One of the best ways you can market your business online is with a Press Release. These PR tools are relatively simple to setup and send out. More importantly, they can be extremely effective when optimized correctly for news wires, readers and search engines.

However, as press releases become more widely used by marketers, it will become increasingly difficult for your press release to stand out in the crowd. It is estimated that more than 2,000 press releases are distributed each day across the main online wire services like PRWeb^[1]. With that being said, we are going to show you how to optimize your press release so that it quickly gets noticed and so that it provides your website(s) with the most value for search engine exposure and branding.

Press Releases: Online vs. Print

A press release, as online marketers know it today, is a little different than the traditional press releases of just a few years ago. In the past, a press release required a drawn out writing, approval and publishing process. In addition, a business would usually have to maintain some pretty good contacts in the publishing industry to even get their press release distributed and circulated amongst the best print publications. Some of this is still true today, but smart marketers know that there are much simpler ways to publish an effective press release.

For the sake of this post we are going to use the examples of online press releases only. We feel that there are still opportunities for print press releases, but we have found online press releases to have the following advantages over print:

• Can be distributed much quicker
• Can provide SEO value to other websites
• Can be easier to find, read and pass on to others (more viral)
• More cost effective
• Larger reach through online syndication

If you have never setup a press release and don’t know where to start, let us know by leaving a comment below or sending us an email at [email protected]^[2].

How to Optimize a Press Release

As with any other tool or piece of online marketing, optimization is required to ensure maximum exposure, branding and success. Press Releases are no different. Anyone can write a press release and send it out online, but without proper optimization it is highly unlikely that an amateur press release will receive anything but amateur results.

If you are going to take the time and spend the money to submit an online press release, then make sure to use the following 10 tips to properly optimize your press release first:

TIP #1: Make it Newsworthy

If your press release is not newsworthy, then please do not send it out. We get enough noise and interruption in our daily lives so if you are going to submit a press release, then make it something interesting, unique and newsworthy.

Not sure what constitutes newsworthy? The most simple gauge you can use is a friend, family member or even a random stranger. Give them a brief summary of what you would be writing a press release about and gauge their reaction to see if they sound excited, interested or even a little curious. If their reaction is not made up of any of these emotions, then your press release is NOT newsworthy.

TIP #2: Use Keywords

Before you misunderstand what we mean, allow us to clarify….use keywords strategically, DO NOT STUFF IN KEYWORDS. If your press release is just a couple of run on sentences with one specific key phrase repeated many times over, then we promise you that it will be a waste of your time and money.

Instead, strategically insert key phrases into your press release content where they (1) sound natural and (2) provide value to the reader.

BAD EXAMPLE: John Smith, a business broker, just brokered a business deal that places them as one of the top business brokerages in the area amongst other companies that specialize in the business brokerage industry.

GOOD EXAMPLE: John Smith, one of the premier business brokers in California, recently orchestrated one of the largest deals in the past 10 years. This deal has placed John Smith of Company XYZ as the top producing business broker in the state for the 10th year in a row.

TIP #3: Use Anchor Text Links

One of the basic techniques with on page optimization for any type of web content is to use relevant anchor text links. Anchor text links offer value to your press release and the website(s) you are linking to by (1) increasing the probability that someone will click on your link and by (2) helping the search engines realize what the link that is pointing to your website is about.

Using our examples from above, let’s take a look at the difference between the wrong way to use anchor text links and the right way.

BAD EXAMPLE: John Smith, a business broker, just brokered a business deal that places them as one of the top business brokerages in the area amongst other companies that specialize in the business brokerage industry. Click here to view more.

GOOD EXAMPLE: John Smith, one of the premier business brokers in California, recently orchestrated one of the largest deals in the past 10 years. This deal has placed John Smith of Company XYZ as the top producing business broker in the state for the 10th year in a row.

In the “bad example” above, using a generic link with no descriptive text will decrease click through rates. In the “good example” above, a link with very descriptive text tells the reader that they will most likely be taken to a site that talks about John being a top producing broker.

BONUS: Do not make every anchor text link you create hyperlink to only your homepage. Try to find specific pages of content on your website to link to instead. If you find yourself with nothing but your homepage to link to then you need to get going on adding some quality content to your website.

TIP #4: Include Media

No one likes to stare at pages and pages of text. Text becomes more interesting and digestible when different types of content are included to break up any monotony. Some great forms of content to intersperse throughout your press release(s) are photos and videos.

Great images can speak a thousand words. Videos actually do speak for you, but in a more interesting and interactive way. Try including things like your photo (only if you’re at least somewhat attractive, seriously), your logo, or pictures of your business. You can also include videos of client testimonials or brief commercials about your business. Whatever you decide to include make sure that they are good quality as a fuzzy image or annoying video will turn someone away from your press release before they even read it.