Back in the good old days, you wrote a press release, sent it to PR Newswire (or Business Wire), and hoped for the best. They’d fire it off to various lists, and you’d follow up with the reporters most likely to be interested.
But hey, times have changed. Now, with the advent of inexpensive online distribution, anyone can publicize themselves or their companies. Cutting through the noise is still an issue, though, and to do that, you must optimize your release.
PR pro Mickie Kennedy, the founder of eReleases, offers a few suggestions in her article The Do’s and Don’ts of Optimizing Your Press Release. (https://www.ereleases.com/prfuel/optimizing-your-press-release/) Perhaps her most important point is that you shouldn’t “write press releases just for the sake of SEO.” There are other, better ways to get yourself or your company out there than cranking out a “poorly-written, uninteresting” piece.
Here’s a bird’s-eye view of some of the mechanics of optimization:
- Do keyword research first – Google, unsurprisingly, offers a good tool. You can also check out what your competitors are doing.
- Be readable – Don’t cram your copy with keywords and phrases. Use them judiciously.
- Frontload keywords and phrases – Use them in the header, subhead, and first paragraph. My colleague Kay Paumier (www.communicationsplus.net) recommends no more than eight (8) appearances total, or you risk being classified as spam.
Mickie Kennedy’s article is a fast, helpful read. I recommend you check it out and let me know what you think.
Leave a Comment