Writing online press releases can help boost your business's online credibility significantly as well as help you get valuable information out to your customers and potential customers. If there is a particular event coming up, a current promotion or exciting news dealing with your company, it's a great idea to share that information with people who are interested, your customers.

Sending out press releases to journalists as well as distributing them to online press release sites and bloggers on a regular basis will increase your sales and build your online reputation. However, in order to begin, you must first know how to write a good press release that won't hurt your business. In order to write a successful press release you need to know what information to include. Here are 8 things that you must keep in mind while writing a press release.

1. Think about who you are trying to reach. Keep in mind the audience you are trying to speak to and don't veer off course. Don't use technical business jargon that your readers won't understand. Remember that many people who read online only skim, so keep the paragraphs short and interesting or you'll lose your readers.

2. Come up with an enticing headline. What good is a well-written press release if the headline is so boring that no one will click on it? Make sure your online press release's headline describes what the PR is about in an interesting way to lure readers in. Remember to keep it short, you only have a few seconds to catch a Web surfer's attention.

3. Find news-related material to write about. Timely, news-worthy press releases will grab readers' attention. Write about a new product or service, industry trends, helpful tips that deal with your business, receiving an award or involvement in a charity, sponsoring an event, opening a new office, etc. The topics are endless; you just have to keep your eyes open for an interesting news story.

4. Include the 5 W's. When writing the press release, make sure to always include information such as "who, what, where, why and when." This is particularly important when you are writing about an event.

5. Always include quotations. Using quotes gives a human interest appeal to the story and makes it more interesting. Include at least one or two in every press release you write.

6. Keep style in mind. When writing an online press release, inverted pyramid style is the best. This is what reporters use for news stories, because it present the most newsworthy information at the beginning followed by the less-crucial details. Writing in inverted pyramid style catches the attention of readers and ensures that even if they drop off after a few paragraphs and stop reading, they still got the most important information.

7. Include keywords. In order to get your press release indexed in Google as fast as possible, make sure to include at least 1-2 keywords. There should be a keyword in the title as well as a few in the body of the PR. This will help people who are searching online stumble across your press release, and they'll be more likely to read it.

8. Provide contact information. Every press release needs to include the name, phone number and email address of at least one contact within the company. This will be the person who will take the phone calls and requests from reporters or others who are inquiring about the information in the press release. Also include the name and address of the company.

After you've written a press release, the next step is to distribute it. There are many press release submission sites online, however, this task can be extremely tedious because each PR should be submitted to several sites. Also you should be submitting a new press release to multiple sites frequently. Here are 3 tips for distributing online press releases.

1. Come up with a plan. Establish goals that you want to reach with your press release campaign and figure out a plan so you can reach those goals. Remember that every press release your write and submit should act as a stepping stone to eventually accomplishing those goals.

2. Make a long-term commitment to submit. When press releases are submitted to multiple sites, it helps build links as well as generates more traffic back to your company's Web site. Sending out press releases on a regular basis will earn your name recognition and increase your chances of gaining readers.

3. Proofread before your submit. Press release sites have strict rules. Make sure to copy and paste your press release perfectly and always double check your work. Take advantage of the "preview" button to make sure your PR doesn't have any HTML or formatting issues that will make it hard to read.