by Sarah Santacroce
Before web2.0, press releases were just for journalists and only big company changes were announced to the press. Today press or news releases can be used even by small companies, and the whole wide world has access to them. By distributing your press releases online (for example on pitchengine.com) you will be reaching out to a huge audience and therefore increase your website traffic (and hopefully your sales!)
Below you will find benefits, tips and tricks in a bullet point list.
Benefits of the new web2.0 Press Releases:
As mentioned above, the main benefit of the new approach of sending press releases, is that they don’t only reach a small bunch of journalists, but a vast audience of potential clients.
- people are informed about what’s going on in your business
- when somebody searches for you on Google, they will find your press releases
- press releases are indexed fast on Google
- press releases are a non-static part of your website which increases your chances of getting indexed by Google
What and when to write a news release:
It is key to commit to a regular schedule of press releases. If you decide to send a release every other month, than stick to that schedule. There are many reasons to write a release, including :
- the addition of new services or new products
- the reception of an award
- new staff
- the introduction of a special offer
- a publication of a free e-book or a whitepaper
- the publication of survey results
- a company event
- your point of view of an exposition or a fair you attended
- etc.
Tips:
You can find free samples of press releases on Google. It is important to:
- use your keywords
- include special offers
- post links to your website
Where to post it:
There are many Press Release Distribution Sites (see list below). Don’t forget to also post your releases on the media room on your website. This is a specific page on your website usually entitled “Media Room” or “Press Releases”. You would post the title of the release with a link to a pdf document.
- PR services (such as pitchengine.com or prweb.com ) Check out the full list of free Press Release Distribution Sites in this blog post from nakedpr.com
- Scribd.com
- Slideshare.net (not just for slides anymore!) and it’s linked with Linkedin!
- Your Social Media Accounts (Linkedin, Facebook Page, Twitter etc.)
- Media room on your website
If you found value in this checklist, you might be interested in my free e-book “21 Proven Ways to Increase Your Website Traffic”. You can download it by clicking on the picture below:
