There is a difference between a traditional news release and a social media news release. You distribute a traditional news release to the media and then “pitch” the editors. The media choose which stories to run. In contrast, a social media news release has a distribution strategy that is direct-to-consumer and search engine optimized to help people find it for themselves. PRWeb is recognized as the Internet’s leading online news and press release distribution service.

Here are 9 tips on how to structure your online news releases.

1. Make sure you have something newsworthy to announce. Otherwise you’re wasting everybody’s time, including your own.
2. Your headline (title) is the most valuable search component in your release. Write it using 63 characters or less. Feature the keywords that people are using to search for information like yours.
3. Use strong nouns and verbs and avoid adjectives and technical jargon as keywords. Jargon includes phrases such as “next generation, cutting edge, well positioned, mission critical, marketing leading, industry standard, etc.”* These words and others have become meaningless hype.
4. Don’t wax poetic or try to be “clever” with the reader. Search engines won’t “get it.”
5. How you distribute the release is another key strategy for SEO. PRWeb.com was the first Internet news release distribution service to launch. It started out as a free service and is still inexpensive compared with wire distribution services like PR Newswire and Business Wire. Which you use depends on your distribution goals.
6. Encourage interactivity. Link the most strategic keywords in your release to relevant landing pages on your Web site, not to the homepage. Best practice is providing no more than one link per 100 words of content. This helps drive traffic to your Web site.
7. People who are searching online tend to scan, rather than read. When you post your release on your Web site, use italics, bold, bullet points and subheads to catch the scanner’s eye. However, be prepared to remove formatting when you submit your release to an online distribution service.
8. Using multimedia elements to increase search engine visibility is a growing trend. If you have the capability, you can add a pod cast (audio), photos (think Flickr.com), or streaming video (YouTube) to your news release. PRWeb can help you with that process.
9. Provide a call to action that encourages readers to click through to your Web site. Examples are offering a free whitepaper to download or a free e-newsletter subscription signup

Today, a news release not only serves as a media relations tool, but also as a direct-to-consumer communication tool on Web 2.0.

* Factiva Insight (North American Press Wires), 01 Jan 2006 – 30 Sept 2006

© 2007 Bev Barker and Polly Elmore.

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Smart PR:

Use Google Alerts. News Will Come to You!

You don't need a clipping service on the Internet. Google can help you track your clients and their competition. It's easy to set up a tracking system: go to www.google.com/alerts and fill out a form.

1) Be the first to know your story is in the news. Set up an alert with your client's company name. Example: "Bookkeeping Express."

2) Monitor a developing news story for a client. Example: "real estate short sales."

3) See what they're saying about your client! Put her name in Google Alerts. Example: "Brenda Blisk."

4) Keep up with news about your client's competition. Put keywords and location in the Google Alerts. Example: "interior design"+"Washington, D.C."

5) Stay on top of the latest in social media trends. Put a keyword or key phrase in Google Alerts: Example: "Internet radio."

© 2008 Bev Barker and Polly Elmore.