pitchengine

The Basics

Posted by: Jason Kintzler - 12/11/2008

zoomWhat is it?
PitchEngine is PR for the Social Web. What's that mean? Don't think of PitchEngine as a distribution service. Instead, think of it as a way to package all of your PR assets (like a press kit) in one concise, easy to share package - the social media release (SMR) - that you can edit and make changes to even after it's been made live.

You build it. You share it.
(And as a bonus, we share it with Google News, our PitchFeed and other social sites and show you how many views it gets). Did I mention that's all FREE? With PitchEngine, you can create social media releases yourself with nothing more than some press copy and multimedia content like images, video, etc.,

You can then share your release with your media contacts by email or social sites like Facebook, Twitter and more. Not only is it media-worthy, but PitchEngine makes PR more social, meaning your content can be suitable for consumers and "friends" alike. The more content and insight into your brand you provide, the more authentic and transparent you will be to potential readers.

Each release is hosted free for 30 days. Once your 30 days has past, your release will expire (we will warn you before it does!) We offer various subscription levels that are super-affordable and easy.

How do I start?
1. If you are a PR pro, simply sign up and create your first brand (for agencies, this would be one of your clients). You'll be prompted to enter boilerplate information and contact information which will make up the sidebar of your SMR. (This stays consistent for all of a particular brand's releases).

2. In your account, to build your release, click "create release" and you will be taken to a template of your SMR. From there, simply fill in the blanks and pay close attention to the various instructions. Each time you add video, images or links, be sure to click "save" on your release. You can add video by using the embed code provided by sites like YouTube, Vimeo, Seesmic, etc.,

3. Once you've entered all the necessary information, you can preview your release by clicking on the "preview" button. If it looks good, make sure you mark the release "live" (this can be found just above the release headline on the edit page).

What next?
4. Your release has now been uploaded to our PitchFeed and will soon be shared with Google News. Pick up from Google news is not guaranteed, as there are many factors that Google uses to measure newsworthiness. One of those is duplication. If you want to use PitchEngine to get placed in Google, try using it prior to any wire services.

5. Sharing your release is perhaps the most fun of all. Once you've completed and saved it, go to the bottom share box on your release. Unlike some services that offer simple bookmarking, PitchEngine provides integrated sharing. Click on the Twitter icon to post your "Quick Pitch" out to your friends and brand followers on Twitter. Change the message to be more personal, or catchy. Post it to your Facebook profile, or your brand's Facebook fan page. There are lots of ways to share!

* Unlike traditional distribution services, with PitchEngine you control your content and can edit or change your release anytime you need to. (It will still expire 30 days from creation unless you are subscribed!)

What about the Custom Newsroom?