I've been talking to PRWeb recently. I wish I'd known more about them when I was trying to figure out what level of submission to pay for. It's tempting to go for the cheaper options. I used to write press releases to attract the press. Now I write them to attract search engines and qualified leads. A well-written press release distributed well is advertising and lead generation for your business.
A $200+ submission is optimal for search engine optimization because you get:
- Links in the body of your press release. This helps you rank higher on important keywords for your industry. It also helps with your page ranking for higher placement in google.
- An image in the body of your press release.
- Higher placement on PRWeb‘s home page as well as in their RSS feeds. These go out to news outlets, bloggers, etc.
- Keywords. Make the underlined (linked) part of your press release use keywords that you want to rank higher on in search engines.
- Access to an account rep who will walk you through the process and will help you optimize your press release for the web.
- Advanced reporting options.
- An audio interview about your news item that you can post on your site and accompanies your press release (a podcast)
- Just added: technorati tags and ranking on your press release. PRWeb's system will help you choose tags and you can also enter your own.
The Podcast
This is the best part. You get a 5-7 minute podcast made from a short phone interview. Have your CEO expound on the news you're releasing. PRWeb will professionally produce it. It's a little tough to find the link on the top right, but you can call attention to it (For example, stating LISTEN to this press release in the press release itself).
Hearing something over just reading it DOUBLES the retention rate. Use the podcast by putting it on your company web site. You can also let your affiliates use it on their sites.
You can put it in iTunes and listen to it on your ipod. Subscribe to your competitor's feed and keep track of what they're doing.
I've heard companies are getting more leads, more search engine listings, and higher placement by utilizing these features. The more you pay the higher your placement on PRWeb's site (your actual position is determined by how much competition there is).
PRWeb just added social networking tags so your press release can easily be tagged on Technorati.
This is a best-kept secret. If you do it you'll be ahead of the curve. Most PR departments or small businesses are not doing this–but they should! News is a great angle. It doesn't turn people off like sales pitches do. Search engines love news. Be sure to offer real news or substance in your press releases.
I'm starting to do more press release and professional writing contract work. I enjoy knowing my writing can help businesses build their online presence. Let me know if I can assist your company with search-engine optimized press release services.
I wrote this post several weeks ago hoping for an affiliate link but I guess that part of the company is a little behind. I think this is so valuable that I'll go ahead and post it now anyway.