Getting Quality Backlinks with Press Releases
My approach to press releases is different than traditional PR. Most of the press releases I write are less about getting press coverage for my news, and more about getting quality backlinks to my site. However, it is possible to do both. It starts with a good story and added to that, online distribution.
Many people believe it’s enough to blog about their news. For some high traffic blogs (thought leaders) this might be true. For most blogs there isn’t the distribution. You want to reach outside of your community for greater exposure.
Here’s an IM conversation I had recently about the importance of press release distribution:
Clogon: i guess i just put my “press releases” in the form of blog posts
Me: yes and your reach is pretty limited compared to a distribution site that sends it to thousands of people
Clogon: so which one do you prefer at this point – prweb.com or are there better ones?
and cost?
Me: even our hero [name deleted] said the pr is what killed it the last time I worked with him
on a contest
prweb is still the best
http://www.topseos.com/rankings-of-best-press-release-distribution-companies
tell me you can get that kind of reach for free
not going to happen
even if you blog you should be sending out press releases
it doesn’t need to be either/or
What should you write about?
This is easy if you have news to announce – like a new product. If you don’t have any news of your own to announce, look at the news going on in your industry right now. Then give your opinion or slant on it.
One of the best ways to increase visibility is to tie into a trend. Right now a trend that’s hot is the economy and how it’s affecting your business, customers or community. Anything that has a green benefit (as in saves the environment) is popular. For example, colleges are trying to save money by cutting down on the number of commencement ceremonies. What is happening in your industry?
I look at press releases as feature stories more than hard news stories. That way journalists or bloggers have a ready-made story to work from and a good angle. We’re either lazy or we’re overworked and giving us a good storyline is helpful. We can add our opinion and input and it’s good to go. So give us a good story and make sure it’s not boring or bragging. That’s the fastest way to turn off a writer.
A good story will get you links – sometimes not to the press release itself – but they see the story and link to the domain.
Want more information about press releases? Read my Book.
My book, “I Want a Killer Press Release, Now What?!? A Guide to Online PR” goes over more ways to increase your exposure online. It’s in pre-order both in paperback and as an ebook. I wrote it after years of writing press releases and seeing what works. Also as a resource for people who want to write and distribute stories themselves. I also charge a fee to review and improve press releases that are already written. It’s my favorite thing to do.
FREE OFFER: I’m looking for before/after examples of press releases so I have a special offer. I will review and improve your press release free. Just be one of the first 10 people who make a comment on my blog www.OnlinePRBook.com or become a fan of the online PR book on Facebook.
By entering you give me permission to use your name in blog posts and promotional materials. Email me when you’ve done this. If you’re one of the first 10 then I’ll ask you to send the press release to grocerybike @ gmail .com
No matter what your budget writing and distributing news online monthly or quarterly is a great way to build links and get traffic to your site.
Great post about the power of press releases. I’d have to agree that they really do need a better distribution than just a blog post. They are a different beast in that regard and can be very beneficial because of it.
Dan Patterson´s last blog ..Hashing Out the Pros and Cons of the Microsoft-Yahoo Merger
Thanks for this great post, Janet. I’ve experienced the power of distributing press releases en masse and agree with you whole heartedly.
Laura Walker´s last blog ..Business Service Providers: What Factoring Can Do for You
Great article Janet. Having just ventured back online, I can always use your expert touch!
All my best
Ponn Sabra´s last blog ..Freebie Friday – Sham Wow, Nail Care Product & More
Great article – Thanks.
I have been using PRWeb for many years now and they are a great PR distribution company. You can really get some great back links.
I heartily endorse PRWeb as a PR distribution company.
My challenge however is pushing releases through if they’re not deemed by the editors to be newsworthy. I’m not sure that an opinion piece would really get past these guys. They seem to be uber picky.
Can you provide a headline example or two of a release that is a company’s take on an industry trend as you describe in your post?
Louise Desmarais´s last blog ..Tools to improve your social media listening skills
Good points made in the blog post and comments. It would be interesting to know – but difficult if not impossible to test — the ROI of press releases w/ backlinks, as described above, vs. Google Adwords.
After all, both involve spending some money, with the goal of driving traffic to your site.
This is extremely helpful. I am in charge of our comapnies pr and marketing and sometimes trying to figure out something to write about and be original is…interesting. Especially when you factor in the many blogs and things out there, I feel like a broken record. This really helped thanks!
I believe that PRweb is the best as well. I also love MarketWire. There are free press release sites like PRLog that provide great rankings for a short period of time, but you don’t receive any sort of distribution to news or networks.
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Great post, you offer some excellent information in regards to press releases. As with you, I typically use press releases for quality backlinks for a majority of my clients, unless we’re directly targeting local newspapers and media.
Ya, you are right, press release can get you quality backlinks and spread your word as well, kill two birds with one stone.
Great! Thanks for the great informative post and you effort.
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Robin Kukri
Thank you for this article. I’ve been looking for tips for our press release and this is really helpful.
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Never thought of using PR’s for backlinks but I guess it makes sense. Is there a good list of PR sites that are current that list pagerank? That would be helpful.