Over time we have gone through many changes in the industry, including a period where marketers were stuffing their press releases with keywords and keyword links. It took a few years, but eventually Google wised up to this practice and created a smack down on this practice because at one point, links pointing back to a website were considered valuable 'votes' and helped with rankings.
When this occurred, many businesses and marketers took flight and began to shy away from using press releases within their marketing toolkit.
Change is on the horizon again. Companies are beginning to use press releases for the right reasons, without keyword stuffing and doing it properly. And they are seeing the results.
At 24-7 Press Release Newswire, we have found that when creating your press release, the ideal length is around 400 - 500 words. Write a killer headline and stick to your topic. Make sure that your news is truly newsworthy to your audience.
Once your press release has been distributed, get the URL where your press release is found on the site with which you distributed it-and share it as a link on your social media. Engaging your audience is the new way that news travels.
Tweet the link. Engage your Facebook followers through a question. Mention it in your blog. Following these steps will engage your immediate audience, increase exposure for your press release by potentially having it shared and re-shared. If it is really well written, a journalist or blogger may follow up with you to further your story.
Times have changed from a period of simply distributing a press release only to the media, into a new era where it is all about engaging your audience, followers and customers in a more direct fashion.
One also must be mindful that a single press release will not create instant gratification. News distribution is now an ongoing process that requires continued efforts, because there is so much information being shared. Just because you send one press release does not mean that your phones will start ringing off the hook. Reinforcing your key brand messages while keeping the story fresh is the means to success.
So how frequently should you send something out? Typically, we recommend distributing a press release a couple of times a month only if you have something that is newsworthy to share with your audience-information that they will be interested in hearing about. Don't send the identical story twice; freshen it up with a new angle or emphasis so people will pay attention.