Which is more important though? Having something newsworthy to say or using press releases to build relevant backlinks to improve search engine rankings for your website? They both are. The key is striking a balance.

It’s All About the Audience

While SEO releases and non-SEO releases look and act similarly, they’re not quite the same. It’s okay to break some of the more traditional rules of press release writing when distributing online no matter what some of the “old school” PR reps might say. Why? Because the audience can be different.

When you write a press release, you’re not answering to anyone but your audience. In some cases that target audience might be major media outlets. If so, you might want to stick to the more traditional rules of press release writing and distribution like focusing on hard news and following AP style guidelines.

If, however, your target audience focuses on groups like bloggers and end consumers who are searching for news through news engines like Yahoo! News and Google News, those traditional rules not only don’t have to apply, but they can actually hurt your reach. For example, timely releases with softer angles (more in line with features than traditional news releases) can attract more interest, and some AP style rules are directly contrary to the way people actually search (and being found through those searches is vital).

Don’t Forget the Fundamentals

You can’t know when it’s okay to break the “rules” of press release writing and distribution unless you know what those rules are in the first place. So don’t neglect the traditional release. There’s a lot of merit to the way things have previously been done.

While you don’t always have to release hard news, having a newsworthy or timely story is still important. Without at least one of those elements you’re not really putting out a press release at all. You’re just taking part in article marketing. There’s nothing wrong with article marketing. It just isn’t designed to bring in the immediate influx of traffic, links, and coverage that online press release distribution is.

Another traditional rule is to write out full URLs for links. There’s nothing wrong with breaking that rule in part — by all means use anchor text links whenever the press release distribution site allows you to. After all, that’s a key of a well-optimized release for SEO purposes. However, you might want to consider those traditional full URLs as well. There’s always a chance the release will be picked up somewhere that won’t publish the anchor text links, and the full URL at least gives readers a copy / paste option to find further information.

Striking the Balance

How do you ultimately strike that balance between SEO releases and news value? You certainly don’t use SEO as an excuse to publish fluff and crap that no one has any interest in. As with anything your company publishes, make sure your press releases add value for the intended audience.

That should always be your primary concern. If you’re giving good information and you’re making it easily found in search engines, you’ll likely be forgiven the occasional slip from the rules. Remember, even if your primary intention is to use online press release distribution to improve search engine rankings, what you release also has the potential to affect your company’s image and credibility within your niche or industry. It’s when companies forget that fact that they start to put out releases bordering on spam. Don’t be one of them.

Need help writing a press release to share your company’s news? Get in touch to work with an experienced PR pro today.

The post Balancing PR and SEO in Online Press Release Distribution appeared first on Pro Business Writer.

There are three keys to a successful press release:

1. A quality news angle (never send a press release if you don’t have real news)
2. A well-written release (following proper formatting, writing styles, etc.)
3. A tailored press release distribution plan (there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to distribution)

This guide will walk you though the components of a press release and offer several press release writing tips you can use when learning how to write a press release for your business.

Press Release Components

• Release time – The top of a press release should either have “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” or an embargo date listed (EMBARGOED UNTIL DATE) if the news isn’t to be published immediately.
• Headline – The headline is like the title of your press release. It should grab the reader’s attention, make them want to click or read more, and still manage to introduce the news angle itself.
• Summary – Press release summaries are popular in online press release distribution. This should be a two to four sentence summary of the news, expanding on the headline but not as detailed as the press release body. When using offline press release distribution methods, this can be substituted with a one-line sub-heading.
• Dateline – The dateline of a press release comes directly before (but on the same line as) the opening body paragraph. It will include the hometown of the company issuing the news release as well as the release date.
• Press Release Body – The first body paragraph of a press release should briefly answer the questions of who?, what?, when?, where?, and why?. Following paragraphs will include supporting details and often a quote from a representative of the company.
• Boilerplate – A press release boilerplate is a short backgrounder on the issuing company, person, or organization, generally no longer than one paragraph.
• Call to Action – The call to action invites the reader to get in touch with you for any additional details they may need in writing a story.
• Contact Information – At a bare minimum include a media contact name, phone number, and email address. It never hurts to include a mailing address, cell, or fax number as well.
• Closing – All news releases should contain a closing mark (often ### or -30-), which signifies to the reader that there’s nothing more to come. If a release goes to a second page, the first page should be marked with something like -more- to make it clear that another page will follow. You can list any addenda (such as photos) just before the closing.

Proofread your press release carefully before distributing it to journalists or posting it to a press release distribution site. If you’re still not confident enough to write your own news release given these tips and template, hire a press release writer or PR firm to write your release for you.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Try to keep a press release to one page whenever possible. People don’t generally have a long attention span when reading them.
• Only send a press release when you have press release ideas with real news to distribute. Littering the Web or hounding journalists with too many “fluff” releases can damage your chances of coverage in the future.
• Write using the journalistic inverted pyramid style (with the most important information coming first, and working down to less vital, supplemental details).
• A release in the 300 – 400 word range is often adequate. If your press release is longer than that, see if you can cut something without losing effect before deciding to keep the longer copy.
• Don’t forget to add complete contact information!
• Publish your press release to your company website. This creates an archive of your news for journalists to later refer to, and makes your press releases more directly accessible to your customers, clients, or visitors.
• Publish your press release to an online press release distribution service that will get it listed in news engines such as Google News or Yahoo! News. This makes your press release available via search. Paid services such as PRWeb can do this. Some free services, like PR.com, can get a press release listed in Google News as well, although you generally have to pay to include live links.
• Write using short paragraphs and sentences.
• Avoid testimonials or other promotional language. A press release is news; not advertising.

