There are plenty of sites online that let you distribute you press releases free. But is it worth it?

You’ve heard the old adage, “You get what you pay for.” There is no area where this truth is more apt than with public relations or online publicity. Many of the websites that allow you to distribute your press releases for free simply list your press release on their website and that’s about all the benefit you get. If the press release is ever found it may not even run in any periodicals worth mentioning. That’s not true of my favorite press release distributor.

PRWeb - Press Releases That Work

PR Web Press Release Newswire may not be free, but the benefits you receive by distributing your press releases through their service are more than worth it. They hit all the important online publicity websites, including Google News, Yahoo News, and the AP. When it comes to spending money on PR, this is your best buy.

One of the best things you can do for your press release writing is to use action words. Action words are strong words that convey action and give your press release additional punch, opposed to passive verbs, which tend to weaken your writing.

One of the biggest mistakes novice press release writers make is using passive verbs, words such as

• is
• was
• will get

Action words are much stronger. Look at these two sentences and you decide which one is the strongest:

1. ABC Corporation is getting a new CEO.
2. John Smith jumps head first into the CEO seat at ABC Corporation.

If you said No. 2 is stronger then you’d be correct. The reason sentence No. 2 is better is because it utilizes the action word “jumps.” That’s much stronger and easier to visualize than “is getting.”

PRWeb - Press Releases That Work

If you take out the passive verbs and replace them with action words, your press release writing will improve 100%.

When it comes to press release SEO you don’t necessarily have to use the same version of your keyword in every instance. Search engines are smarter than your average bear. Here are some sample sentences using the keyword phrase “automatic transmission.” These are perfectly legitimate SEO strategies for ranking your press release around this keyword phrase.

• Sentence #1: Does your automobile feature an automatic transmission?
• Sentence #2: Transmission performance in not automatic in some Ford models.
• Sentence #3: We service automatic and standard transmissions on any automobile.

Notice that every sentence above uses the keyword phrase automatic transmission, but that the words in the phrase are not contiguous in each use of the phrase. They don’t have to be for effective keyword implementation.

PRWeb - Press Releases That Work

You know the wisdom of using a video with your online press release. Good! But how long does it need to be?

Good question.

When it comes to press release videos, too long can be as bad as not long enough. That’s why you need to carefully think about how long that video should be before you upload it to your favorite press release distribution website.

PRWeb - Press Releases That Work

There are two things to consider when it comes to press release video length: Who is the video for and what is it for? In other words, whose time are you taking up and what are you trying to tell them? You don’t have to tell the entire story in the press release video. You just want enough to spark an interest. Then give the rest of it on your website.

Do you own a local business? Are you trying to get the attention of your local media? RSS feeds can help you do that.

If you know that the local media come to your website for information on your industry and to learn more about your particular niche area, you can get more mileage out of your press releases by subscribing to them through RSS and running them through your own website. Here’s how you do it.

• Write your press release
• Distribute your press release to PRWeb Press Release Newswire
• Go to PRWeb Press Release Newswire and find the RSS feed for your press releases
• Copy the RSS feed code
• Insert the RSS feed code into the code on the web page you want that feed to run on

When local media people visit your website to look for information on your company and your industry, they’ll see all your press releases right there in one spot. Have that page labeled clearly “For The Media” or something similar to get them to visit that page more often.

When it comes to press release SEO, there is perhaps nothing as important as the anchor text that you use within the press release. This is one area that many press release writers don’t understand. Yesterday, I critiqued a press release submitted by a company called Webjam. I pointed out in my critique that Webjam made the mistake of using its company name for the anchor text in its links. This was a big mistake.

The reason you don’t want to use your company name for your press release anchor text is because your company is likely not well known enough to people outside of it to warrant that. If you are AT&T or Exxon-Mobile then perhaps that is OK. But for most companies, that isn’t the best strategy. It might be if your important keyword is a part of your company name, but in the case Webjam, and many other companies as well, that’s not the case.

