In these Internet fueled times, nearly everyone has to evolve. The good ol’ press release is no exception. On the web, writing a stagnant press release just doesn’t cut the mustard. Instead, the SEO press release is much more dynamic. Not only does it get the word out, it can also call to action and even help your business in unexpected ways, such as boosting your website’s SEO.
If you’d like to tackle one of these press releases, there are a few ways that an SEO press release differs from a traditional press release:
Research
While most suggest starting with the body of the press release first, I actually think that’s jumping the gun a bit. Why? Because SEO press releases rely heavily on keywords. If you write the press release and then try to “squeeze” the keywords into the body somewhere, it will come off looking deliberate and possibly ridiculous.
Coherence is key. Just because you’re wanting to get your website to rank higher on Google doesn’t mean you can write mediocre copy and expect it to fly. Mainly, because you’re better than that, but secondly because search engines like Google take this into account now. Google wants its users to have a good experience and great copy is the way to achieve that!
So do proper research. Find out what keywords will work best for your company. These words may not be the most popular words, either; a more niche phrase (i.e. a long-tail keyword) could yield better results. But you won’t know until you do the proper research. The Google Keyword Tool is a great resource for such research.
Format
Because the SEO press release is an evolution from the press release, you’re going to have basically the same format. I say basically, though, because there is much you can play with. A press release is usually a set number of words, as low as humanly possible. This is due to the fact that a press release is used by editors to develop stories … and busy editors respond to concision.
But on the Internet, you don’t have to worry about space. You’re only bound by the limits of your imagination. Of course, don’t make it too long, as most web users don’t want to read some epic tome.
Another major difference between a traditional press release and SEO press release is you’re not limited to text – you have access to video, links, pictures, and anything else the Internet provides! So if you don’t want to just have a few boring paragraphs to describe your big news, you don’t have to.
When actually writing the press release, it’s best to keep the keywords you want to use in the back of your mind (and on a handy sheet nearby). This way, you can organically include them in the press release, so as to not appear, well, like a vehicle structured solely to influence search engines. The goal of all SEO is to get your content seen by actual eyeballs, so you want to pique your readers’ interest first and improve Google searches second.
This guest post is by Mickie Kennedy, the founder of eReleases – home of affordable, next generation press release distribution. Mickie also publishes PR Fuel, a PR-centric blog that showcases advice and articles on all things social media, PR publicity, and online marketing.
Elena is founder of a technology PR agency that works with startups to billion-dollar companies. She is passionate about helping marketers and small business owners with practical publicity strategies.
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And more 
I didn’t really see that this article helped that much. I agree with what it is saying but it didn’t really get to the How-to part.
I still wouldn’t know how to write a SEO press release, and really, I wanted to know. So I’d have to get this article a two star. Sorry but next time please give us more info on what to do and where to do it.
Actually, these two points are practically the basic on generating an article or it could also apply to all form of writings. Research first then consider the format, but I would like to know more on how to initiate a SEO press release. That’s more interesting and how it differ to writing just a mere article. Thanks!
Sheen´s last [type] ..FEMA quickly replaces homes in Bastrop
I still wouldn’t know how to write a SEO press release, and really, I wanted to know. So I’d have to get this article a two star..That’s more interesting and how it differ to writing just a mere article.Thanks a lot for sharing!
kay´s last [type] ..fabric window awnings
I think what Mickie is saying here is, if you’re familiar with a traditional press release, the main difference with SEO press releases is you need to know your keywords that you are aiming to rank for in google. By knowing these keywords, you try to write your headline, your copy WITH these keywords while still getting your point/story across. SEO press releases also have the advantage of you using links to video, to your social networking profiles and being longer than average because you are not limited in this capacity. Traditional press releases are targeted to generating interest from a journalist to write about you or your company in their newspaper or magazine. SEO press releases are mostly to help boost your rankings on google and to help potential customers find another way to get to your site and get to know you.
I’d recommend learning how to write a traditional press release first, then you can optimize / revise for search engines and end-users. Sorry for shameless plug but I do have a free ebook (160+ pages) on how to write a press release: http://www.ereleases.com/insider/beginnersguide.html
Kind of hard to fit into one article. I agree that in hindsight the “how to” subject of my article does suggest that you’re going to learn how to write a SEO press release. Many apologies.
This is really great…I’m knew at this SEO marketing, but eventually, I’m evolving at it…thanks for the info…
Ricci Sionil´s last [type] ..Electrician Whetstone London
Thanks for the post but I am going to sound like a broken record but I wish this post was a little more descriptive. Although I think that these are two fundamental parts to an SEO Press Release. Thanks again for sharing and look forward to future posts.
Hi everyone, this seems like a topic that you all want to know more about! I’ll delve into this topic more deeply in the weeks and months to come. I appreciate all the feedback on this and I definitely have a case study to share about the results possible from SEO press releases.
I would love to see another post about this. I love the advice to use key words organically in a press release. I do think getting down to the nitty-gritty ‘How-To’ would be awesome. I’m looking forward to another post!
Another fantastic SEO strategy for press releases is to include an infographic, then use Pinterest to expand its reach. (Media also LOVE the extra visual, so link to it in your release.) Learn how how right here: http://rockthestatusquo.info/2012/07/02/how-to-rank-faster-seo-and-pinterest/
Love it Carrie!