No matter what you think about it, the social media service Twitter has become a dominant force in our culture, and is here to stay. And if you aren't using it, you're missing a completely free way to publicize and promote your group coaching program.

What is Twitter exactly? Think of it as part blog and part text messaging. Twitter allows users to write short (140 characters or less) messages which any person can read publicly - and those who are following you get direct access to.

Thought to be just a method to chat with pals, Twitter is now being embraced as a vehicle to increase search rankings and build a powerful presence online.

So why is Twitter considered a useful PR tool? Twitter allows almost instant distribution of messages to a large number of people at once.  If you have something attention-grabbing to say, you can find yourself with a large number of users following your tweets (as Twitter messages are known) in little time.

You can use Twitter as a way to tell your readers about news and exciting developments, increase your visibility, and create more exposure for your group coaching program. Since Twitter allows you to develop a sort of personal relationship (or at least a perceived relationship) with your followers, it can be a powerful tool to develop appeal in whatever you'd like to let the world know about.

On Twitter, there's a level of intimacy that many will recognizes. Call it the "Wow! Demi Moore just sent me a text! She's eating lunch!" factor.

Used properly, Twitter can get your readers feel as if they know you personally, something which can do wonders for your group coaching program or any other accomplishments you'd like to promote.

Begin by signing up for a Twitter account and filling out a profile page; try to give a feel of how you're an expert in your field and share a bit of your personality. Others that resonate with who you are and what you have to say will find you and follow you.

Tap into Twitter's Publicity Potential

If you're promoting your group coaching program, it's a good plan to look at what other coaches in your industry are on Twitter and find out what those with the largest followings are tweeting about. Discover what's working for them and emulate - but not copy - what they are doing right.

Tweeting about mundane items won't win you any followers - and certainly won't help your get more credibility. Instead, publish interesting opinion about your area of expertise, occasionally including a link to your site when pertinent to the content of your Tweet.

If you're not familiar with text messaging, the 140 character limit may be tricky at first. If it helps, think of it as a form of haiku - economy is the key to writing Twitter posts.

Make sure to invite those you already know to follow your tweets; like social networking sites, people are more likely to start following your Twitter feed if their contacts do. You'll start off with a small following, but it will grow.

Post at least once a day and before you know it, you'll have the attention of more Twitter users than you ever thought possible. And that attention can help sell your group coaching program.

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Shannon Cherry, Publicity Expert for Group Mastery

Shannon Cherry is the publicity/media expert for Group Mastery, and the founder of Be Heard Solutions. Known as The Power Publicist, she helps coaches, entrepreneurs, consultants and solo professionals attract more clients and customers through the power of publicity. Grab your free publicity power pack to help you start establishing your media presence at http://www.beheardsolutions.com

Who wouldn't want a third-party endorsement of their group coaching program? By getting a news story featured about you and your group coaching program in a media outlet, you will receive implicit endorsement that no amount of money spent on advertisement can match.

As a matter of fact, if you want to put a value on this sort of free publicity, most studies show that a news story is worth at least 3 times more than the same size ad in most publications. Talk about a great value!

But to get that coveted news coverage, you need to use a press release.

It’s a statement prepared for distribution to the media; however it is also a valuable marketing and informative media tool. It is designed to give journalists information that is useful, accurate, and mainly interesting.

There are several specific guidelines that need to be followed in order for it to be published. First, it needs to conform to the established format and aim to have it released without an editor changing any of the content. Your release should read like a news story, not a sales letter or advertisement.

Here’s a seven point checklist to help get you release fit for journalist consumption.

Press Release Checklist

1. Time to be Released - If it is to be released immediately it should be typed on the left margin above the title in bold faced type. If not, then you need to write: embargoed until: and the date you want it released.

2. Headline-Most important part of a release, the headline should grab attention from journalists, and also readers. The headline should be centered, bold, caps, short, snappy, and most importantly impressive, to receive the desired attention.

3. Dateline - Should start main body of text. It’s the City issued from as well as the date.

4. Lede Paragraph - Second most pivotal part of a press release. It should grab attention, and contains the most important information of the release. Think about the inverted pyramid technique, most vital info first and follow up with supporting less important information. In today’s high paced world people will only skim the headline and then maybe the first paragraph; that’s why it essential to relay your most vital information first.

5. Text - This is the main body of your release. It should be written in active voice, passive voice will get your release thrown out. It also helps to have a human interest side to it; this will draw more attention and increase the chances of being published. Quotes are also a good touch.

6. Recap-Reiterate company information, contact person information, and once again address the key points you are trying to pass along. And always end the release with “###” directly below the last line of text, this technically ends the release.

7. Contact Information - Company name, address, web address, phone number, contact person, and number for a contact person that can be easily reached. This should appear at the bottom of the release.

Here are some additional hints to help you create that winning release.

• Send it to media that is going to be interested; don’t mass mail it to media that won’t care about it.
• Making it interesting can’t be emphasized enough. Journalists receive countless releases every day; make yours stand out.
• Don’t hype too much. Editors hate it. Too much hype will be thrown out.
• Get to know editors and journalists who cover your industry and business in general. Familiarity will help get your release printed; having your name remembered can always help.
• Make yourself or contact person available and easily reachable at all times to the media, even if your release is not used. This availability, like familiarity, will increase your chances in the future.

Shannon Cherry, Publicity Expert for Group Mastery

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Shannon Cherry is the publicity/media expert for Group Mastery, and the founder of Be Heard Solutions. Known as The Power Publicist, she helps coaches, entrepreneurs, consultants and solo professionals attract more clients and customers through the power of publicity.

If you want to fill your group coaching program, you need to reach out to your target market in a variety of ways. And one of the best - and cost effective - means is to write press releases and send them to the media that your perfect prospect reads, listens to or watches.

Press releases have been the standard method of disseminating news for decades, and every editor has learned to both loathe and rely on them. Some outlets like USA Today receive up to 8,000 or more releases a week, and they diligently peruse each and every one when properly submitted.

Why a release and not a pitch or a phone call? A news release is what an editor expects to see, and is the primary method of communicating your news to media editors, regardless of media format. Plus, according to the 800 journalists I recently interviewed for The Inside Scoop, if you want media coverage, you need to be using a press release. It's what they want.

Essentially, you must use a press release if you want to get the word out to the media about your news.

Unfortunately there are many people, who are not PR professionals, now littering the media desks with frivolous and un-newsworthy news releases. These releases are immediately round-filed by editors and their assistants because it is clearly unrelated to their audience, or is incorrectly formatted as an "advertorial," or is simply not news.

Reasons for this increase are directly related to the popularity of email dissemination over fax and snail mail, and the advent of press release submission services that don't always monitor the worthiness and relevance of the releases they send.

So what is newsworthy?

Being newsworthy means writing a properly formatted release that includes an engaging headline and announces something new. It's supposed to be news, not an advertisement, and must be worded that way.

Some ideas of newsworthy releases for your group coaching business include:

1. A new group coaching program
2. An old program with a new name or branding
3. A new version of an old program
4. A new application of an older program
5. New bonuses available for an old product or program
6. A new blog or website
7. A speech or presentation given by you as an expert
8. An expert opinion on any subject
9. Awards or honors given to those in your group program
10. Awards or honors given to your program or business

Whether you are sending your own releases, utilizing a PR firm, or simply working with a press release distribution company, the only reason to send a press release is when you really do have something to announce.