Press releases are imperative for a successful website marketing campaign.  Putting your company, product and/or service in the media spotlight not only improves your reputation and gives you brand recognition, it improves your website rank and sends more traffic to your website. 

I recommend publishing at least 1 press release per month.  Every company has something newsworthy to announce.  If you need news topic ideas, check out Ideas for Writing a Press Release: 12 News Angle Ideas & A Challenge… by Christine Okelly.

A press release is the single most important off-site marketing tool.  However, it will only work if it’s done right.  Be willing to spend some extra money.  A well written press release will generally cost between $75 and $300.  If you select an editor to write for less, it is a good idea to look at writing samples to be sure the quality is excellent.

Writing the Press Release

Your press release should be 400 to 500 words in length.  Most people will only read about one-third of the way through your press release, so this is where the most important information should be contained. 

Remember, the purpose of your press release is not to sell a product or service; it is to announce a product, service or other information about your company.  Every press release should include a quote from a representative of the company.  Write the press release first so that you can focus on the message being conveyed.  Optimization of the press release should wait until the writing is finished.

Keywords

Pick two keywords or keyword phrases that you want your website to rank for in the search engines.  Make sure the keywords that you choose are well optimized by a search engine optimization specialist on the page of the website that will be linked.

Keywords in Title

Use at lease one of the two keywords in your title.  For example, if one of your keyword phrases is “sporting goods” your title may be something like this: “ABC Company Opens New Sporting Goods Store in Denver.”

Keywords in Body

Use each of the two keywords at least three times or one time for every one hundred words throughout the press release.  As a general rule, the proximity of each keyword should be spaced evenly.  For example, if you have a 400 word press release, do not mention “sporting goods” more than once or twice in the same paragraph.  Instead, try to use each of your keyword phrases approximately once in each paragraph.

Link Keywords

Link your first keyword.  Take one of your keywords from the first paragraph and create a hyperlink pointing to the appropriate page of your website.  Again, it is very important to make sure the keyword is well optimized on the page that is being linked. 

Link your second keyword or keyword phrase in the middle of the press release or the third paragraph.  Do not point this link to the same page on your website as you did the first keyword.  Google will only index the first keyword of redundant URL’s, so be sure to point this link to a different page that is well optimized for the keyword.

Some experts will tell you it is okay to use three hyperlinks in a press release.  Although I have done this many times myself, I do not recommend it.  Using three hyperlinks may result in fewer media and bloggers re-posting your content. 

Distribution

Find a great newswire distribution company.  I generally use Vocus (PRWEB) or PRNewswire.  It will cost between $200 and $1,000 to send out one press release, but it is well worth it.  You will find your release published on news websites across the country. 

There may be a few free distribution channels out there which are good, but as the popular saying goes “you get what you pay for.”  I welcome comments from people who have used free PR distribution companies.  I would like to know what your experience has been.

Keywords in URL

Some news distribution companies will allow you to edit the URL to include two keywords.  For example, it will look something like this one I published for one of my clients who has a DJ business: http://www.prweb.com/releases/colorado/dj/prweb9039833.htm.  Using the keywords within the URL will help your target market and media find your press release.

Images

Be sure to add at least one image or logo to the body of the press release.  Images increase exposure.

Social Media

After the news release is distributed, be sure to push it out to the primary social media channels, such as: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.  Some newswires will send out your release to these social media networks for you, but there is often an additional charge for this service.

Wait to Publish

Wait to add the release to your website.  One of the biggest mistakes people make is posting the press release to their own site first and then sending the release to a newswire.  Always add the press release to your company website, but wait until about one week after it has been released to the newswire for full syndication.  This will give you credit (link juice) for all of the backlinks, meaning links from other sites pointing to your site.