Press Releases for SEO – Press releases are an essential part of website SEO. They help to increase website traffic and improve the visibility of your website. Additionally, press releases can help build brand awareness and create a positive image for your company.
However, many people don’t know how to write a compelling press release that journalists and news outlets will pick up. Here’s what you need to do if you want yours to stand out from the rest!
Keep reading to learn more about press release SEO and why you should be using PRs to drive traffic to your website.
What is a press release?
A press release is an announcement made by a business or individual about important events. PRs are typically distributed via email and online.
They generally contain newsworthy items, announcements about new products or services, press coverage for high-profile events, a new product launch, hiring news, and company milestones and achievements.
How press releases and SEO work together
Press releases and SEO work cohesively to increase website traffic and improve the visibility of websites. A press release is an essential tool that can help you get your brand’s message to the masses and create a positive image for your company.
Often, a press release’s indirect value is immeasurable!
The biggest benefit?
One well-written press release that gets picked up by journalists and news outlets can have the same SEO value as dozens of blog posts.
Why?
Because journalists republish press releases on their own websites, news outlets, and blogs, the more places your press release gets published, the greater its SEO value will be.
Press Release Distribution
Press releases are distributed through press release distribution services. Business Wire, PR Newswire, and Global Newswire are all a few great options if you’re looking for a submission site.
One thing when it comes to choosing a press release site – you get what you pay for! Make sure that whatever company you use is reputable.
When someone accesses press release information, it’s distributed to press release search engines like Google News.
Sites that the press release is syndicated to pull directly from press releases, and press releases often rank high on search engine results pages.
Why press releases are essential for SEO
Search Engine Optimization is a complex process that includes several technicalities and strategies. However, press releases can help you move the needle with SEO and positively impact your website’s search rankings.
Press releases can gain you backlinks.
In 2022, if your primary aim is to obtain a backlink from a news release platform, press release submission isn’t worth the time.
Like most SEO link-building methods, this approach has been widely misused and is now associated with low-quality spammy link activity.
If you send out spammy press releases, I promise, your SEO efforts will tank.
Search engines know what you’re doing.
However, if you take the time to write compelling and exciting newsworthy press releases, the results of press release distribution will be well worth your effort.
Now, you won’t necessarily get the “golden link,” but you can gain some strong, high-quality, relevant links.
Although most backlinks from PRs are nofollow links, meaning they won’t directly affect your website’s search rankings – you can still benefit from these links.
Having nofollow links makes your backlink profile more diverse.
For example, top bloggers often pick up press releases who write about the same topic as yours. This will generate more exposure for your business or website.
There are many blogger outreach programs out there; just find one to find an influencer In your niche. Once you find them, it’s vital that you research their background. Not all influencers are good influencers.
The content of your press release plays a major role in determining whether it gets picked up by influential bloggers or not. If you have a well-written press release that genuinely adds value, you’ll increase the chances of your press release being picked up by blogs and websites with high domain authority.
Press releases can deliver link juice.
The more quality inbound links you have to your website, the better Google ranks your website for search terms. And, the more traffic that comes to your website via organic search listings, the higher your site will rank on SERPs (search engine results pages).
These links contribute to your rankings more than you know!
The more backlinks your press release gets, the better you can rank for organic search terms.
So do press releases work for SEO?
Well, it depends.
The goal of putting out a press release should not be to obtain direct links from a press release website. Instead, you should be striving to give material that will pique the interest of journalists and news outlets.
Then they’ll talk about your company, business, or products. And if other news sources and publications pick up their coverage, it can cause a snowball effect that leads to even more backlinks and exposure for your website.
If you create a press release that is compelling, interesting, and exciting about a recent news event or announcement, journalists will want to cover it. They’ll then write up the story and offer their own perspective on it, linking to your site from their articles.
These are the high authority links, relevant, and have the potential to enhance your visibility.
Be sure to read our recent article to learn more off-page SEO tactics you should try in 2022 for some quick wins!
Press releases are an essential part of search engine optimization. They can help increase website traffic and improve the visibility of your website.
Suppose you want your company, business, or products noticed by consumers actively searching for specific keywords on search engines or social media sites. In that case, press releases provide an excellent opportunity to get publicity. Be sure to read our newest article to learn how search optimization works on social media sites and how you can ensure that your content is seen.
This is why keyword research is vital for any SEO press release!
What are the benefits of using Press Releases?
There are numerous benefits to using Press Releases. Some of the most important benefits include:
Drive organic traffic to your website
Some say that this is the most significant SEO benefit. Your PR will be distributed through many different platforms, helping you gain exposure and build brand awareness for your company.
If a news source, journalist, or publication picks up your press release and covers it in their publication, they may also offer a link to your website. This is a high authority and relevant backlink that can increase your traffic and improve your Google search rankings.
The higher the site authority, the better.
Here are some other SEO benefits of using PRs.
Increase branding and awareness for your company
By becoming an expert resource in the industry, you’ll become associated with quality content that can help you establish your credibility. If journalists cover your press release, they’ll also mention who you are.
Plus this helps build your E-A-T with Google!
This can help to increase your company’s brand awareness, as it will now be associated with the publication that covered the press release.
Positive public relations for your company
Press releases are an excellent way to share exciting updates about your business. Customers appreciate transparency and sincerity from companies, so you are building goodwill towards your business by sharing newsworthy updates. If any journalists or news outlets pick up on the story, they will share it with their own audiences.
This can lead to increased exposure for your company and generate positive public relations.
How to get started with Press Releases
The first step in getting started with PRs is finding a reputable press release distribution company. There are several reputable, well-known press release sites to choose from.
