Qamar Zaman is an American Entrepreneur, rated best SEO technologist and founder of KISS PR Story Newswire.
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Press releases are one of the most underutilized tools in content amplification, but they’re powerful if you know how to use them. In this article, I will explain how press releases work and offer advice on how to find press release services, what to include in your release, and how to best use them once they go live.
What are press releases?
A press release is an official written statement issued by an organization and delivered to members of the news media, who can then write stories about it. A successful press release drives traffic and boosts brand recognition, while a poorly executed or misleading one will reflect badly on the business. Ideally, once your company sends out a press release, journalists (and their readers) will be interested in hearing more about your content, leading them right back to your website.
What makes an effective press release?
A press release should be an official announcement of the news, such as a new product, service or event. I see a lot of businesses putting out press releases on things that aren’t newsworthy. You will not receive earned media attention and respect from journalists if you do it incorrectly. Here are some tips for writing an effective press release:
• Put a focus on action verbs and benefits. For example, rather than saying “we have acquired,” say “we acquire.” The active voice is more direct and engaging.
• Include quotes from key people. Use quotes from relevant key players on your executive team to give your audience insight into why they should care about your story. If you don’t have any quotes, consider using industry experts instead. When you quote someone who has been recognized as an influencer or a thought leader/subject matter expert, the audience will give you more respect and legitimacy.
• Proofread, proofread, proofread! Always proofread before sending out a press release. Even if you’re not including it in an email blast, you will still want it to be error-free when it’s posted online or printed in a publication.
Where should you send your press release?
Today, you have a number of options for places to send your press release. Common examples include news sources and paid press release platforms. It’s also important to remember that in order for a news outlet or website to publish your story, they must first be subscribed to receive press releases from each of these services.
If you don’t know where to start, try searching for a list of media outlets in your industry using keywords like [your industry] media list. You can also search by location—for example, if you want to target local news outlets, the easiest way is to search by keyword: [your industry] media list + [your city]. This will give you a good idea of who covers what within that area and how many people are covering it. Remember that some local publications may not accept outside submissions, so make sure to check before sending anything out.
What is a good press release?
A good press release is one that gets picked up by major news organizations or at least gets you some coverage from smaller niche blogs. Most online outlets these days won’t publish long-form content straight from your company, so a press release can help you promote that new content. Keep in mind: Your objective with a press release isn’t necessarily to get as many eyeballs as possible, but instead it should be about starting conversations and building relationships with the right people.
SEO your press release.
Before you can send out your press release, there are a few things you should know. Press releases can be a great way to amplify content and build awareness around your brand. To achieve this goal, make sure your press release contains SEO-friendly keywords so that when people search for that keyword, they’ll find your press release and not someone else’s. To pepper the release with the right kind of keywords, I recommend using Google-related searches as a free resource. For example, if your press release is about the launch of your SaaS software, you could type “best SaaS software” into Google and scroll down toward the end. Using “Related Searches,” find the relevant keywords and add them into your content to help get your press release more eyeballs. Adding relevant keywords to your items will improve their exposure and traffic.
It’s also important to create headlines that get people’s attention. Using your main keyword in the headline can help your press release secure a better spot on Google’s search results. For instance, say I created a press release announcing my services and I want to be known as the “Best White-Label Press Release Service for Agencies.” Since I recognize that most SEO businesses search for this keyword, my headline would be: How [ProductBrandName] is the best press release software that’s boosting PR companies’ businesses.
The greatest SEO advice I can give you is to utilize related material from your website as a source to read in your press releases, which provides context to your release. For example, if your press release talks about your product’s features and benefits, adding a hyperlink to your product page can make your release better for SEO and also read more like an announcement than marketing. Put simply, if it smells like an ad, it will not garner the attention of journalists and will not go viral. You want to improve SEO and build trust.
Summing Up
The most effective outcomes in my experience come from storytelling in your release. Be creative, fascinating and newsworthy. If you can accomplish those goals, you’re well on your way to writing a decent press release! However, keep in mind that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all press release.
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