Spring/Summer 2013

What is URLwire? 
URLwire is a highly regarded service for announcing genuinely meritorious Web content or mobile content/apps to the right people in the online world. 

What makes URL different?
I know who the right people are, and they have personally subscribed to URLwire.

I've been doing this for 19 years. URLwire is a private and discreet service to announce meritorious Web content to the exact content seekers who would care about it and link to it.  URLwire has thousands of private email subscribers and the URLwire.com web site, group, blog and RSS feed receives a collective 5-7 million pageviews a year. 

The mission of URLwire is to help create awareness of your content, and while doing so attract high quality links from trustworthy sources.

I started URLwire (originally called NetWire) in 1994. I used it mostly to announce new web sites in my local town of Knoxville, TN. Then, in 1995, Jeff Bezos hired me as the first content publicist for Amazon.com. Here's Amazon's debut announcement from October 4, 1995. This was just as I was changing the name of the service from NetWire to URLwire. It seems Novell had an internal newsletter named Netwire, and they sent me a cease and desist.  Morons. 

So I changed the name to something nobody could possibly be using, URLwire.com. And I've been quietly going strong ever since.  This may sound glamorous, but it wasn't.  I started at a kitchen table in my three-room apartment on a dial-up modem, tring to get sites selected for USA Today Hot sites (now gone). Many of those sites listed were my clients. I knew who the "linkerati" was long before other kids coined the term.

Is URLwire a press release service?
No. URLwire is not a press release distribution service, and is not automated.  URLwire is sent by Eric Ward to people who have requested it, and actually look forward to it. I personally do the vetting/research and identify the exact people who are URLwire subscribers and also looking for subject specific and purposeful web content in your subject area. URLwire has thousands of private subscribers, including over 325 reference librarians, and is published in several formats. 

For those who want to receive URLwire but not via email, I provide a feed, or you can follow URLwire New Site Tweets via Twitter. Sites are announced via email, Web, feed, blog, widget, mobile, private group and other methods. URLwire site announcements are crawled quickly by search engines and included in both the regular and news search indexes.

The URLwire subscriber/member list continually evolves and improves over the years, and each month I continue to add and remove subscribers that I feel are of the caliber that make sense for the content I am announcing. 

Why did I create URLwire?
I created URLwire because existing press release services are not selective about what they announce and who they send it to, and cannot reach the key online contacts who specifically review and link to new web content.   Mass wire services send out thousands of press releases a day.  URLwire purposely only announces a few sites each month. 

Will URLwire help my search rank?
URLwire is not a paid linking gimmick for helping you chase higher search rank. URLwire was publishing new site announcements for many years before Google existed, like this, and while it is possible that your site's search rankings may improve after using URLwire, it isn't URLwire alone that makes that happen. You must be producing useful and linkworthy content in the first place, or no amount of publicity will help you attract powerful. links.

That last sentence was very important, so let me repeat it...

You must be producing useful and linkworthy content in the first place, or no amount of publicity will help you attract powewrful links.

Here are a couple examples showing URLwire's potential

URLwire subscriber comments
“Eric knows quality web content, and he knows how to reach  out and publicize it politely, personally, privately. When we see an email from Eric, we read it and link to many of the sites he sends us”  - Library of Congress

“There are sources of press releases, such as Business Wire and PR Newswire, but the volume of releases is so large it's almost impossible to find anything useful. The one that's worth visiting for web watchers is Eric Ward's URLwire” - The Guardian

What types of content will URLwire accept/announce?
Your site must offer useful, unique, or educational content, or show off the capabilities of the web in some way that is obvious and real.  The site does not have to be brand new, however I will not announce sites that offer no content other than a list of products, and I will not announce sites that in my opinion will offend my readers.

Who pays for URLwire and what does it cost?
The people who want to announce their content pay a fee of $495. 

