Press Release Site

PR ADVICE

What is a Press Release? 

A press release is primarily written to be sent to journalists or bloggers to encourage them to develop a news story or feature article to be published in a magazine, newspaper, journal, blog, news website etc.

Generally a press release is biased towards the author and his/her company and is usually written to highlight a specific event, new product or piece of information. The press release will generally explain the who, what, when, where, why and how of the story.
 

What are the Benefits of Online Press Releases?

Over the past few years we have seen many people turn to the web to distribute information about their company, products and services. Generally most of the promotional content found on the Internet is often written in a sales format which can often appear boring, biased and not in line with what the customer wants to read.

With the rise of search engines such as Google, Internet users are able to specifically target articles and stories of interest to them by typing keywords relevant to what they are looking for in the search box.

With this in mind, companies should look at new ways to increase their profile through the use of keywords throughout articles, blog posts and in this case, press releases.

Using the Internet to publish your press release can:
 

Maximise Your Message

Publishing your press release on specific PR websites, such as PR Frog can give it the potential to reach hundreds and thousands of readers within a matter of minutes. On top of this, PR Frog have direct links through Google News so your press release can be distributed and reproduced dozens of times, potentially being seen by newspaper publishers as well as bloggers and other companies who can re-write or link back to your press release.

Improve Search Engine Positions

PR Frog allows press releases to be optimised for search engines. This is achieved by using effective techniques such as keyword-rich links within the release which point directly to your website. Search engines place a huge emphasis on links and an optimised online press release allows you great traffic to your website over a long period of time with relatively little effort. A press release with keyword-rich links and other mediums such as pictures and videos can increase its whereabouts on the web and potentially get your website to Google No.1.

Using links, videos and pictures is an option PR Frog strongly recommends if you are looking to increase traffic to your site, and invites you to take a look at Option 3 of our services before publishing your press release online.

Full Reporting

With traditional offline press releases it is impossible to know how many people actually read your press release. PR Frog allows you to look at how many unique readers have viewed your content and the number of external links which lead to the article.

Ten Reasons Why Publishing A Press Release Online Is Essential to Your Business

• More and more people each day are turning to the Internet to find news and information on products, services, companies and ideas. In fact, most news stories and press releases are read by the general public looking for specific data on the World Wide Web, so make sure they stumble across your content.
   
• If SEO is used correctly, your press release can get you to the top of page one with your chosen keywords in relative news engines within 24 hours. 
   
• If there is a relevant and timely news result on a keyword, both Yahoo and Google are displaying this news item above the number one organic position in web search. 
   
• Publishing your press release online allows you to target your audience directly with the information YOU want them to read taking out reporters or editors who can often filter your message. 
   
• You know that readers of your press release are interested in the products and services you have to offer as they have asked for search results related to the keywords you have implemented into your press release. 
   
• Online releases can be tracked. Now you can get a full set of statistics telling you how many times your press release has been viewed, accessed or downloaded.
   
• The press releases will get picked up and published on other relevant sites which in turn will increase the number of people who see your content and in the long term visit you site.
   
• Using the correct optimisation, your press release should contain keyword links within it to build more relevant inbound links to your site, which in the long run will positively affect your search rankings.
   
• Once your press release has appeared in search engine news pages, the content will move within a week or so to standard web searches based on your keywords. 
   
• If you decide to further add the releases to your website and put them into an RSS feed you can increase your visibility. Eventually your press release will show up in news aggregators, Yahoo News and Google Blogsearch.

Points To Consider When Writing A Press Release

• Remember that there are major differences between advertising and public relations so when writing your press release make sure it doesn’t sound like a sales pitch and instead make it news worthy or informative to your target audience. 
   
• There are thousands of companies on a daily basis publishing their press releases online and you may often find that there is some of a similar nature to yours or they are using the same keywords to target their audience. Make sure you make it stand out from the crowd by creating more links inside the press release and writing quirky content to catch the reader’s attention. 
   
• Find a news angle for your story. If you are trying to promote the same product that you have been promoting for the past few years and have failed to succeed, find a new angle that will catch the reader’s attention and give them something worth reading. 
   
• Use a headline that sums up your entire story. That way they get the gist of what it is all about and if the headline is strong-they will read on.
   
• Make sure that your first paragraph answers at least FIVE essential questions. WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY?
   
• If possible try and answer the sixth question. HOW? Sometimes you can’t work the ‘how’ into your piece, but do make sure you answer the first FIVE questions.
   
• The first paragraph is there to make your point as quickly as possible to keep the reader reading so make sure you don’t bombard it with reams of information that will bore your reader.
   
• Don’t forget to include your basic information as well. It may sound obvious but be sure to include the name of a contact person, phone number, fax, Email address, Web address and company address.
   
• It is also a good idea to write a short paragraph which describes the foundations of your business. This generally comes at the end of a press release in the ‘Notes to Editors’ section providing people with background information about who you are.
   
• Keep sentences and paragraphs short and to the point. Keep the content simple and try not to use jargon which may confuse your reader. Try not to write more than two pages.
   
• Study press releases from other companies and get familiar with the format of how they are written based around what you are trying to promote.