A better anchor text strategy in your press releases is to link your important keywords to your website. If you are an entertainer who hires herself out for private parties then you might use the anchor text “private party entertainer” or “private party.” If you are a used car salesman then you might use “used cars.” A press release writer might use “press release writer” as anchor text. Whatever you use, it needs to be relevant and it needs to be a keyword phrase that you want to rank well for in the search engines. It also needs to be a phrase that one of your web pages is optimized around and then you need to link it to that web page.

Don’t overlook anchor text in your press releases. If you’re going to link to your website from an online press release then make sure those links are high value links.

Today I thought I’d offer up a critique of an online press release I found at PRWeb Press Release Newswire. This press release is for a new Web 2.0 website called Webjam. You can see a screenshot of the press release on the left.

There are several things I like about this press release, but there are also a few things that I would have done differently. I’ll start with the press release title, or headline, and make my way down the page.

Press Release Title
The press release title could use a little work:

Webjam Launches the Place for You, Your Groups and Your Sites

While it does follow the traditional journalistic structure, it doesn’t really grab my attention. “Launches” is such a common term now for starting a website that few people even pay attention to it any more. Another thing this title fails to do is capitalize on a useful keyword. Theat weakens the SEO. You should never optimize your press releases around your company name unless you have a recognizable brand. A generic keyword that will have mass appeal is much better.

Press Release Writing
The writing on this press release seems a little stiff to me. It uses too much jargon and fails to really connect with its intended audience. That may be because the idea is not really anything new, but I think it’s really because the writer didn’t know how to put together a good press release.

Webjam doesn’t seem to offer anything you can’t get somewhere. It looks like a play off of Squidoo to me. But that aside, the way I would improve the writing of this press release is to toss out the industry jargon phrases like “social publishing utility” and focus on selling the benefits. What would potential users of the site get out of using it? Also, on a site like this that seems to address needs that are currently be filled by other websites, you need to stress what makes you different, what sets you apart from the competition.

Again, the press release seems optimized around the company name. This is evidenced by “Webjam” being the anchor text for all of the links in the press release. I would recommend that you pick a key phrase that you want publicity managers at media organizations to key in on and optimize your press release around that phrase. Make at least half of your links in the press release anchored on that keyword text.

Other than that, I was glad to see the first word of the press release act as a link. That gets your brand right up front where it needs to be. Then you need to follow that up with a link in the last paragraph and the actual URL of your website, which the writers of this press release do.

Press Release Enhancements
The added element of the video in the top left corner of the press release is a good touch. It’s a great enhancement that more companies could use to illustrate the usefulness of their products. My only criticism of it is that this video is too long. Make it shorter, a sort of teaser for what you will actually get when you visit the company’s website. About 15-20 seconds is long enough for a press release. Take a segment of the full video to use for the press release and put the entire video tutorial of your product on your website. Somewhere in your press release, link to that video on your website. That’s a much better strategy.

I’m not sure what the graphic on the right is all about. The writing is too small to read and I can’t click the graphic to make it larger. I’d ditch it.

The contact information on the right side of the press release of course is good and has all the right information. The pull quote below the video, however, needs a little work. I like pull quotes and I highly recommend using them, but “swiss army knife” is an overused phrase used to describe anything that can do everything - which, of course, isn’t really true. Nothing can do everything, but there are useful tools that can do a lot. A little more creativity in the pull quote would be nice.

Further down, on the right side of the page, you’ll see attached files. I’m not sure who benefits from seeing the company logo. It isn’t necessary. Press people aren’t interested in seeing your logo. The screenshot of the front page is good and if users want to click on it to blow it up then they’ll see the same graphic that I spoke of above that isn’t necessary. Don’t put the same graphic in your press releases twice. Every element must be necessary or take it out. Just below the front page screenshot is the same graphic again. For the third time, it isn’t necessary and doesn’t add anything new. If you must add this graphic to the press release, this would be the place I would put it, however, because now I can click on it and see it as a larger image in order to be able to read the text. Finally, we get to see the Webjam founders. Nobody cares. Every element of your press release must be something that people will get benefit from. Otherwise, get rid of it.

