Can Press Releases Still Be Effective?

Purist Public Relations professionals need not read further. Why? Google is the Wall Street Journal of the Web.

I’m going to discuss the reasons why Press Release Optimization is critical to any organization considering managing and maintaining their public image. I’m not a scientist, I’m a professional who’s been doing a lot of digital marketing, public relations and search engine optimization for a long time.

Traditionally, press releases served to communicate vital information to key members of the media. Classic press releases were distributed to newswires and so on. However, with the proliferation of search engines and social media, a new approach has emerged. Many digital marketers have found that press releases are not one dimensional; they can be considered a part of multi-tiered strategy to achieve certain objectives such as creating awareness, driving sales/acquisition and engage customers.

Multi-tiered Targeting

There are really three types of audiences in order of importance with a focus on “the message”:

• Distribution Channels
• Members of the Media
• Constituents

The Data to Support It

• 75% of the media, according to Jupiter Research, use news search engines.
• 85% of Americans online use either a search engine or social media, per Pew Research
• Press releases, due to their content-rich nature, are naturally search engine friendly

How to Optimize a Press Release

1. Determine the message and who you’re communicating to.
2. Research the appropriate keywords and determine a primary term and a few secondary terms.
3. Draft copy (minimum 500 words) based on your terms but make sure your primary term is included in the headline.
4. Determine appropriate anchor links to take folks to appropriate areas of the website.
5. Decide whether rich media and imagery is appropriate
6. Select appropriate traditional and online newswires
7. Setup a search engine ranking solution and measuring tool to measure effectiveness of your releases