Can a Press Release Benefit Your Online Content Campaign?

Believe it or not, not everyone realizes the benefits of using press releases in their online content campaigns. It’s so easy to get swept up with blogging, whitepapers, infographics, and informative articles and documents that the good old press release falls by the wayside. In today’s SEO driven online experience, viral marketing is the ideal goal of every serious business. A press release can help accomplish this goal if properly written and optimized.

Writing With the Intent of Going Viral

Wikipedia associates viral marketing with “viral advertising or marketing buzz.” When a piece of content goes viral, it’s shared via pre-existing social networking services and increases brand awareness. Seeing a piece of content go viral is content marketing gold, especially when that piece of content is search engine optimized.

The trick to writing a great press release, the kind that has a good chance of going viral and holding to SEO standards, is to write naturally. As you prep, ask yourself:

• •Who is my audience?
• •What is my press release about?
• •Why is it important to my audience?
• •Where will my press release have the highest impact?
• •When is the prime time to distribute it?

Anyone can write a press release, but even the seasoned creative writer can find the writing process tough. Think of your press release as an opportunity to spark a story, the kind journalists and bloggers will want to learn more about and share with their audience.

The Benefits of Writing a Press Release

A press release can benefit your online content campaigns in numerous ways. You can wield it as a tool to accomplish three specific goals:

1. 1.Build links. We’ve heard a lot about link building as a solid 2014 SEO strategy. You can use your PRs to jump start your link building marketing strategies. Include keywords in your press release (as long as they flow naturally), and don’t be afraid to include links to further information on your website and/or blog.
2. 2.Connect with journalists and bloggers. A press release is the perfect place to “store” all of the information you want a journalist or blogger to know about your business. Use your PR title and headlines to attract them, and invite them to write about your story. With all of the pertinent information at their fingertips, they’re likely to jump at the opportunity for fresh material.
3. 3.Increase sales. According to Mountain Media, a press release can increase sales by creating brand awareness. Many small businesses find them to be a good sales tactic, especially when working with a limited budget.

A press release is a potent way to release exciting information about a new product or service, or improvements your company has implemented. You can release it via popular online news sources and your own social media channels. If you incorporate the rules of quality content and focus on the needs of your audience, you will likely succeed in creating a PR worthy of going viral.

Have you had press release success in 2014? Share you experience by leaving a comment!