have been right, but since entering the real world I’ve discovered a whole new meaning to press release distribution. The online portal.

It’s free and well worth any PR professional jumping on the band wagon. Simply register to these little gems and get uploading your press releases.

At first I thought it was a load of rubbish – I mean who in their right mind would click on a link to read about a tribute act at a hotel? I was soon proven very wrong. Each press release I upload at work seems to get at least 60 hits within a few days of being online. Some business stories of ours have seen over 400 hits.

It’s something that I had no idea existed and I’m positive that the main percentage of businesses out there are oblivious to the ‘funny portals’, just as I was.

Because of my newly discovered secret, I’ve decided this is the route I want to follow – internet PR. I know there’s lots to learn yet and this is just the start…

Here are some links to a few of my favourite online press release distribution websites:

www.freepressreleases.co.uk

www.pr-inside.com

www.pressbox.co.uk

www.prlog.org