I’d like to see how successful this press release is in getting the media attention they are seeking. If I was a press editor somewhere, I would likely lose interest in it. I’m not sure if this company is targeting only a regional audience (the UK) or if they are seeking a global audience. If the latter, they will likely not get very far. If the former, they could get a little publicity from this press release, but I wouldn’t think much.

Online press releases in 2007 are so much better than press releases were 10 years ago. You can do so much more to attract media attention with a press release today. It’s not all just smoke and mirrors.

Online press releases can draw important media attention to your business and ideas in numerous ways. One very powerful way to attract media attention is to use a pull quote. But just what is a pull quote?

A pull quote is the art of taking a quote from your press release and drawing it to draw attention to it. You’ve seen this in newspapers for years. Your reading along then all of a sudden see a big blow up of a quote highlighted by colorful lines and block box that the text in the article wraps around. This is a pull quote. You can actually use a pull quote in your online press release to get the attention of the media people who will read it. It’s very effective and it adds additional character to your press releases.

Should you reprint your press releases? How about reprinting them on your blog?

Many webmasters have a press or media section on their website. They will reprint their press releases on their websites for local or industry media personnel to take advantage of. I won’t argue whether this is a good practice or not. It has its advantages and disadvantages. I think whether you take this approach depends a lot on your company and its values.

Well, maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. I have no problem with company blogs sharing important news about their company with readers. But I have a few principles that are worth following if you plan to take this approach:

• Make sure any news you share on your blog is relevant to your readers
• Make sure visitors to your blog are interested in that news
• Don’t just reprint a press release as it - repurpose it as blog content
• Don’t tell everything
• Spark an interest if you expect to create a buzz

Your blog is a daily note to your customers and visitors. Try to keep it up to date and relevant. Share only the most important news that your visitors will be interested in. Rather than simply reprint your press releases, take your press releases and chop them up into useful information soundbites. Then, take each soundbite and expand upon it in a separate blog post. This will go a long way with your blog readers because each blog post will be centered on a single topic.

Your blog, if syndicated, has the potential to reach a lot more people in a shorter amount of time. Industry experts could very well be subscribed to your blog and may rarely visit your website. That includes important trade journal editors and publishers. If that is the case then you definitely want to share press release information on your blog. Just don’t do it in a press release.

Do you have a goal with every press release you write? It is counterproductive to just kick out a press release because you’re looking for a little attention. If you’re lucky, a little attention is all you’ll get.

But if you write your press releases with a worth goal and write with that goal in mind then you increase your chances that the press release will be successful by hundreds of percentage points. This isn’t just pie-in-sky.

It has been proven that Harvard graduates who write down their goals are more successful overall than Harvard graduates who don’t. That illustrates the importance of writing down goals. But it’s just as important to pursue them aggressively. The same is true of press release writing.

Before you start writing your press release, write down the goal for that press release. What do you want it to achieve? Then when you start writing, put that goal in front of you so you can see it as you write. If you write with the end goal in mind you are much more likely to achieve it.

One of the primary reasons for writing and distributing a press release is to create a buzz about your product or service and your company. But the press release is not the only tool for doing that. In a word, PR doesn’t exist in a vacuum. That’s PR as in press release and public relations.

When it comes to effective press relations, the press release is merely one tool in a handbag of tools designed to help you, the business owner, create a buzz. What you really want is to use the press release to enhance your other PR efforts. And you know that there is more than one way to skin the PR cat so you don’t need us to remind you. But when you start to skinning, you should include the press release in that overall plan.

You know that the press release can make you sales, not necessarily directly, but indirectly through the media who are first moved by it. What that means is, your first have to impress the media person, then your potential customer. But how do you do that?

Let’s think about the goal of a press release. What should it do? The obvious answer is evoke a response. But from whom?

If you guessed the news editor or media person who first reads it then you guessed correctly. The press release is all about getting media attention which leads to increased sales. So what is the most important part of the press release for ensuring you meet that goal?

