Working with client PR firms to optimize press releases often generates some interesting discussion and education about writing style and keyword usage. A lot of press releases seem to be written by budding poets or ex-ad copywriters trying to be clever with the reader. This does not always bode well for keyword based ranking in algorithmic news and search engines.
On the other hand, press release spam is on the rise and many releases are being distributed with a bare minimum, if at all, editorial review. Both gimmicky and keyword stuffed press releases reduce the credibility of the wire service and the chances of your news being taken seriously.
So, what to do? Write a plain jane release that does not stand out, or stuff that sucker like a turkey with keywords galore? A talented writer should be able to incorporate keywords into a press release as well as satisfy any creative requirements for a compelling read. This is the “art” of press release optimization and also of web page optimization.
The distribution source of the release is also an important consideration. The number of “free” press release distribution services has grown on the heels of PRweb.com so it is important to decide whether you pay or use the free service - noting what type of service you want your release associated with. If a wire service sends out lots of press release spam, do you really want to be associated with that?
For reference, here is a list of wire services for distributing press releases:
- http://www.prweb.com
- http://www.prleap.com
- http://i-newswire.com
- http://www.webwire.com
- http://www.pressbox.co.uk
- http://www.24-7pressrelease.com
- http://www.clickpress.com
- http://www.przoom.com
- http://www.pr.com
- http://www.marketwire.com
- http://www.prnewswire.com
- http://www.businesswire.com
The objective of the press release should guide how aggressive you are at “optimizing” it for relevant keywords and what news wire service you use. PRweb is great for building links, and if actual press coverage occurs, that’s icing on the cake.
It also matters how newsworthy your release is and how well it’s written. If you have important news, definitely consider having a professional write your release.
PR News wire and Business Wire are two “traditional” and more expensive news wire services to consider for your most newsworthy announcements.
If you want media coverage, then do some homework to identify target publications and their editorial calendars. Send journalists personal emails/pitches on your story. Be succinct and include a url to the full release. Don’t put the whole release inside the email. I can tell you, that is annoying!
Post an online media kit on your web site, particularly one that is managed with a blog content management system. That will make it easy for interested parties to subscribe to “what’s new” about your company. Include links to past releases, past media coverage, contact info, high res photos, executive bios and links to notable employee blogs.
Keep in mind, that journalists receive an abundance of emailed press releases every day. Discouraged by the deluge of press release spam and by the sheer volume of poorly written email pitches by PR interns and recent college grads, many journalists, freelance writers and prominent bloggers are keen to search for news stories and sources in other ways.
A smart strategy for getting press coverage is to help journalists pull themselves to you by making sure you have relevant visibility in the places where they are looking. What’s becoming a more efficient way for journalists to monitor topics for stories is to subscribe to RSS feeds of search results on news and blog search engines. Here are some examples:
News search engines:
Blog search engines:
Tag based engines:
Visibility on News search engines and bookmark sites from a keyword and tag standpoint does support the effort to gain editorial coverage, at least indirectly. Make sure your news is available to these sources and that every article or press release distributed is available as part of a RSS feed.
Other than press releases, another way to get into sites like Google news is to write articles and submit them to publication web sites and also blogs that are already getting picked up by Google newsbot. Perform a search on Google News for relevant keywords and note the sites that are getting picked up. Find out if they accept articles and press releases and submit.
Post your articles and press releases to your own site, ideally using a blog content management system, and then bookmark these articles using social book marking services and tag them with keywords. When your articles are picked up by other news sources, be sure to bookmark those pages as well using del.icio.us, furl.net and similar services.
If you publish frequent news and articles, your news area or site might qualify as a news source for Google News. You can request Google to add your site as a news source. Keep in mind though, that Google News wants you to have an “editorial review process” and more than one person writing content. You should be adding news weekly if not daily and NOT republishing news. If you get in, Google Newsbot will hit your site very often.
Content syndication is no doubt the future for better search engine rankings and traffic to your web site. The best linking strategy is to create excellent content. Combine creative and optimization skills to create compelling, keyword relevant articles and press releases. Understand where your target audience and circles of influence get their information and be there. Make sure your content is easy to find and to syndicate by using a blog content management system to host articles and releases.
