So……We all know that the media and PR industries have evolved significantly over the last few years with the rise in popularity of social media, blogging, SEO and well, Google taking over the world…and consequently we as PR professionals, need to grow and change with the times in order to stay relevant. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the better part of the last decade, you’ll know that the way in which people search for information has changed and WHERE people find information has also changed.
So where do people go to get their daily dose of news nowadays?
According to the 2011 Edelman Trust Barometer Executive Summary, search engines rank number one as the first place people go to for information about a company, followed by online news sources, print, and broadcast media. See here: http://bit.ly/rFhj6N
This is not to say that traditional media is on the out, but it is important to be aware that things are changing and we need to go with the flow to have any chance of staying ahead. The great thing about all this change is that it has opened up so many new avenues to share news and information.Journalists get leads from social media, blogs, forums, newswires and even online searches and it’s not just the journalists who we need to see our news. Getting your news in the hands of anyone who wants to share it will increase your online presence and help establish you, or your client, as an authority in the field.
Think of the possibilities…
If perhaps someone who isn’t necessarily a journalist were to pick up one of your news releases online and find it particularly interesting or relevant to them, they’ll be more than likely to SHARE it. If one of these people who picks up the release has even 5,000 Twitter followers….. You do the math. Even press release syndication companies like PR Newswire, have implemented a ‘tweet’ button for Twitter and a ‘share’ button for Facebook at the top of their platform, to make it easy for anyone who reads your news, to share it easily. See: http://prn.to/rFF8tk
How to write a press release for the search engines!
Ways you can make it easier for journalists and the general public to find, read and share your information:
- Draft an amended version of each of your press releases and submit them to the online press release syndication sites.
- Be clear and concise so readers know what you’re trying to say straight away.
- Use the correct keyword phrases in your content for the body, title and tags of your release.
- Keep in mind: these keywords need to be words that people will be searching for (typing into the search engines).
- Relate to recent relevant breaking news or developments in the industry – basically spell out the impact your news will have on XYZ.
- ALWAYS include links inside the press release copy – linking to relevant news stories or reference sources online. This will give your readers the convenience of easy access to additional information to follow up on.
- Submit eye catching NEW images with your release – keep in mind some sites charge for this feature.
- Monitor your results by setting up Google Alerts and by searching your keywords in the search engines over the next couple of weeks.
Anyway….. As always, hope it’s been helpful!
Comment, comment, comment!!!
Great post! I agree we still need to provide a mix of traditional media releases and social media content. Whenever we do a media release for a client, we also post it in our own blog, and then link to it via Twitter and facebook. It not only gives us fresh content for our own social media accounts, it also provides added value for our clients.
Thanks Paula,
In my next post I’ll be sharing some of the best press release syndication websites to get started with. Hope this helps and thanks so much for the feedback!
soooo clear and concise! A website that follows its own advice. As always so informative. Everything you could need to get a business out there. Thanks again
Thanks for the comment TBO – Glad you found it helpful. Stay tuned for more to come…
I do accept as true with all the ideas you have introduced to your post. They are really convincing and can definitely work. Still, the posts are too brief for beginners. Could you please extend them a bit from subsequent time? Thanks for the post.
Heya i’m for the first time here. I found this board and I to find It really useful & it helped me out a lot. I am hoping to offer something back and help others like you aided me.
I admire your work , thankyou for all the useful blog posts.
Thanks for helping out, great information.
Exactly what I was looking for, regards for putting up. “Every failure is a step to success…” by William Whewell.
I was reading some of your content on this site and I think this web site is real informative ! Keep posting .
Some truly excellent content on this web site The evolution of the press release – writing press releases for the search engines | PR Agency Australia | PR Connect thankyou for contribution.
I like this web site it’s a master piece! Glad I discovered this on google.
Thanks for taking the time to post.
I can’t wait to see what your next article is going to be about; this one was just so interesting.
I really like your writing style, great info , appreciate it for putting up : D.