Press Releases: How they help with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Part 1

You’re a business owner with a great website. You sell your product online and your objective is to increase online sales. How do you go about this without breaking the bank? One part of your strategy… write and distribute an optimized, electronic press release.

What exactly is a press release?

One definition from Dictionary.com defines press release as “a statement prepared and distributed to the press by a public relations firm, governmental agency, etc.”1 It’s also defined as “An announcement of an event, performance, or other newsworthy item that is issued to the press.”2

How Does a Press Release Help with SEO?

A well-written, optimized press release can help you with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in a variety of ways, including:

• Links back to your website
  • Include your most appropriate link on your website in the press release. It may not be the home page. It is the page on your website giving the most information about the subject matter of your press release.
• Viral Marketing: Posting & distribution of your press release on blogs and social media (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
• Exposure: If picked up by the media, third party exposure of your product. This is one of the most important elements of a news release because someone else is telling your story which can give you and your product more credibility. This increase in exposure often results in more searches for your product or service.

Writing Your Press Release

Writing an optimized press release is an art. It must be precisely formatted and written for the media. If you do not do this correctly, your efforts will be ignored. This is why companies often elect to pay a professional to handle their public relations, including writing a press release. It’s all part of a well-organized, integrated marketing plan.

Let’s say you sell red buckets. Buckets in and of themselves are not sexy. What is appealing about these red buckets? They glow in the dark. Specially formulated to absorb light whether indoors or outdoors, these buckets will glow all night long. Utilitarian purposes are limitless, but the intrigue is how they create an ambient, artsy glow when the sun goes down. Now that’s your story, your hook.

When writing a press release, adhere to the following rules:

• News worthy: First and foremost your press release must be news worthy. What defines news worthy? Announcements such as a new product, new employee, new event or a unique story and relevant information can qualify for news worthiness.What would be the ultimate exposure for your glow-in-the-dark red bucket? Perhaps it is Better Homes and Gardens. Put yourself in the shoes of a staff writer for Better Homes and Gardens with hundreds of items in their file to potentially write about. Is your red bucket press release going to appeal to this staff writer? If not, you need to rework your press release.
• Truthful: You must be factual, never exaggerate nor embellish. If you’re not honest, your release could backfire and create negative press for your red bucket product and damage your reputation.
• Do not be promotional: It is inappropriate to be promotional in your press release. It’s unethical for the press to be promoting your red bucket. But they can tell the story of its unique qualities. An example of what you DO NOT want to write: “Buy your glow-in-the-dark red buckets from Red Buckets–R–Us, on sale now for only $15.99!” Again, put yourself in the shoes of the writer for Better Homes & Gardens. What is about the red buckets they are going to be interested in writing about?
• Who, What, Where, When, Why, How: Answer these basic questions concisely for the media.
• Keywords: Make sure to include your keywords for optimization.

View BigforkWEB’s Optimized Media Release Packages
Stay tuned for part 2… How to Distribute Your News Release.