Tags: press release optimization, PR, Press Releases, online PR
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[...] Lee’s guide to press release optimization [...]
[...] Lee Odden has a nice list of PR submission sites . I’m still waiting for Miles to send his article submission list
Bookmark at del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | Blinklist | Furl | Reddit | Yahoo! MyWeb [...]
[...] Be sure to check out a previous post, Lowdown on Press Release Optimization for more information on how to leverage press releases for SEO and online promotion. Tags: online marketing, online pr, press release optimization, public relations, reputation management Bookmark - Del.icio.us | Digg | Furl It | Spurl | RawSugar | Simpy | Shadows | Blink It | My Web [...]
[...] Lowdown on Press Release Optimization » Online Marketing Blog (tags: seo press.releases lee.oden) [...]
Interesting post and excellent list of wire services for distributing press releases. We like to use http://www.prnewswire.com.
Hey SSPR, I don’t think your keyword stuffed link is going to work out. Sorry.
[...] 12. Invia i tuoi comunicati stampa. Ricorda prima di scrivere un ottimo comunicato. Poi spediscilo a molti giornalisti e bloggers del settore, personalizzando il messaggio e-mail ad ognuno. Spediscilo anche ad altri siti come PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. [...]
[...] 12. Invia i tuoi comunicati stampa. Ricorda prima di scrivere un ottimo comunicato. Poi spediscilo a molti giornalisti e bloggers del settore, personalizzando il messaggio e-mail ad ognuno. Spediscilo anche ad altri siti come PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. [...]
[...] 12. Invia i tuoi comunicati stampa. Ricorda prima di scrivere un ottimo comunicato. Poi spediscilo a molti giornalisti e bloggers del settore, personalizzando il messaggio e-mail ad ognuno. Spediscilo anche ad altri siti come PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. [...]
[...] 12. Syndicate a press release. Take the time to make it GOOD (compelling, newsworthy). Email it to some handpicked journalists and bloggers. Personalize the email message. For good measure, submit it to PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. [...]
[...] 12. Syndicate a press release. Take the time to make it GOOD (compelling, newsworthy). Email it to some handpicked journalists and bloggers. Personalize the email message. For good measure, submit it to PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. [...]
[...] Lowdown on Press Release OptimizationIn the right circumstances Press Releases can be a big help in getting traffic to your site. This is a guide on writing them well. [...]
[...] 12. Syndicate a press release. Take the time to make it GOOD (compelling, newsworthy). Email it to some handpicked journalists and bloggers. Personalize the email message. For good measure, submit it to PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. [...]
[...] –ü—É–±–ª–?–?—É–?—Ç–µ –ø—Ä–µ—Å—Å —Ä–µ–ª–?–?—ã. –ü–æ—Ç—Ä–?—Ç—å—Ç–µ –?—Ä–µ–º—è –? —Å–¥–µ–ª–?–?—Ç–µ –?—Ö –¥–µ–?—Å—Ç–?–?—Ç–µ–ª—å–?–æ —Ö–æ—Ä–æ—à–?–º–?. –û—Ç–æ—à–ª–?—Ç–µ –?—Ö –?–?–±—Ä–?–?–?—ã–º –?—É—Ä–?–?–ª–?—Å—Ç–?–º –? –±–ª–æ–?–µ—Ä–?–º. –ü–µ—Ä—Å–æ–?–?–ª–?–?–?—Ä—É–?—Ç–µ —ç—Ç–? –ø–?—Å—å–º–?. –û–ø—É–±–ª–?–?—É–?—Ç–µ –?—Ö –?–? PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. [...]
[...] 12. Invia i tuoi comunicati stampa. Ricorda prima di scrivere un ottimo comunicato. Poi spediscilo a molti giornalisti e bloggers del settore, personalizzando il messaggio e-mail ad ognuno. Spediscilo anche ad altri siti come PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. [...]
Hi Lee,
Excellent posting. It is indeed a challenge to balance keyword targeting with editorial excellence sufficient to warrant actual journalist or publisher attention.
Of course tieing the traffic analysis closely to a revenue objective helps both the firm providing the service and the client to see the value in the project.
Good work with the list of distribution services.
