Press Release - Part II
As previously related in Part I – The Power of Press Releases, this important element of your promotional campaign not only helps in driving traffic to your website but also in generating lots of back links and so it kicks your Google Page rank higher and gets you picked easily by other major search engines.
This article will go into the fine details of creating a succesful Press Release and what it means for your business as a whole.
I. Choose Topic
The main distinction between an article and a Press Release is that the Press Release announces a specific event. An article describes an opinion or simply shares information about a specific topic. For example, “Company ABC Launches a New Web Portal.” In this example, you are announcing a specific event (the launch of new web site or portal).
Understanding this difference now, will save you time and energy, as many distribution sites will not submit releases that are not formatted and written like a proper release.
Ideas for Specific Events:
- The launch of your new business
- The launch of your new website
- The launch of your new team
- The launch of your new blog
II. Choose Keywords
The focus of a Press Release should be not only to inform other people about your event but using keywords within the Press Release in order to gain high ranking positions with the search engines. In order to produce the proper
keywords follow the steps:
- Make a list of 5-10 keywords that are related to the topic you chose
- Go to http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com and type in your keywords, one by one.
- Choose the top three keywords that have the highest number of searches
III. Write the Press Release
This is where everything happens. Remember – the organization where you send your Press Release isn’t interested in helping you make money or driving visitors to your site. All they look for is a story – an interesting one so more readers will flock to their articles. So it’s up to you to make it interesting and make the cut.
Here are the steps to accomplish this:
Step 1 – Outline
Create an outline by answering the following 5 questions:
- What specific event am I announcing?
- When did this event happen?
- Who did this event involve?
- Why would other people be interested in reading about this event?
- Where can people find out more information?
Step 2 – Quotes
Make sure you write 2-3 personal quotes to use in your press release (as if someone was interviewing you about this event). These quotes should be what you think or feel about this event.
Step 3 – Release
Write your release Notes along these lines:
- This is where the news reporter should shine. Your press release should read like a news story, as if someone else wrote it
- Be sure your keyword is used at least 3-4 times in the body of your press release and in the title of your release, without feeling like you are stuffing or forcing them upon the reader
- Do not use one keyword more than 4 times in the body each release
Step 4 – Review
- Check your entire text for spelling, punctuation and grammar errors
- Check if your web site URL is the correct one on the bottom of your Press Release – you won’t get a second chance at this
- Double-check everything as you want the release to be as professional as possible
- Have others read it and get feedback
- Modify accordingly is the majority of your feedback points to a specific item in your Press Release
IV. Distribute the Press Release
Once your press release is finalized, distribute it to the search engines ASAP!
Here’s a resource list where you can distribute your Press Release:
Note: You will have to signup for each of the resources listed above. Once you do –do not forget to save it in your Favorites should you return back to them. Each distribution site distributes your release to many other websites.
Important Notes:
- Keep your Press Release at an effective rate of 400 words or less
- Your press release should contain your keyword 3-4 times in the body, and once in the title
- Always use your personal business name when distributing releases
- Some distribution sites will make your press release live immediately; some will require up 72 hours for approval
- The distribution site will immediately reject you if your press release sounds more like an advertisement, or a sales pitch and not a newsworthy event
- Press releases are impossible to edit after they have been distributed; make sure you are 100% sure of the content you are about to release
- Make sure you submit the same press release to a distribution site only ONCE
- You can distribute the same press release to all the different distribution sites
Even More Important Notes:
- Whenever possible, add a video into the distribution with your press release. Google loves press releases with video in them
- Some distribution sites will give you the opportunity to have your website displayed right beneath your press release. Take advantage of this option when possible. It looks very professional and adds credibility to your release
- If you follow the instructions in this article, your release will begin to appear more and more on the search engines over time
For other helpful infomation Self Promotion, please see 7 Powerful Laws of Self-Marketing
Claudiu Geanta is a serial entrepreneur and founder of
Design by Satori Inc. &
Satori CG Inc.. He helps businesses promote their presence on and off line.
He is also an accomplished web designer, book writer and photographer. You can follow him on
Twitter. Read more from this author