Is it the title? Well, the title is important for getting people to read your press release. But it doesn’t close the sale.

How about the first paragraph? Nope. It isn’t there either.

The most important part of your press release for ensuring that you close sales is the contact information. Did you include it in your press release? You should. What if the media person or news editor has a question? What if they want to interview you for a story? They’ll need a way to get in touch with you. I recommend making it as easy as possible for them to do that. Here’s what you should include in your contact information:

• Name
• Position or Title
• Address
• Phone Number
• Website URL
• E-mail Address

By including all of this information in your Contact Us section, you give any interested media personnel a variety of ways to contact you according to their preferences. That will go a long way in impressing them and getting them to run your press release.

Attracting media attention through your press release isn’t difficult, but it is hard work. The best way to ensure that you attract media attention is to write a catchy title. But don’t make the mistake of writing hype. You are not writing your press release for consumers. You are writing it for media personnel and if they sense hype just a little bit then your press release is likely to hit File 13 before it gets anywhere else.

Attracting media attention is really about getting the facts front and center. So your title needs to do that. It needs to say what the press release is about and it needs to do it in as few words as possible. It also needs to speak a clear benefit to the end consumer, the reader of the publication you expect that news to end up in.

For instance, let’s say you have produced a new way of recording music. You know that musicians will love this new product that will effectively make them producers of their own recordings. You know that every musician-oriented magazine in the world will be interested in the product. Therefore, you write and send out a press release.

Remember that while the musicians are your ultimate clientele and audience, you first have to get through the editors and publishers of the media that will present your message to that audience. That’s why you need to focus your press release on attracting the attention of those media personnel. Hype and promises won’t do it. Facts about your products - its features and benefits - will. Those need to be right up front in that press release.

Here’s a hint: If you really want to attract media attention fast, put the biggest benefit of your product in the title of your press release. By showcasing the biggest benefit to the end user right there in the title, you are sure to attract the attention of every important media person in the industry because their goal is to impress the musicians in their audience with relevant news that will affect them.

Keyword research for press releases is a lot like keyword research for website content, articles, or blogs. Online marketing, after all, is online marketing. But there is one fundamental difference between press release SEO and website content SEO:

What does that mean, exactly? Let’s use an example.Your local hardware store is planning a “Hit The Nail On The Head” promotion. You’re inviting local contractors to the store for a special contractor-only shopping day. That means you are turning away your other customers just to make room for contractors to get what they want at special contractor prices. That sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it?It also sounds like a great opportunity for a press release. Since your hardware store also has an online presence that includes a website, you decide to extend your contractor-only shopping day to your Internet store. But there’s one problem: You can’t screen your online customers to determine whether they are contractors or not, or can you? Well, that’s a problem for your store personnel to figure out. What you can do is write and distribute a press release to promote your contractor-only sale. But what keywords should you use?

How To Optimize Your Press Release
For The Right Keywords
You know that your press release must be optimized in order to get the best results online. But how should you optimize it? Should you use the keywords “Hit The Nail On The Head?” That is the name of your promotion. What about “contractor-only?” Or “hardware store?” See the dilemma.

The answer to this question lies in another question: What are you trying to accomplish? The appropriate keyword for your press release is the one that will help you most accomplish your goal. In this case, you want to drive contractors to your hardware store on a special day - let’s say November 15. On this day, you want as many contractors from all over, from anywhere and everywhere, to visit your online store, or if they are local to you - say, in Lansing, Michigan - then to drop by your store to participate. Here are some keywords you should focus on:

• Contractor
• Hardware Store
• Sale
• Lansing, Michigan
• The name of your store

That’s a lot of keywords for one press release. You need to pick the two most important keywords and optimize your press release for those. You might even write two press releases (or more), and optimize the press release for two keywords per release. In other words, one press release might focus on “contractor” and “sale.” Another might focus on “hardware store” and “Lansing, Michigan.” This way, you are targeting your audience globally in one press release and locally in another.