Press Releases: Optimised for search and for social media - Web PR
The press release is a stalwart of public relations. It is a standardised format for releasing information. Originally intended to provide information to journalists, press 
releases are increasingly being read without going through the journalists first. PR has also realized the tremendous impact of bloggers, and many PR professionals are using the same press releases in their communications with bloggers. And today, journalists are also bloggers, and bloggers are the new citizen journalists, so the lines are becoming even further blurred.
Newswires, like article directories, allow for online submission of press releases. In turn, these are syndicated via RSS, and so are picked up by the news engines, such as Google News, Yahoo! News, MSN News. Many people pick up their news via these online news engines, which aggregate news from a number of publications and newswires, and so the press release is becoming an ever more crucial means of reaching a growing audience.
As well as promoting conversation around your company and its products, online press releases should drive traffic to your site. To achieve this, press releases need to be optimised to contain related key phrases and links. Not only is this important for the press releases being picked up by news engines, but there are many journalists who will simply reproduce the copy of a well-written press release. Ensure that these reproductions positively impact your SEO efforts by optimising your press releases for key phrases and links.
Don’t forget to publish your press releases on your own site before sending them to the release sites. You’ll want to be considered as the “expert” in the search engine’s eyes on the subject, and journalists also need to be able to find all of the information they need on a company web site.
Like articles, you will need to write a description and allocate keywords to the press release. You will need to ensure that all media contact information is listed. Each site will specify exactly what information is required. Very few of the press release sites allow you to convert your releases into HTML (especially the free release sites).
Apart from the keywords, the category you select for your press release is extremely important so be sure to have a good look at the categories the site offers and make sure that you select the most appropriate one.
Most of the sites offer a free option and a paid option. The paid option provides a host of additional benefits, and it is worth considering paying for a membership to one of them.
Benefits of online press releases
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Online press releases allow for almost instant publishing of news online.
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well written press release can garner top rankings in the news engines (Google News, Yahoo! News, MSN News etc.
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Adequate optimisation can also results in higher SERP rankings.
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Content is syndicated quickly via RSS.
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Links are built naturally and effectively from online publishing.
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Distribution is increased beyond your contact list.
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Reach is far greater than that of a traditional press release.
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Reach and distribution can be easily tracked online.
Here are some press release sites to consider
Social media press release
Blogs and other consumer generated media (CGM) are sometimes referred as citizen journalism. The reach and influence of CGM means that press releases are often finding their way to the inboxes of content creators. While many journalists are becoming disillusioned with the standard press release format, the press release can be seen as over hyped corporate speak by time sensitive and transparency focused bloggers. Pitching to bloggers can be a sensitive task, and there are some guidelines outlined in this chapter, but PR firms such as Edelman and Shift Communications have created templates for a Social Media Press Release (SMPR), designed to communicate facts more clearly and concisely, and to use the tools provided by social media.
This is the outcome of an evolving conversation between PR companies, journalists and bloggers. It is a work in process, and there is plenty being said both for and against this approach, but it is an elegant example of PR firms listening to the conversation, engaging and responding.