How do I start the process of announcing a site?
If you know you want to proceed, here are payment details. If you want additional information, continue reading below or send me an email and tell me about the site you're wanting to announce. I'll reply as soon as I can.

Who does URLwire reach?
Your content's subject matter determines who I select from my private contact list. 

I personally do the vetting/research and identify the exact people who are URLwire subscribers and also looking for the subject specific and purposeful web content in your subject area.  As an example, lets say your site is about Jazz music. The contacts I'd select for your announcement will come from a combination of both widely read online publications like like Yahoo New and Notable or USA Today's Bloggers, but even more importantly, from niche links pages devoted to the exact subject matter of your site, jazz music. Like this.

The key point is I match your content to the exact people that will care about it.

No matter the subject, if your content is of high quality, then there will be people on the web who will care about it.  As an example, over 350 librarians across the U.S. are URLwire subscribers, and they represent some of the most trusted sources of site collections and link curators in the world.  Some of you understand what that means to your organic rankings. If you don't here's an old column that explains it.

URLwire subscribers have requested it and those who subscribe have also given me a profile of the types of sites they want to know about. 

Below is just a sampling of thousands of past and current online venues where editors, librarians, and content seekers are looking for high quality web content to write about and link to.

Sample URLwire member/subscribers past and present: Yahoo New and Notable Sites (RIP) - NYPL Best of the Web - Forbes Best of The Web - Boing Boing - IRN Internet Resources Newsletter - Exploratorium's Web Picks - Librarians Internet Index  - Cool Tricks and Trinkets - Parents Best Web Sites - Guardian Web Watch - Education World -  The Scout Report - AOL StudyBuddy - BestHistorySites - PC Magazine - Lockergnome - About.com- FreePint - NetGuide - WebUser - Suite101- .net

Busy Educator's Guide to the Web - Classroom Earth Best of the Web - The Best on the Web for Teachers - Berit's Best Sites for Kids - Surfing the Net With Kids - Ask for Kids - Child & Family WebGuide from Tufts University - FamilyTree Best of the Web - Kids Web

Best of PhysicsWeb - Useful Web Links for the Materials - Industry - Sleep Disorder Sites - Zoo.com - Dulcimer and Folk Music Links - Jazz Music Links - Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Links

I want to receive URLwire, how do I sign up?
There are many ways to receive URLwire, described in detail here. Quickly, if you want to hear about all of the sites I announce (5-7 per week max), you can simply subscribe to the URLwire feed here or subscribe to the private URLwire group at Google. If you just want sites about a specific subject, send email to subjects@urlwire.com or eric@urlwire.com, and tell me exactly what you want, then only if I have a perfect match will you ever hear from me. I match it myself. No bots and no scripts. 

How does URLwire differ from large wire services?
1). I limit the number of sites I'll announce to a few per week
2). I am extremely selective about what I announce on URLwire
3). I am extremely selective about who I send the site announcement to
4). I'll make another announcement for you at no charge if you aren't pleased with the response

Please note, URLwire is not for sending news about your IPO or CEO.  If you have news about something other than the content of your web site, you should use a fine service like Market Wire or Internet News Bureau or PRWeb to distribute it.  I recommend them as they are excellent services for this type of news.  Only use URLwire when your news is about the content on your site. The quality of the site ultimately determines whether or not I will announce it.

How are sites announced on URLwire?
The URLwire network announces new web sites via multiple channels as follows. 

Step One - Private email
The first step is sending individual announcements about your site via email to my private contacts. This will take anywhere from one to two hours depending on how many contacts I identify that are appropriate for your specific site announcement.  For each site launch I announce, I personally sort, cull and sift through my entire membership of URLwire subscribers, matching your site announcement with the stated interests of my contacts.   I also look for the key influencers who are not already URLwire members but who cover and link to sites in the same subject area as your site. Any given launch alert is typically a fit for 300 or more contacts.  My contacts only hear from me when I have a site that matches their stated interests.  And URLwire is purposely not automated.  It's sent one-to-one from me personally to my contacts.

