Do Press Releases Work for SEO? A detailed look

The question “ Do press releases work for SEO ” is a tricky one. If you are looking for a one-word answer, it would be “Yes”, but with some conditions.

See, a marketing strategy can only work in your favor if you implement it correctly.

The misuse of press releases by webmasters has led Google to believe that companies write their own press releases just to get backlinks.

And, that’s not what a press release is about. To get a clearer picture, we’d need to dig in a little deeper. If you want to learn the role of press releases in SEO, read on! We’ll be shining a light on the things that you need to know for effective PR decisions for your company. Let’s dive in.

What is a Press Release?

A press release is a short, high-quality piece of content written and distributed by PR experts, marketers, or business owners.

The goal is to have your press release cited by relevant journalists and media groups in their news stories.

A press release, generally, reports specific information about any exciting and newsworthy happenings like an event, research, or a launch.

Businesses use press releases to make public announcements with the hope that they’ll be picked up by news sources. Press releases aren’t only issued in written format though; audio and video are also popular formats.

Do Press Releases Work for SEO

Again, the short and sweet answer is: Yes! But, how you leverage this PR tool determines its effectiveness.

Press releases aren’t worth the effort if your only goal is to get a backlink from a platform.

Like most other backlinking strategies, PR outreach has also been abused by webmasters, which is why it’s now considered a spammy link-building strategy. However, if you are putting in the work to create something that’s newsworthy, press releases can prove to be worth the input.

In order for a press release to be effective at providing visibility and SEO benefits, it needs to get the attention of journalists and news sources. Otherwise, it can easily join the long list of spammy ones. Your aim with a press release shouldn’t only be to get a backlink from an authority publication.

It should also be to distribute quality content so that publishers would want to cite it.

Think about it: When do you think a journalist would want to cite your press release? When it can help their audience! If your announcement is about the stuff that can help people, journalists would want to share it with their readers. They’d write their own take on your content and eventually give a link to your site within their post.

How Press Release Backlinks Can Still Work for You

Let’s see how press release backlinks can still work for your site’s SEO. You might already have an idea about this.

Your goal while planning a press release shouldn’t be SEO or backlinking. You should take it as a branding and credibility tool instead of a backlink strategy. A press release would generate backlinks naturally when your story is newsworthy.

Don’t Do a Press Release Just for the Sake of it : This is something that makes a press release appear spammy. PR professionals and marketers think their outreach will go stagnant if they don’t regularly get cited in authority publications. This leads to consistent but low-quality press releases that are unable to garner any backlinks or SEO benefits. The golden rule is don’t do a press release unless you have a newsworthy story to tell.

Don’t Forget to “No-follow” Your Press Release Backlinks : This is important because you don’t want Google to think that your objective is to get a do-follow backlink from a publication. So, make sure to include a “ No-follow ” tag with your press release backlinks. You can also use press releases to diversify your link profile and anchor text.

How to Create a Press Release the Right Way

Now that you know press releases do work for SEO, let’s see how to optimize them.

Make It Interesting

A press release is meant to announce something exciting and interesting.

No one would care if your story is boring and irrelevant. There is no point in writing a press release when you don’t have anything newsworthy to share. Press releases that announce something interesting, ground-breaking, and valuable are most likely to generate SEO benefits. The bottom line is: Whenever you feel the temptation to create a press release, ask yourself a simple question: Is it newsworthy ?

Create Engaging Headlines

Here is something to keep in mind: 80% of users read headlines while only 20% get into the details of your post. Let’s face it there is a ton of content posted online daily. If you want your press release to get noticed, you need to work on its headline. Here are a few tips :

The headline must deliver some value
Try not to use jargon
Use target keyword if possible
Offer a solution
Use numbers
Use emotional words if possible

It wouldn’t be unfair to say that your press release doesn’t stand a chance if your headline isn’t catchy enough. Journalists tend to receive tons of entries daily, so your headline needs to stand out and grab their attention.

Write Engaging Content

Creating a catchy headline is only part of the game though.

Your headline’s job is to get the user to move to the next part: Your lead. A “Lead” is where you set the direction of your press release. Pique readers’ interest in your lead and make them read further. Here are a few tips to create engaging press release content ?

Tell a story
Get to the point
Include quotes
Prove your points with data

Lastly, finish your press release with a short introduction about your company; it’s the last paragraph of a press release commonly known as the “Boilerplate”.

Insert Keywords

One of the first things to do while optimizing a press release for SEO is add relevant keywords to its title, intro, and body.

Including the right keywords in your press release will significantly improve its chances of getting noticed by the right audience. How to find the keywords that my target audience is searching for, you ask? No need to get a paid tool for this; just use Google’s own Keyword Planner.

Source: Google.com All you’d need to do is enter a relevant term, or maybe your seed keyword, and it’ll spit out a laundry list of related keywords. You can then include them in your press release naturally.

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Visuals

Research suggests users tend to remember a message longer when you add visuals in your posts. Visuals make your written content more appealing and engaging. And, more engagement eventually means better user retention. Moreover, including alt tags in your images is a tried and true method of gaining SEO benefits.

Keep it Short

Your press release shouldn’t read like a book chapter. It needs to be concise. Ideally, you want to keep the length of a press release limited to under 400 words. You don’t have to go into a lot of details; if your story is good enough, the right journalist will cover it comprehensively.

Distribute It to the Right Platforms

While it might seem like the right thing to do, it’s not a good idea to distribute your press release to as many platforms as possible. Only distribute your press release to relevant press release platforms that are likely to cite your story.

Don’t Spam

Don’t you hate it when someone sends you unsolicited messages, and that too, marketing ones?

As a business, your goal is to foster professional relationships with media outlets and journalists. And, that’s not going to happen if you spam publications. If your press release is good enough, publishers would want to write on it.

Top Press Release Services on Legiit

SpinePR

This one is one of the best PR services in our freelance marketplace. They provide high-quality written PR content and have a great list of PR sites. The cool thing is clients have been seeing tremendous results without having to pay through the nose.

38DigitalMarket

You could get your press release published on over 400 news websites with this service. It’s been helping buyers on Legiit get great local SEO results. Plus, the pricing makes this service too attractive to ignore.

BillJ

If you want someone to write a great press release for you, this service is for you. Bill has been pretty successful at crafting press release content that ranks, which is why he’s the go-to guy for many webmasters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Press Releases Still Relevant

Yes, press releases are still very relevant and can help you get quality backlinks to your site. But, again, they need to be valuable and newsworthy to work.

Are Press Releases Good for Backlinks?

Yes, press releases are good for backlinks. If you can get your press release published in an authority publication, you can get a backlink from them, too. But, there is another myth that needs busting. Although you might hear some SEOs proclaim that press release backlinks offer no SEO benefit, it’s not true. Press release backlinks can be just as helpful as any other high-quality backlink.

How To Optimize a Press Release for SEO

Understand your audience
Use relevant keywords in your press release’s title, heading, and body
Write a catchy headline
Create engaging content
Make it newsworthy
Include visuals

Final Thoughts

So, do press releases work for SEO? Yes, they do! Although that’s an over-simplification, press releases do help SEO if they are used in the right way. That’s pretty much true about any SEO strategy. The key to making a press release work for your site’s SEO is not taking it as a link-building strategy . It’s not something you do just for the sake of it. Press releases tend to work more effectively when you use them for newsworthy stories. When your story is newsworthy, journalists and media outlets will pick it up without a second thought. The bottom line? Press releases work for SEO when you keep them valuable, genuine, and reader-friendly.