If you haven’t optimized your online news releases, you may be missing an opportunity to reach a much larger audience. Unlike a traditional press release that goes to the media, an online news release lets you deliver your key message to the media, bloggers, even potential customers who might be researching your products and services.
Sarah Skerik, VP of social media for PR Newswire, offered five tips for putting an online news release to work:
1. Target your audience.
Relevant traffic is more important than the size of your audience. Don’t focus on casting a wide net. Zero in on what message you want to convey, or problem you want to solve for your reader. “A tightly focused message that is truly relevant for your target keywords is more likely to be ranked, read and written about than a release that tries to be all things to all people,” said Skerik.
2. Keep it brief.
According to Skerik, the length of an online news release is the make or break factor in the overall strength of its optimization. The optimum length is generally 400 to 600 words. Give your reader what they want the most, first. A good, clear headline draws the reader in without leaving them to wonder what the news release is about. “Since you tend to lose readers after the first 100 to 200 words, make sure you’re giving your readers an understanding of your news release that will entice them to read further,” she added.
3. Optimize your content.
If you speak the language your customers and prospects are using online, you will get traffic. Use keywords and terminology people use when discussing the product, service or initiative you are promoting. You’ll be more likely to connect with people – via search engines and on-page. “What people plug into search engines should be what your release is answering,” said Skerik.
4. Use anchor text to drive traffic.
According to Skerik, anchor text – the links you see on websites connecting a word or phrase to a related page – are a boon to public relations writers. “Simply linking to a company homepage is not enough,” said Skerik. Don’t use anchor text to link phrases like “for more information” or “click here.” Link operative keywords or short phrases (two words is ideal) to relevant Web pages. Also, use your most important keyword in your headline and your lead sentence. “Two links per 500 to 600 words is recommended to focus search engines on your most important keywords,” said Skerik.
5. Be tweet-able.
It’s a great way to create buzz about your product. “Twitterers are enthusiastic sharers of information of all kinds” said Skerik. “Harnessing the power of this important social media network can really give your PR campaigns a boost.” Start your headline with the most important keyword in your news release. And, keep your headlines short (60 to 80 characters) so that they are re-tweetable. Short tweets also allow room for the URL linking back to your release.