Jennifer Mattern, a writer providing services like copywriting, business web content and press releases, released an ebook last fall. The ebook, Press Releases Made Easy, teaches the basics of writing press releases in 20 pages. Its usefulness as a resource ties into Mattern’s business, reinforcing her reputation as a writer able to create content that helps her clients market their businesses.

As far a matching an ebook to her audience, I think Mattern did a great job. Many small business owners want to do more with their publicity, but there is a certain DIY ethos that leads small business owners away from immediately working with a writer. Instead, they want to do things for themselves: Mattern’s ebook gives them the tools, as well as enough information that the typical small business owner will think that press releases are complicated enough that it’s probably worth bringing in a writer to help out.

The Content

Mattern’s information on crafting a press release is a good introduction. An experienced public relations professional would probably chafe a little at the level of the material — but PR professionals are certainly not Mattern’s target market with this publication. Instead, she’s writing for small business owners who need enough of an introduction to press releases to understand why hiring a professional (like Mattern) is a good idea.

The writing is high quality — and the informational sidebars on topics like using a press release online are exceptionally useful.

The Design

The layout of Press Releases Made Easy is bare-bones. It’s a vertical layout that looks like a Word document made into a PDF. While it’s a familiar layout for Mattern’s target market — many ebooks written for the small business audience are laid out in Word and simply saved as PDFs — I think it offers a lot of room for growth in Mattern’s future ebooks. The only visual appeal comes from baby blue boxes highlighting side bars within the ebook. Press releases may not be a topic that lends itself easily to photographs, but even a few stock business photos could help break up the text and make things easier on a reader.

Download the Ebook

Press Releases Made Easy

is available as a free download from Mattern’s site, ProBusinessWriter.com. She also has How to Write an E-Book in Just 14 Days available for download.