SEO professional Lee Odden of Online Marketing Blog has written a very informative post on how press releases can be turned into powerful SEO tools. Martin Neumann at Home Office Voice also recommends Lee's press release advice.
Here is a small sample of Lee's great advice:
If you want media coverage, then do some homework to identify target publications and their editorial calendars. Send journalists personal emails/pitches on your story. Be succinct and include a url to the full release. Don't put the whole release inside the email. I can tell you, that is annoying!
Post an online media kit on your web site, particularly one that is managed with a blog content management system. That will make it easy for interested parties to subscribe to "what's new" about your company. Include links to past releases, past media coverage, contact info, high res photos, executive bios and links to notable employee blogs.
Keep in mind, that journalists receive an abundance of emailed press releases every day. Discouraged by the deluge of press release spam and by the sheer volume of poorly written email pitches by PR interns and recent college grads, many journalists, freelance writers and prominent bloggers are keen to search for news stories and sources in other ways.
Along with the press release SEO information, Lee Odden provides a list of press release services to send your press release for maximum exposure. Many of the recommended press release sites are free services, or have a modest charge. They are also frequented by working journalists on a daily basis.
Take Lee Odden's great advice and optimize your press releases for both news coverage and for high search engine rankings.
