The simplest way to increase the number of news releases published on your company is to issue more press releases. There is usually no limit on the number of releases a publication will run on your company as long as each one has a valid news angle. The challenge for many companies is coming up with topics for press releases. The introduction of a new product is an obvious occasion for a press release but what can you write about when you don't have a new product to announce?

Have you added a new feature recently or produced a custom version for a vertical market or a single customer? How about features or custom versions or minor products you have introduced in the past but never announced? Customer success stories can also serve as topics for news releases. Even if the customer doesn't want to be involved you can issue an announcement about the application without using their name.

Also think about what's new in your company. Are there any business relationships that you have not announced? People who have joined your company at any executive level? Have you opened a new facility? Signed up a new distributor or reseller? Have you established a relationship with a major supplier? All of these and many other subjects can serve as topics for news releases.

I have written over a thousand news releases and generated tens of thousands of placements in print and online publications. I have the technical background to understand your product and communicate its advantages to customers and prospects in a style that will gain a high pickup rate. My placement team works daily with publications in all areas of technology all over the world. We can also help develop topics. I hope we can work together in the future.

The most important ingredient of great case studies is the interview. During the interview the case study takes shape in the interviewer's mind. The interviewer should be someone who is familiar with the technology and experienced in writing case studies and thus is able to make quick decisions on what is most newsworthy about the application and get all the information necessary for a powerful story without a second call.

The crux of the story is normally the benefit achieved by the customer. Don't limit the customer with a list of questions but rather probe for the main point of the story and once they get to it let them talk for as long as they are willing. After the main point has been established, fill in the details such as how your product contributed to the benefit, details of the solution, background on the customer's company and product, etc.

The interviewer's experience in both the technical and communications domains will also help in filtering out things that may be on the customer's mind but won't look good in print. For example, the customer might talk about how a major problem was solved without thinking that management may not want to reveal that the problem existed in the first place. The writer can steer the customer to a less sensitive topic to expedite the approval process.

I have written over 3,000 case study articles in virtually every area of technology. Based on a short interview with your customer, I can produce an article that will require minimal revisions at a quality level that will allow it to be placed in top trade journals and blogs. Send me an email and I will send examples of articles I have written and placed for companies in your field. Hope we can work together in the future!

Of course, publications are not looking for a sales pitch but rather for professionally-written and reasonably objective-sounding educational articles that provide information that is valuable to their readers. Some publications prefer case studies while others lean toward thought leadership or how-to articles. So it's important to understand what type of articles the target publication favors and shape your message into its preferred package.

Chances are your organization has more than enough intellectual firepower to create a powerful article. But in most cases, the executives and technical staff with the knowledge don't have strong writing skills and even if they do, the probably don't have the time to spare that it would take them as nonprofessional writers to produce a publishable document. Your people may also be too closely connected to the market to take the objective view that is needed to meet editorial requirements.

An outside writer with a technical background in the subject matter can interview the key players, extract the best of their ideas, and weave them into a publication-quality article with the least possible time and effort on the part of everyone involved. I have written more than 10,000 articles for more than 2,500 trade journals in nearly every market niche. I charge $300 plus $1 per word; for example, $1800 for a typical 1500-word article. I can also place the article. I charge $1000 for successful placement only in a publication you approve in advance. I also write white papers, Wikipedia articles, websites, sales literature, etc. for technology companies. Hope we can work together in the future!