Press Release and SEO

Press Release and SEO

Creating your press release will require careful planning to get attention for your business or product. Keyword Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will help your press release bring more targeted viewers to you, as people search for the keywords you include in your press release.
Keyword optimized press releases give website owners fresh content that brings visitors. Reporters and website owners are looking for new and relevant subject matter.
RSS feed subscribers get automatic updates and displays of new press releases. If your press release is interesting or of relevant value, web content builders, article writers, and/or journalists might add them to their own website news columns. This gives your press release even more visibility and you more results.
SEO for press releases includes embedding anchor text within the press release and links with the chosen keywords in them. What is anchor text? Anchor text is link text that takes the visitor to your website. This is a great way to drive traffic to your website!
SEO press releases can cause significant amounts of website activity. The ROI can often be more than many other types of advertising.
Can a press release effectively be optimized to simultaneously appeal to journalists and search engines?
Yes – a good writer should be able to incorporate and utilize keywords effectively for search engine optimization, and attract consumers.

When your press release is found by main search engines, it can be picked up by news and industry journalists, and drive consumer traffic to your site in multiple ways.
RSS syndication to blogs and news websites bypasses the media filters and algorithms that search engines use and puts your press release in front of your audience.

A professional press release writer should have experience with SEO, RSS, and journalistic appeal. These writers should be able to craft your information within the SEO framework to be an appealing read for your audience.

Press Releases

Press Releases

You can get big, targeted results from press releases instantly. Some of the press release news sites generate over 100 million page visits per month. This means the potential for your press release to generate traffic for your website is tremendous.
When you submit a press release, your announcement goes out as a live feed. You can also schedule when you want your press release to be distributed. You can embed links into your press release to drive traffic directly to your website, and you can create your press release to drive search engine traffic to your site.
Press releases can be submitted in multiple search categories. You can even edit scheduled and released press releases. Your press release can target your desired audience and the cost is less than almost any comparable form of advertising.
Press releases now have a longer life as they are archived and accessible for viewing.

How to Write a Press Release

How to Write a Press Release

While a professional writer is optimal, you need to know the basic format and important characteristics of a press release. In order to be considered for inclusion in the news, these three characteristics must be present.
Your press release must have:

• News value- Evaluate the news medium where the release will be sent. Make sure that the subject will match the typical content of this particular news outlet.
• Journalistic writing style- Your press release needs to be written in the style of a journalist so that it is ready to be published.
• Meet the deadline- If a news outlet has a deadline for receiving content, meet it. Late press releases are not considered.
• Concise: Writing for a press release must be concise and able to be scanned. Use short sentences. Paragraphs should contain only three to four sentences. Use subheads, bulleted lists, make keywords bold, etc. to create an easy-to-read document.

A good press release will use keywords in the title and then repeat them in the opener, the body, and the bio. The body of the text is often written in an inverted pyramid style, so the most important information is at the top. The goal is to answer the who, what, when, where, why, and how.
The format of a press release includes:
• Contact Information- Usually found on the top left-hand corner of the page. Include your complete contact information (name, address, phone, e-mail, and fax) to allow for a reporter to contact you at any time. The reporter might have questions. This allows for easy access to the information that he or she may need to reach you.
• Date- Typically on the right-hand side of the page, one line lower than the end of the contact information.
• Release Date- Directly underneath the date, explain when the information should be released. (Example- “For Immediate Release”)
• Headline- Just like a newspaper article, include a headline. This is typically in all capital letters and underlined.
• Dateline- Include the location of the story. Some choose to include the date here rather than at the top of the page.
• Body- The main paragraphs of the text.
• Call to Action- Include briefly at the end of the text an action that you want the audience to take. It can be as simple as directions to go to a website for further information.
• Bio- A short paragraph describing your company.
• Slug- This is at the bottom of the page and alerts the journalist of the end of the story. If at the bottom of a page, the story continues to a new page, use “-more-" to convey this message. When the story reaches an end, denote it with “-###-" or "-30-".
Every press release must end with a bio. Prepare a short paragraph that generically explains who you are. This paragraph tells your audience what value you give to them. A bio is not about boasting.

You could also direct the reader to resources with a link, to your company’s website in this section. Write a custom bio each press release, tailored to that particular subject.
Always, double check for spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and factual errors. Finally, make sure you send the press release to the appropriate contact.