Add SEO Power to Your Traditional Press Release

The world of traditional media is changing, and if you want to use the full power of public relations to boost sales, awareness and credibility, you need to change with it. But where do you start? With all of the news about Twitter, Facebook and other social-media technologies, it can be overwhelming. But if you start with a few changes to your traditional press releases, you can significantly increase buzz online. Here are three quick tips to get started:

1. Use a Service. After writing your traditional press release, use one of the numerous services available to add appropriate keywords and make it “search friendly.” Try www.prnewswire.com, www.prweb.com, or www.businesswire.com.

2. Do it Yourself. Search for keywords using free tools like Word Tracker, Google and Keyword Discovery. Then, insert the words into your release. You can use a tool like Hubspot to check your work.

3. Hire a Professional SEO Copywriter. It takes time and effort to write a press release that will be picked up by the search engines using the appropriate keywords for your target market. While the services mentioned in step one will optimize a release for you, it’s better to have your own SEO copywriter working for you. Then, you can use the keyword research for your other online copy and marketing materials. And more important, your copywriter can track the process and let you know which keywords are working and which aren’t. This allows you to make quick changes to your copy for the best results. And although hiring a freelancer may be expensive, you get what you pay for. In the long run, you’ll save time, effort and money. Plus, the results will generate new sales that surpass the cost of hiring a professional.

A few simple changes can bring big results. Jumping into new PR processes doesn’t need to be difficult. Start by optimizing your press releases for the search engines and tracking the results. And these few simple changes can help you increase site traffic and the bottom line.

By Melanie Rembrandt