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Publish a
press release
Every day journalists receive press releases from companies and organizations that will never be used, because the author has failed to understand the basic principles of communicating with the press.
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By adhering to a few basic tenets, and by using keywords to optimize the content, you can gain the press attention your company deserves.
Headline
Never use puns in an online headline. Google works literally – it doesn’t understand puns, can’t pick up a play on words, and is confused by poor English. So, be literal, direct and punchy.
Optimize your press releases with keywords
Carry out some keyword research to make your release search engine friendly. Find out what phrases are best used with the product or service your press release refers to. If you’ve already done some keyword research for your website, you should have an idea of what works.
It’s a good idea to use these keyword phrases where they work best - in headlines, subtitles, tags and links.
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If you are directing the journalist to other areas of your site, remember never to use ‘click here’ as the text in your link. You are wasting a valuable opportunity for optimization - use a keyword instead. For more information about how to optimize your pages, see day four of Wordtracker ’s ‘ Profit from Keywords ’ video series.
Structuring your press release
The lead (lede or standfirst) is the first paragraph. It should be a summary of the story you are about to tell. News writing is structured around an ‘inverted pyramid’ which means the most important elements of the story should be at the top, and as you move down the copy the information becomes less important.
Let’s look at VisitScotland - Scotland’s tourist board - to see how it does press releases. A copy of its release is here . From a search perspective, there are a couple of points I would amend. The headline reads:
‘Scotland gets the big screen treatment in major campaign to attract English visitors.’
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Section 2: Recipe No. 21 | Publish a press release
The headline could be clearer. What does ‘big screen treatment’ mean? Look at it
Hot Tip
Spend as much time writing your headline as your main copy. It is the headline that determines whether you get the reader’s attention.
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from the viewpoint of the search engine; Google doesn’t know how to interpret this. An alternative might be: ‘Cinema advert set to attract English visitors to Scotland.’ It’s not the most striking headline ever written, but a search engine will ‘understand’ it.
I would rewrite the lead paragraph, too
Hollywood director Peter Webber has filmed a new advert set in Barra which was premiered in UK cinemas as part of a major campaign to attract English tourists.
I have written it to satisfy the search engine’s need for clarity and a basic rule in news writing: the five Ws that I’ve mentioned before, which are often accompanied by ‘how?’.
• Who? Hollywood director Peter Webber
• What? A new cinema advert
• Where? UK cinemas
• Why? To attract more English tourists
• When? Friday
After the introduction
Look back at the five W ’s and ‘how?’, and use them to flesh out the rest of the press release. Remember, the body of the copy should be the interesting detail. The background stuff comes towards the end.
Avoid technical language
You shouldn’t assume the journalist is someone who knows a lot about your industry, so don‘t use jargon. Journalists hate having to translate awkward or complicated copy, so don’t make their jobs any harder.
Quotes
Using quotes is sometimes the best way of explaining why a product is so good, why a new report is beneficial, or why an acquisition is exciting. I would say that the quote
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Section 2: Recipe No. 21 | Publish a press release
should contain between 50 and 75 words. It should add something to the story, and not merely repeat what you have already stated. Remember, this isn’t an opportunity to make a sales pitch - so no corporate speak.
Vital content
There are some things you should always have in your press release.
• Your company brand should be highly visible.
• Date the press release in a universally understood way - Monday 10
November 2008 - not 11/10/08, as it will be understood differently in different countries.
• Be clear and specific. Instead of writing “Today we launched our new product”
write in “Today (Monday 10 November) we launched …” so that there’s no confusion.
• Embargo? An embargo means that the journalist cannot print the story before a
certain date and time.
• It’s a good idea to have the company name as the sender , rather than,
say, John Doe.
• The subject heading is crucial as it will give the journalist a clear indication of what the press release is about , so this is where you should
choose your keywords carefully.
• Contacts. It is imperative to put contact details at the bottom of your press release,
and don’t forget about out-of-hours contacts – for example, a cell phone number.
• Make yourself available. It’s very frustrating for a journalist who wants to
expand on a good press release when the person they need to quote is out of the office or held up in meetings all day.
• Notes to Editors. This section comes at the close of your press release. It is
background information on your business. It can include things like your aims, the size of your company, the number of awards your company has won, or indeed some background on you if you are a small business owner. It is a good idea to provide links to other areas of your site which may be useful - ‘FAQs’, and ‘About Us’.
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Section 2: Recipe No. 21 | Publish a press release
• Photographs. Be prepared for a journalist to ask you for a photograph. Have a
high resolution picture available to email.
More top tips
• You are more likely to get coverage if you offer your story exclusively to one publication. If you give an exclusive, think of follow-up stories that
maximize coverage.
• Know the publication . If you have embargoed a story for Tuesday, why are you
sending it to Sunday newspapers?
• Double-check all statistics and spelling of names. Mistakes make
journalists think you are sloppy and likely to get things wrong.
• If you think you have a great story on your hands and it doesn’t get picked up, phone the journalist and ask why. Maintain a friendly tone and ask
why your story wasn’t used. You should get great feedback for next time you have a story to promote and you’ll start to build a relationship with the journalist.
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The Wordtracker Academy
Free articles, case studies, tips and tricks to help you grow your online business through effective keyword research and search engine optimization .
Gain a clear advantage over your competitors by becoming an expert at search engine optimization and keyword research. We’ve commissioned some of the world’s best online marketing and SEO professionals to be your guides.
Go to the Wordtracker Academy
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Customer service contacts
Use our support system
Email a message to support@wordtracker.com Chat live with one of our support team at Or call us:
• From the USA and Canada: 011 44 333 200 4555
• From the UK: 0333 200 4555 (calls are charged at local rates) • From any other country: +44 333 200 4555
Publication details
Written by Rachelle Money , Mark Nunney and Ken McGaffin Produced and published in November 2009 ISBN number: 978-0-9561475-3-0 © Wordtracker LLP
Unit 11-12 Apollo Studios, Charlton Kings Road, London NW5 2SB United Kingdom CEO: Andy Mindel
Design/production: Shilpa Patel and Neil Gardiner Sub-editors: Julie McNamee
Chief marketing officer: Ken McGaffin Marketing manager: Justin Deaville
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