What is a Press Release?
A press release (a.k.a. news release) is an article aimed at people in the news media for distribution purposes. They should be written about things/events that have a certain degree of value
for the intended reader. Example topics for press releases range from: new products and services, promotions, events, awards, financial performance and other types of “newsworthy” information.
Why is it Important?
Press releases generally keep the public updated about your organization. In addition to keeping people informed, they also can be indexed by the search engines and this further helps your content be distributed to the masses.
SEO Benefits:
The search ranking programs (spiders) index content periodically across the web by following links. Press releases, when optimized for the engines, can be crawled and the content (and backlinks) will be associated with your website. More exposure in the search engines translates into more natural traffic to your website, brand awareness and increased rankings.
Important “how to” Tips:
Like a normal article, press releases should follow a standard template:
1. Create a title.
2. Include an introduction, body and summary.
3. Add any relevant anchor text links within the copy.
4. Add a footer with authorship, company information and a backlink to your website.
5. Always remember to write “holistically” and answer the 5W’s: “who, what, when, where and why.”
6. Frequency: I recommend creating at least one press release per month as part of your normal work flow.
In closing, press releases are a great way to generated buzz about your company and gain valuable search engine exposure—and it’s free!
About the Author: Rhett DeMille, the owner of PalmettoSoft, is a leading search engine optimization consultant located in the Florida and Greater Carolina areas.