[...] To learn more about how you can optimize your press releases, here’s an article on my TopRank blog that you may find useful.¬†¬† [...]
[...] –ü—É–±–ª–?–?—É–?—Ç–µ –ø—Ä–µ—Å—Å —Ä–µ–ª–?–?—ã. –ü–æ—Ç—Ä–?—Ç—å—Ç–µ –?—Ä–µ–º—è –? —Å–¥–µ–ª–?–?—Ç–µ –?—Ö –¥–µ–?—Å—Ç–?–?—Ç–µ–ª—å–?–æ —Ö–æ—Ä–æ—à–?–º–?. –û—Ç–æ—à–ª–?—Ç–µ –?—Ö –?–?–±—Ä–?–?–?—ã–º –?—É—Ä–?–?–ª–?—Å—Ç–?–º –? –±–ª–æ–?–µ—Ä–?–º. –ü–µ—Ä—Å–æ–?–?–ª–?–?–?—Ä—É–?—Ç–µ —ç—Ç–? –ø–?—Å—å–º–?. –û–ø—É–±–ª–?–?—É–?—Ç–µ –?—Ö –?–? PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. [...]
[...] To learn more about how you can optimize your press releases, here’s an article on my TopRank blog that you may find useful. [...]
[...] More info: http://www.seochat.com/c/b/Web-Directories/ http://www.seochat.com/c/b/Link-Trading-Help/ http://www.toprankblog.com/2005/10/lowdown-on-press-release-optimization/ [...]
[...] 12. Syndicate a press release. Take the time to make it GOOD (compelling, newsworthy). Email it to some handpicked journalists and bloggers. Personalize the email message. For good measure, submit it to PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. [...]
[...] 12. Invia i tuoi comunicati stampa. Ricorda prima di scrivere un ottimo comunicato.Poi spediscilo a molti giornalisti e bloggers del settore,personalizzando il messaggio e-mail ad ognuno. Spediscilo anche adaltri siti come PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. [...]
Just to let you know that there is another free press release wire in b3ta development.
Free Press Release Wire
I found this site by pure accident. I learned that most of the major newswires stopped their FREE submission early in 2006.
FreePRWeb.com still offers this valuable service.
Have a look at http://www.freeprweb.com
Jackie, I suspect you’re going to be getting a cease and desist letter from an attorney at PRWeb’s parent Vocus sometime soon for using their trademark.
Search By Headlines is a unique news site that allows users to search or submit news by headlines. Some unique features… Search news by category of Stock news, private company news, association or non profit news and by industry. Submit news with 3 different rotating headlines!
Public & Private Companies: Submit your press / news release to our leading industry and investor and industry portals covering the Environment, Homeland Security, Tech, Digital Media, Renewable Energy, Greentech, Oil and Gas, Nanotech, Biotech, Gold, Mining, China, India and other leading sectors
[...] Публикуйте преÑÑ Ñ€ÐµÐ»Ð¸Ð·Ñ‹. Потратьте Ð²Ñ€ÐµÐ¼Ñ Ð¸ Ñделайте их дейÑтвительно хорошими. Отошлите их избранным журналиÑтам и блогерам. ПерÑонализируйте Ñти пиÑьма. Опубликуйте их на PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. [...]
It is rather meager information
[...] For a more nostalgic look at press release optimization, take a look at this post from 2005, “Lowdown on Press Release Optimization“. [...]
[...] 12. Syndicate a press release. Take the time to make it GOOD (compelling, newsworthy). Email it to some handpicked journalists and bloggers. Personalize the email message. For good measure, submit it to PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. [...]
[...] Lowdown on Press Release Optimization » Online Marketing Blog - Excellent, top-quality resource about optimizing press releases for uptake in the media and follow-on on the web. [...]
[...] 12. Syndicate a press release. Take the time to make it GOOD (compelling, newsworthy). Email it to some handpicked journalists and bloggers. Personalize the email message. For good measure, submit it to PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. [...]
