In this ever changing world of public relations, social media, and search engine marketing, it is essential to get the most of your PR efforts. Following is a checklist for optimizing your press releases:
- Clearly define the goal and target audience of the release
- Research keyword phrases (1-2 per release)
- Add phrases to the title, sub heading and body copy
- Use keyword phrases when linking to landing pages or other corporate web site pages – not “click here”
- Add media to the release (images, video, audio) as well as alternative formats of the release (MS Word, PDF)
- To count conversions, use tracking codes in the URLs that point from the press release to landing pages
- Post the release to the company online newsroom
- Write a blog post version of the announcement and include a link to the press release
- Distribute the release via a wire service such as PRWeb, Marketwire, PRNewswire or Business Wire
- Optional: create and distribute a social media version of the press release
- Encourage bookmarking of press release pickups
- Monitor release rankings, social mentions, traffic & outcomes