The next step is to create your press release. You want to make sure that you include all critical information yet avoid going into too much detail.
Your goal should be to provide enough information that journalists and other news sources will find your PR exciting and want to cover it.
17 Tips For Creating an Effective Press Release
Before you hop in and submit your press release online, here are a few tips to help you create effective PRs that have the potential to go viral.
1. Use keywords for SEO success
Include keywords in your headline and the first paragraph of the press release that you would like people to find on Google or other search engines.
If you include them correctly, they won’t seem like “keyword stuffing,” as they will be naturally integrated into the PR. Use caution and make sure your article is written for people, not search engines.
Find your primary keyword target and stick to it!
2. Know your target audience
When scouring the web for news sources to submit your press release to, take time to research each outlet.
Thoroughly check out their website or blog and see what kinds of stories they typically cover. This will help you target your releases in the most appropriate way to each publication so that they are more likely to pick them up.
3. Have fun!
Be creative and have some fun with your press releases. Make sure that there is something unique about your release that is interesting enough to pique the interest of the public and journalists and news outlets, leading them to want to share it with their audience.
4. Be timely
Make sure that your press releases are timely. If you have a newsworthy event, promotion, or other newsworthy items to share, announce it through a press release so that journalists can find it easily.
5. Make reporters’ lives easier for them
When writing your press releases, make the lives of reporters and journalists as easy as possible by including all of the information they need, including who you are, when your respective event is happening, contact info, etc.
Remember, the more informative your press release, the more likely larger media outlets will pick it up.
6. Don’t be cheesy
Nobody likes to read a press release that is clearly put out by an amateur company looking for free coverage and backlinks. While this should go without saying, you’d be surprised how many people write unprofessional press releases.
Make sure yours sounds polished and professional, so it has the best chance of being picked up by journalists and news outlets.
7. Include multimedia content
Take advantage of the fact that you can include images, audio, and video in your press release.
Journalists are more likely to share media-rich content on their website or social media because it engages their audience. Plus, it makes your press release stand out from the rest!
8. Keep it short
Press releases shouldn’t be written like an academic essay or book report, but they also shouldn’t be 300 words long with no substance.
Avoid going over 1000 words (we shoot for around 600) and include as much information as you can without overwhelming your audience!
9. Be careful about where you send your press release
If you’re hoping that a journalist from a specific publication will write an article about your PR, you should be careful where you send your press release.
It’s best to find the right balance between sending it to too many places and not sending it anywhere at all.
10. Pick a catchy headline
Journalists and other news outlets receive many press releases every day. If they ignore the headline of your press release, it will likely end up in their trash can or spam folder.
Make sure that you pick a compelling headline that matches the tone and topic of your PR.
A compelling press release is exponentially more likely to be shared by journalists and news outlets.
11. Link back to your website
Journalists and other news outlets may want to research your company before they write about your press release.
Make the process as easy as possible for them by including a link to your website somewhere in the PR!
But don’t get crazy! Too many links in the PR can make it seem spammy.
And Google started recognizing spammy links years ago. They’re really cracking down on them now.
Try to work in one anchor link to your services (or money) page while including links to any other pages with relevant content.
Depending on who you ask, the backlink is one of a press release’s most significant SEO benefits.
Best practices suggest linking to your website in the first line of the first paragraph and the last line of the last paragraph.
Make sure that you create natural links. Journalists are trained to identify links that seem unnatural or incorrect.
These “best practices” for press releases are merely suggestions. They’re not hard and fast rules that will guarantee that journalists and news outlets share your press release, but they’re an excellent place to start!
12. Include an author biography
If you’re an entrepreneur, include your author biography at the end of your press release. This will give journalists and news outlets a chance to learn more about you and “humanize” their story.
13. Be sure that it’s factually correct
It doesn’t matter how attractive your press release is; if there are facts in it that are wrong, journalists certainly won’t want to share it.
Double-check that your press release is filled with only correct information!
14. Inject some personality into your PR
Including a little bit of personality is a great way to ensure that you’ll stand out from the crowd and get noticed by journalists and news outlets.
For instance, if you have a funny or exciting story behind your press release, make sure to include it!
15. Don’t forget about Press Release Optimization
Thie article is about using a press release for SEO right?
Do your proper keyword research and use the appropriate keywords in the press release that journalists and news outlets might be looking for to improve SEO.
You can use online keyword volume tools like the Google Adwords Keyword Tool to find out what keywords are getting a lot of searches.
Then, incorporate those words and phrases into your press release!
16. Please, please, please, proofread
This should be a no-brainer, but we can’t stress enough how important it is to check your entire press release for spelling and grammatical errors before sending it out into the world!
Remember, the power of your press release lies in the content.
You’d be amazed at the number of press releases that are filled with errors. Make sure yours isn’t one of them!
17. Use a press release creation and distribution service
If you’d rather not spend your time writing and distributing press releases, use a company like BlakSheep Creative to do it all for you!
We love creating press releases for our SEO clients! Visit our press releases service page to learn more.
We can help you make sure your press release gets in front of the right journalists and news outlets at the right time.
Contact us today to learn more!
Are press releases a part of your existing SEO Strategy?
If they’re not, they should be! In today’s SEO world, it’s crucial to stay on top of trends and optimize your website for search engines.
Get the word out about your company with press release distribution!
At BlakSheep Creative, we specialize in building brand awareness through well-written articles and blog posts, SEO copywriting services, web content, press releases, and more. We can help you understand how journalists think so that you know exactly what to say to get your press release in front of them!
Contact us today for high-quality, affordable SEO content writing services. Our rates are competitive, and we know how to write a good press release!
