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Writing effective press releases is a great way to increase your company’s exposure, announce important information or news about the company, and drive more traffic to your company’s website. While compelling, concise copy is key to a great press release, there are several other factors that will affect the reach and influence of your press releases. Keep these factors in mind before your next press release distribution:

It’s All About the Search

Simple, straightforward press releases are becoming a thing of the past. As search has evolved, marketers are placing target keywords into their press releases to help search engine users find the release more easily online. Reporters often use specific search terms to build a list of sources that they use to develop story ideas. By inserting keywords into your press releases, you will have a better opportunity to get on one of those lists and maximize the influence of your release.

If you have a list of keyword phrases that you use for your website, it still may be beneficial to revise your list to include those that will be best for news related searches on Google. You can use Google’s “Keyword Tool” to assess monthly search volumes for relevant keywords. This tool also gives suggestions for other related keywords that may be well suited to include in your press release.

The best advice one can give is to make sure to read your press release aloud, keywords in place, to see how well they flow throughout your announcement. The wording should sound as natural as possible once the keywords have been added.

If you choose to include any hyperlinks in your press release, Global Public Relations Manager for NCR, Mark Scott, recommends that you link to what your product does or your keywords, not your product name.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

A great way to promote more coverage of your press release is to use images that are relevant to the word you are trying to get out. To improve your search strategy, make sure to optimize the images for search by “tagging” these images with your main keywords. PRESSfeed’s data shows that 80% of journalists and bloggers are more likely to cover news that includes an image. Nothing screams “This just in!” better than a well-matched photo.

Sometimes You Just Have To See It To Believe It

Sometimes a photo just won’t do a story justice, but a video can! Having a quick, less than two minute video clip can boost search content tremendously. As you would with a photo, also “tag” the video with keywords. Including a small description of the video also enables search engines to index the content, which gives users a better chance at finding your footage.

If you would like to learn more about press release marketing for your website, please contact Net-Craft.com today.