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Audience Development Strategy

Online Press Release Guidelines for Publishers

How to write a better press release

A press release is not written like anything else on your site. Once you master the basics of writing a well-crafted press release, you will reap the benefits – increased website traffic, new inbound links and higher search engine rankings.

How to write a better press release

A press release is not written like anything else on your site. Once you master the basics of writing a well-crafted press release, you will reap the benefits – increased website traffic, new inbound links and higher search engine rankings.

What’s considered newsworthy?
A press release is not used tell everyone how great you and your products are. Items that would be considered newsworthy include:

  • Sponsoring a charity event through your business
  • Implementing or developing a new product that addresses a specific need
  • Merging or partnering with another well-known business
  • Announcing giveaways – samples, white papers, software, tutorials, contest prizes, etc.
  • Gaining a contract with a large company
  • Sharing results of research you’ve carried out
  • Industry or community recognition and awards

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Word Choice is Key
Steer clear of terms such as “we’re the best”, “visit us today”, “buy me now” or “discount prices”. Also, avoid WORDS IN CAPITALS and the unnecessary use of exclamation marks.

Effective items you should include in a press release:

  • Quotes from a company representative – interview style
  • Statistics – we love stats
  • Information relating to how, what, when, where and why

Don’t use I, we, you or they. It’s less professional and you’ll miss an important keyword opportunity. We frequently use terms like “online publishers” and “content marketers”; use whatever is appropriate for your industry.

Add Images
Get more bang for your buck by adding images. Most PR sites allow up to 3MG of pictures or other media files. If you don’t have a product picture, use your company logo.

Create Social Buzz
Once you’ve posted your press release on your site and the PR sites, get social. Link back to your press release on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Some PR sites have the option to automatically tweet about your press release as soon as it’s live. The more people that see your press release, the more people that will see your company and your website.

What do you do to get your online press release noticed? Share your ideas in the comments below.

By Amanda MacArthur

Research Director & Managing Editor

Amanda is responsible for all the articles you read on the Mequoda Daily portal and every email newsletter delivered to your inbox from us. She is also our in-house social media expert and would love to chat with you over on @Mequoda. She has worked with Mequoda for almost a decade, helping to evolve the Mequoda Method through research, testing and developing new best practices in digital publishing, editorial strategy, email marketing and audience development. Amanda is a co-author of our four digital publishing handbooks.

Co-authored handbooks:

Contact Amanda:

Contact Amanda via email at amanda (at) mequoda (dot) com, @amaaanda, LinkedIn, and Google+.

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