What is the first thing that pops up into your mind when you think of the word “press release”? If you are like most people, you will instantly think of something that’s boring and not worth reading. However, though press releases were mind numbingly boring when they were first introduced, the Internet and online marketing have revolutionized things. Today, though the purpose of press releases stays the same, they have a special oomph factor which makes them interesting and even intriguing for readers.
If you are an entrepreneur and have just started a business, you should know about the importance of press releases in the success of your online marketing. If crafted and distributed properly, a press release can prove to be the tip of the iceberg. It will be a chance for your business to get noticed and spread far and wide. The key is to know exactly how an informative and interesting press release is written.
Matei Gavril, CEO at PRMediaOnline, says, “We have many clients trying to use the online spectrum to make it big in the virtual world, and we recommend PRs to most of them. It’s tried and tested and if you do it well, PRs can help your brand get instant recognition. We’ve done it successfully for several brands, including our own.”
However, before we begin talking about how to write an effective press release, it’s important that you find out how they can be beneficial for your online marketing.
How Press Releases Can Help Online Marketing
Today, online marketing is all about interacting positively with your customers. So how exactly can press releases help you with this? Read on and find out.
Increases Business Visibility
When you are running a startup, you know that it is very important to improve the visibility of your business. In fact, because of the tough competition in this digital age, even big corporations need to fight to win over consumers. When you stick to a good press release strategy, you tell your customers about your business, what it does and why they need you. Moreover, as time passes, you can grab the attention of journalists and they'll begin to give you more coverage.
Establishes Your Business as an Industry Expert
All businesses know that one of the primary goals of their online marketing should be to establish the company as an industry expert. When you are seen as an expert, the trust your customer has in you, your brand and your products is amplified. If you produce high quality press releases, the media will start to call on you to comment on a story which is related to your industry, which will increase your worth and value.
Helps in Link Building
One of the most fruitful benefits of press releases is that they help in link building. Though the press release may not be very beneficial with the traditional SEO, the coverage you receive due to the press release will be advantageous for your SEO. This is why it is recommended by experts that you include keywords and links in your press release. When your press release receives attention, it becomes a reason for people to visit your website to see what you are all about.
How to Write an Effective Press Release
Effective and intriguing press releases are created, not written. If you write a press release with the objective to announce a product or service, it is not going to be recognized as something valuable among the general public. However, if your goal is to not only announce but offer worthy information, you will begin to see an almost instant change in things.
Here are a few things you need to keep in mind when creating a stellar press release to backup and support your online marketing strategy.
- Stick to a specific topic and try not to dilute the press release with too many keywords and links. Though sharing is your goal, you shouldn’t provide a lot of information because that will seem boring and unnecessary to the reader.
- Optimizing press releases requires the most important keywords to be placed near the top of the document so they can be picked out quickly. Experts also suggest that you use the most important phrases first as this will increase the chances of visibility.
- Don’t make the mistake of distributing the press release through several wire services because this will only cause the search engines to think that the others are duplicates. Instead, stick to reputable wires like Business Wire or PRWeb because these will be most efficient in distribution.
- Including a call to action or click through will make your press release more interactive. After all, because you want to do more than just announce a news, you need to provide the reader with free trials, podcasts, webinars, email newsletters, and special offers. You can also include links which take the reader to your website and increase traffic.
- Make it easy to blog about so both journalists and bloggers have a chance to talk about it. One of the best things you can do is to research for bloggers who write about industries like your and write a summary from them. Most of these experts will then pick up the summary and comment about it.
Press releases should be an important part of your online marketing strategy. Because online marketing is being targeted left, right, and center, you need to ensure that you have everything covered. So make the right choice and start creating exceptionally good press releases for your company’s benefit.
