Writing A Press Release For SEO – PR Video
There are many tips and guidelines advising PR’s and SEO’s on how to cook up the most effective press release, and in this Video blog, we are going to attempt to do exactly the same thing – but with a little extra seasoning.
The kind of press release that we are referring to is one which is distributed to journalists personally, rather than those solely for SEO purposes, advertorials, or to be published on a press release site such as PR Web, or Official Wire.
Online coverage goes hand in hand with a successful SEO campaign. It is the process of generating content about a business on news sites with high authority. This can include online news stories through traditional media forms such as newspapers, magazines, TV and radio.
Remember, most media forms have a website, and duplicate their printed material online.
There are many do’s and don’t do’s when it comes to press release writing, but there are no set rules, so for those of you who want to give it a go, follow our quick guide on writing a press release that will get results!
But first: Who Cares?
Before even attempting to write your press release, ask yourself and the person next to you two things; why is it interesting and does it matter to anyone? If you can answer this then you have immediately got your target audience, and your angle.
Do not be shy to add your logo to the head of the release. This will give your brand exposer.
Start your release with a headline. For SEO, make sure your headline is short. This makes it punchy, and also more accessible to tweeting and more SEO friendly. Do not add a link. It’s annoying and manipulative).
In the first sentence we need to tell the journalist the news. Let’s not talk about the company because he may have no interest in it yet! Think about your target audience. Is it trade, or is it consumer? Style the opening to tell your audience the news.
Next, Use the 5 W’s (who, what, when, where and why). Make sure you share as much detail as you can, but leave enough out for the journalist to want to pick up the phone and call.
Here is where you can add a quote. It will make the press release more authentic and personal. If you are working for a client, make sure you have the quote approved first. You don’t want to be putting the wrong words in their release.
Finish with a summary and some history because if the journalist is still reading, he will want to know a little more. Do not forget to add contact information at the end of the release clearly. Name, email address and telephone number.
You can finish the release with Notes to Editor A good place to add a company boiler plate or event times, locations etc.
Now you can have a go at writing the release but it doesn’t end there. Distribution is just as important. We will cover some top tips on distribution in a further video blog. Thank you for watching, and good luck with your Press Release!
