cost per click (CPC)
cost per click (CPC) - The expense of having people click on your ad hyperlink.
When you buy banner ads or other click-through advertising, you can either pay on a cost-per-click basis (in which case, you pay only for the people who actually click on your ad), or on a cost-per-impression basis (in which case, you pay for everybody who sees your ad, whether they click on it or not).
See also cost per thousand (CPM) below.
cost per thousand (CPM)
cost per thousand (CPM) - The expense of displaying ads to prospects.
When you buy impressions, you pay a fee for each thousand (Roman numeral "M") banners or text ads that are served.
See also "cost per click (CPC)" above, where you pay only for the people who click on your ad.
cover letter
cover letter - A personal note or letter at the beginning of a press release.
Press release cover letters ask the editor to consider publishing your press release in their magazine, newspaper, or blog. Truth is, you'll get better press coverage if you keep your press releases impersonal.
Software developers ask me if the news releases that I send to the editors using DP Directory's press release submission services should be personalized. While personalization is simple to perform, the answer to this question is almost always "no".
From a technical perspective, it's easy for me to personalize the press releases that I send to the editors. My email software lets me do sophisticated email-merges, and I can include any field from my database. I've even taken the time to genderize each of the editors' names. John Smith's email can say "Dear Mr. Smith:", Joan Smith's can say "Dear Ms. Smith:", and Jan Smith's can say "Dear Jan Smith:".
Before I introduced my email press release distribution service in August of 1997, software developers asked me a very similar question: "Should I include a cover letter when we postal-mail my news release to the editors?"
The answer is "no" if you have nothing exciting to say in your cover letter. You hurt yourself by saying "Dear Mr. Smith - We're excited about our new software application, and we feel that your readers will love to hear about it, too. We would appreciate your including our write-up in your New Product Announcements. If we can send you any additional information, please phone or write."
The editors know all of this stuff - that's why you're sending them a news release. There's no need to put the press release in context. By adding this superfluous information, you're inserting an additional 50 noise words between the editor and the important message that you want them to think about. Don't do it. Period.
The rare exceptions to this rule involve situations where you can influence the editor to use your press announcement by pointing out facts that wouldn't be relevant to the New Product Announcement itself.
Two quick examples -
If you're sending a press release about a home inventory application, you might want to include a cover letter that mentions the number of fires and burglaries that occur in homes and businesses each year.
If you're introducing a version of your software whose major appeal is a GUI in a number of languages, you might want to include a cover letter that specifies the percentage of the editors' readers who are proficient in the group of languages.
Unless you have a strong message that you can't weave into the body of your press release, never start your press release with a personalized cover letter.
Software Marketing Glossary
Quick Links:
Lists: computer, business
, education, multimedia, game, programming, others
Ordering: place an order, prices and time frames, sample news releases, about us
Information: free newsletters, press release FAQ, software marketing glossary
Copyright © 1997-2011 DP Directory, Inc.
|