[...] Developing Authority & Being Easy to Link At 6. Make your content easy to understand so many people can understand and spread your message. (It’s an accessibility thing.) 7. Put some effort in to minimize grammatical or spelling errors, especially if you need authoritative people like librarians to link to your site. 8. Have an easily accessible privacy policy and about section so your site seems more trustworthy. Including a picture of yourself may also help build your authority. PPC as a Link Building Tool 9. Buy relevant traffic with a pay per click campaign. Relevant traffic will get your site more visitors and brand exposure. When people come to your site, regardless of the channel in which they found it, there is a possibility that they will link to you. News and Syndication 10. Syndicate an article at EzineArticles, GoArticles, iSnare, etc. The great thing about good article sites is that their article pages actually rank highly and send highly qualified traffic. 11. Submit an article to industry news site. Have an SEO site? Write an article and submit to WebProNews. Have a site about BLANK? Submit to BLANKinformationalsite.com. 12. Syndicate a press release. Take the time to make it GOOD (compelling, newsworthy). Email it to some handpicked journalists and bloggers. Personalize the email message. For good measure, submit it to PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. 13. Track who picks up your articles or press releases. Offer them exclusive news or content. 14. Trade articles with other webmasters. 15. Email a few friends when you have important relevant news asking them for their feedback and/or if they would mind referencing it if they find your information useful. 16. Write about, and link to, companies with “in the news” pages. They link back to stories and blog posts which cover their developments. This is obviously easiest if you have a news section or blog. Do a Google search for [your industry + “in the news”]. 17. Perform surveys and studies that make people feel important. If you can make other people feel important they will help do your marketing for you for free. Salary.com did a study on how underpaid mothers were, and they got many high quality links. [...]
[...] Рвот Ñто Ñебе на заметку, потому что не понÑла, как оно делаетÑÑ 12. Syndicate a press release. Take the time to make it GOOD (compelling, newsworthy). Email it to some handpicked journalists and bloggers. Personalize the email message. For good measure, submit it to PRWeb, PRLeap, etc. [...]
A Free Press Release Blog - http://www.PressAbout.com
[...] There are several release submission sites, some are free, others are not. Often times, paid press release submission sites will give you a higher ranking within their site depending on the amount of money you spend per release, along with other perks. Some sites are better than others but here is a list compiled by Lee Odden’s TopRank Blog: [...]
[...] Invia i tuoi comunicati stampa. Ricorda prima di scrivere un ottimo comunicato. Poi spediscilo a molti giornalisti e bloggers del settore, personalizzando il messaggio e-mail ad [...]
[...] Here is a Top 10 List of Bestpractices for optimizing Press Releases. [...]
[...] of 2007. Interestingly, one post from 2005 continues to rank in the top 20 content pages, “Lowdown on Press Release Optimization“. Factoring in visits, links, comments and bookmarks, here’s the list of the top ten [...]
[...] of 2007. Interestingly, one post from 2005 continues to rank in the top 20 content pages, “Lowdown on Press Release Optimization“. Factoring in visits, links, comments and bookmarks, here’s the list of the top ten [...]
[...] of 2007. Interestingly, one post from 2005 continues to rank in the top 20 content pages, “Lowdown on Press Release Optimization“. Factoring in visits, links, comments and bookmarks, here’s the list of the top ten [...]
[...] Moderated by Anne Kennedy of Beyond Ink, this session looks at how to make use of tactics such as press release optimization and optimizing news content to best tap into traffic from news search. I’ll be focusing on [...]
[...] Lowdown on press release optimization [...]
EmailWire.com accepts optimized press releases and gives users the ability to measure the effectiveness of their press releases.
[...] Syndicate a press release. Take the time to make it GOOD (compelling, newsworthy). Email it to some handpicked journalists and bloggers. Personalize the email message. For good [...]
[...] Syndicate a press release. Take the time to make it GOOD (compelling, newsworthy). Email it to some handpicked journalists and bloggers. Personalize the email message. For good [...]
[...] over the past 2-3 years. Press releases in particular, have been the easy target for promotion as candidates for optimization. With the growing use of Google and Yahoo News, optimizing press releases have been an easy way to [...]
You can also submit technology press releases to http://www.techprspider.com
You can also submit your press release to http://www.freepressindex.com/. It is completely FREE!
[...] more engaging information about the news being promoted as well as sound bites. A link to a keyword optimized press release is included as well for those not tuned in to a multimedia [...]