Step Two - Web
Next I'll post your announcement on its own permanent page on the URLwire web site, and create a headline link and summary to that page on the URLwire home page above and on the URLwire headline page.  Your announcement will be crawled by the various news bots and search engines almost immediately.  Google News and Yahoo News, for example, crawl URLwire site announcements within minutes. URLwire has millions of annual page views. This is achieved as a result of thousands of sites around the world linking to my headline page or story pages over the many years URLwire has been chugging along.

Step Three - Blogs, Feeds, Twitter and other Social Media
I place your site announcement on the URLwire Blogs and RSS feed. I'll also Tweet your URL via URLwire's Twitter account, and 'll enable the well known share chicklet (below) on your site announcement so social linkers and bookmarkers have the opportunity to share, digg, bookmark and otherwise spread your site's URL.  (this one's purposely not enabled)

Step Four - News Bots, Private Groups and Syndication
I place a brief summary of your content announcement on the private Google Group for URLwire (which has hundreds of members).  My announcement of your site will also be indexed by Google, Yahoo, and bing very quickly, and I've had instances where Google News picks up my announcements in less than five minutes. I also have arrangements with key news syndication services and newsbots, like NewsHub, and WebProWire, to provide them with my content announcements.  This gets your site announcement headline and link on thousands of other sites and into the Web's largest news indexes.

Why does URLwire produce so many versions of the site announcement?
URLwire is not a press release distribution service. Most site reviewers do not want a press release anyway.  That's why I don't automate URLwire. I provide each of my members with my site announcements in the exact format they want.  If they want a short email with a special subject line, no problem. If they want a weekly digest, I send it that way.  If they want an RSS version, I have it. Blog?  Yes. Via private Google group? Got it.  Twitter? Bingo.

Who writes the site announcement?
You write the initial copy, and I'll make suggestions if I feel it will improve the reception. If you prefer that I write the entire announcement, I will but I charge an additional fee of $150.

What sites have used URLwire to announce their launch?
Literally thousands over the years. A sampling of sites that hired URLwire to announce their launch includes Amazon.com, Weather.com, Wine.com/Virtual Vineyards, Dell, Rodney.com, Infobeat, The BBC, Kellogg's, MoMA, Law.com, Visa.com, and sites for Ziff-Davis, The New York Times, The Discovery Channel, Microsoft, AOL, About.com and The AMA, and PBS.  Many other now famous Web sites were originally launched through my URLwire service. 

Do the people who receive URLwire like it?
They love it. They are interested in my announcements because they know it's something they haven't seen, will be a match for their interests, and a top-notch site.  But don't take my word for it.  Read their quotes here. 

Does URLwire work?
Rather than me tell you, I'll let my clients tell you.  Here are three quotes and a longer testimonial.  A few more URLwire testimonials are also available.

Jim Osgood - OfficeFinder.com
"Eric, URLwire got our site covered and linked online in places we'd tried for months to get in without success. And, URLwire did it in one day. Thanks!"
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Rob Ford, FavouriteWebsiteAwards
"URLwire is a great service which has proven results. Two projects I have been involved with that you have featured have both gone straight into the Yahoo directory and been listed on their Pick of the Day page. Thanks a bunch, Eric!"
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Amy Strycula, CoolShopping.com - Cool Shopping Sites
"We've been using Eric's URLwire service since 1995, and on more than one occasion had to work closely with our hosting service to keep our servers up under the high traffic loads that resulted".
"The Silence is Deafening" - a Reverse Testimonial for Eric Ward

Can't a Public Relations firm do what URLwire does?
Many Public Relations firms hire me to announce their client's sites.  They know I have many years of contacts and relationships in the online world, while they have contacts in the off-line world.

How do I start the process to announce a site?

Here are payment details

You can read about my other services at  EricWard.com