SEO and the Press Release

As promised above, in order to better understand this 'press release' stuff, I interviewed the author of my press release, Christine O'Kelly:

Ken: “Why should one do a press release?”

Christine: "Unlike other forms of online publishing, press releases give you an opportunity to boast about the latest and greatest things happening within your company. Other sources that allow companies to publish their own content such as article database sites require that content be generic and only offer links or promotion in a small footer area. Not only do you get to promote yourself with press releases, if written and submitted correctly, your press release will appear on the first page search engine news databases within one to two days. These news stories are then picked up by many websites that provide news feeds. Press releases are a fantastic way to get news of your company in front of numerous eyes and gain valuable backlinks very rapidly."

Ken: "What are the sorts of things around which one might do a press release apart from launching one’s business? Most of my clients have launched their business months or years ago so it's a bit too late to announce that."

Christine: "Most clients that I talk to assume that they don’t have anything newsworthy enough to write a press release about – not so! There are any number of topics that are great material for press releases. Topics can include the launch of a new product or service, a relationship with a new client or business partner, the publication of a new document on a company’s website, results of a poll, activities or partnership with a non-profit organization, a free giveaway, a contest – just about anything that is “new”. You can even repackage older products and services to create something new. Many clients that I work with publish 1-3 press releases per month. Committing to a regular press release schedule challenges you to continuously find ways to make your website, products, and offer fresh for your target audience. The most effective press releases offer readers a reason to click back to the site to obtain something – this might be a free downloadable PDF, a free sample, viewing a video – the sky’s the limit!"

Ken: "Why should someone hire a professional to write and distribute the press release?"

Christine: "There are any number of reasons why a site might pick up a press release. First of all, savvy website owners know that valuable content draws visitors and search engines. For this reason, many sites include news feeds on their sites. Others will seek out your press release and publish it or a link to it on their site. Bloggers may find it and post about it. Website owners are constantly searching for information that will be interesting and useful to their readers."

Ken: “Assuming that the interest will wane as the announcement becomes ‘old news’, is there an ongoing aspect to PR?”

Christine: "Absolutely. Most of my clients publish press releases at least on a monthly basis. The headlines will not remain in the search engine news pages forever. How quickly they rotate out depends on the amount of news published in the particular industry. Because news is timely, it has to be fresh to get noticed. The great thing about press releases is that you can publish as many as you like. If you choose, you can be in the front page of Google or Yahoo news every day!"

Contact Christine at christine@createbusinessgrowth.com if you'd like to know more about the potential value of press release marketing.