As the end of the year approaches, some people think of holidays, gifts and shopping. I think of year-in-review press releases and articles or opinion pieces.

The year-in-review press release is a great way to get increased exposure and position yourself as an expert. This article will show you how to write a year-in-review press release and will also show you many ways you can benefit from it.

As the name implies, these are press releases that review and recap influential trends and news. You start with a paragraph introducing the topic. You end with a paragraph summarizing the trends or offering a perspective from your vantage point. The press release can include anywhere from 3 to 12 events. If you use 12 events, you can cite one event each month, which is a popular technique. Each event is described in 2-3 sentences. The entire press release is about 500 wo rds long – about the size of a high-school essay.

These press releases help you in many ways:

1. This type of press release positions you as a thought leader who is lending an insightful perspective on the industry. Simply chronicling the events makes you a valued content creator. If you add perspective on why this event was important then you’ll be seen as adding valuable information that is the hallmark of a thought leader.
2. The press release is a promotion without being salesy. You’ll be seen as an educator who is providing perspective, instead of as a vendor who is selling a product, which is what happens in the average self-promotional press release. Every press release lets you promote yourself or your business with links to your site and the “About Us” section, of course, so there are many ways to lead people to your website where they can build a rel ationship with you.
3. They are easy to write. You simply review the headlines of the past year and decide which are most important.
4. They don’t require a lot of creativity or originality. For people who think they need to think of the “next big thing” to get readers, this is the rare opportunity to put your creativity on hold and go into researcher mode.
5. People like to read these types of press releases. You gain more visibility and credibility. People will say “I see her everywhere.”
6. Websites like to print these press releases because readers like to read them. The more media websites and bloggers who print your press releases, the more fame you get.
7. Media websites and trade publications like to print these press releases in December because staffers take vacations and these sites need cont ent. Because the information is non-commercial, there is a great chance the media will print the press release.
8. These types of press releases are part of the editorial calendar process at many media sites. You are proposing a press release that they actually expect to print.
9. You can get good placement in search engines if you use the proper keywords. If you rank higher in search engines, you’ll attract more visitors to your web site.
10. Because the press release is printed on media web sites, search engines will give a greater value the links pointing to your website so your website could show up higher in the search engines and you could get more visitors.
11. You can post the press releases on your blog and in your ezine to create interesting content for your followers. Your site also will be seen as having educational content, which is highly valued by your readers.
12. You can post a link to the press release on Twitter or you could tweet a trend a day to attract more followers. Same with Facebook or LinkedIn.
13. You can create a video and post to YouTube to attract more visibility and higher search engine rankings. Google loves to index videos. This is a very easy tactic. Simply turn on your camera and read the press release.
14. You can turn the press release into an article and submit to relevant industry sites and guest blog sites. This could created even more links to your website and will expose your name to more potential prospects.
15. You benefit by taking time to review events of the previous year and to learn from it. Your increased knowledge makes you more valuable to your consulting clients and it also helps you plan for the coming year.

Dan Janal helps small businesses get publicity so they can sell more products. My clients get terrific results from my coaching, consulting, done-for-you services and do-it-yourself tools. For info, go to www.prleadsplus.com or call me at 952-380-1554.