The post How to Write a Press Release appeared first on Pro Business Writer.

Release Time

This line graces the top of nearly every press release distributed to the media. It tells the journalist or editor receiving it when the information in the release can be made public. Most often, that line will read FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. If the news isn’t permitted to be released until a later point in time, the release time would read EMBARGOED UNTIL with the release date listed afterwards.

Contact Info

At a bare minimum, every press release should include the full name of the appropriate media contact person, their phone number, and their email address. A website URL should also be added, and a mailing address can be added optionally. The idea is to make it easy for journalists to contact someone related to the news story if they need additional information. Having no, or incomplete, media contact info on a press release is quite possibly the biggest press release writing mistake you can make.

Headline

The headline is like a title. It needs to convey your general news and grab the interest of the reader right away. A common error is trying to make the headline overly “cute” rather than having it tell the journalist immediately what the news is. If you can do both, great. If not, focus the headline on the news angle… just make sure you have a solid and interesting news angle to begin with.

Subheading / Summary

Generally, there’s no need to have both a subheading and a summary, so choose the best option for your press release and distribution model. They each serve the same purpose – to expand upon the news very generally mentioned in your headline. Many online distribution outlets require a summary to be included.

Dateline

The dateline will include the date the release is being distributed, as well as the hometown or nearest metropolitan area of the company or individual presenting the news to the media.

Opening Paragraph

The opening or lead paragraph should start on the same line as the press release’s dateline, and expands upon the headline by answering the following questions briefly: who?, what?, when?, where?, and why?

News Release Body

The body of your news release expands upon the news being presented by offering supporting details, statistics, or background information. This is where you would include quotes in your press release. The body of the press release should follow the basic inverted pyramid writing style of journalism, where the most newsworthy information is offered first, with a trickle down effect through the least newsworthy supporting details.

Boilerplate

The boilerplate is a more general background or “about us” paragraph regarding the person, company, or organization presenting the news. The purpose of the boilerplate is simply to provide background information to journalists, giving them a better idea of who the issuing source of the news is.

Call to Action

If you want members of the media to take any specific action, you’ll mention that at the end of the press release. This is very often just a line such as “For more information about CompanyABC or this particular news story, please contact Contact’s Name at contact’s phone number.”

Closing

You need to let editors and/or journalists know when your release is finished, so they don’t assume that there’s another page or addenda attached. There are a few different symbols you can use to close a press release, including “###” and “-30-“. If you do have a second page, you could end your first page with something like -more-, and if you have any addenda attached (such as photos), you should mention it at the end of the news release.

The post Press Release Components appeared first on Pro Business Writer.

Header

When writing a press release, you should always include a header with the contact person’s name and contact information (such as phone number and email address). Beneath the contact information, you should type FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. (For online press releases, contact information may be placed at the bottom.)

Headline

You should write a catchy, yet informative, headline (or title) for your press releases. This should be centered a few lines below your header information, and can be placed in all bold type. While some people like to use all CAPS when typing a headline, you should avoid that. Many online news services (press release distribution sites or newswires) won’t accept a title in all caps.

Summary

This is an optional 1-4 sentences briefly summarizing the news angle of a press release. This is traditionally added to news releases when the company plans to utilize online press release distribution sites or newswires. If the release is being distributed manually offline (such as via fax), a sub-heading can still be used in its place.

Dateline

Every press release you write should have the date included. The dateline usually occurs in one of two places: either under the header and before the headline, or at the beginning of the press release body, along with the city and state. For example: New York, NY – March 14, 2006 – ‘Body of your press release here.’

Press Release Body

The body of every press release that you write should answer the questions of who, what, when, where, and why. Ideally, these questions will be answered in the first paragraph of your press release, and you’ll expand upon the details in a following paragraph. Quotes are often effective in the body of a press release, as long as they’re not testimonials (not promotional in nature).

Boilerplate

At the end of your actual news, you should include a standard boilerplate. This can be a simple paragraph talking about the business, organization, or individual presenting the news found in the press release. It’s your opportunity to give background information and statistics about who you are and what you do.

Call to Action

Add a line after your boilerplate similar to: “For more information, please contact Your Contact Name at Your Phone Number.” This can simply be a repeat of the contact information presented in your header.

Media Instructions / References

At the very end of your release, before the closing, you should include any details about photos or other materials you’ve included or referenced (such as naming the individuals in the photo), and include any media instructions if the release is in reference to an event they may be interested in covering (such as where they can park and set up their equipment).

Closing

You should always end a press release with ### or -30- centered at the bottom of the page. That tells the reader that they’ve reached the end of your release, and there are no additional pages. If you do have more than one page because of addenda being attached or because it’s a long release, you should use the -more- tag at the bottom of every page but the last one.

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