• Written by Mar Junge, C3PR

Do the recent news releases posted on your website read just like releases from a year ago? Or even six months ago? If so, you could be missing out on an incredible opportunity to reach a larger target audience – without increasing your PR budget. For the past 50 years, PR professionals have been writing news releases to catch the attention of editors. However, they had little control over whether their carefully crafted releases got published. Today, the tables have turned. You can now bypass the editorial gatekeepers and publish news directly to your target audience by using personalized emails, corporate blogs, online news groups, consumer forums, and more. Plus, you can optimize news releases for search engines and social media to drive traffic to your website and improve your company’s search engine ranking.

Success is Measured in Website Hits, Not Inches of Ink

The most effective news releases today are packed with keywords – not buzzwords. They’re also chock full of links to useful information and interesting images that make readers want to click on those links again and again – each time landing on a page of your website. And, the more often they click through to your site, the greater the chance your news will stick in their memory. 

Optimized Releases Improve SE Rankings

Are your prospects searching for a solution like yours? If so, they’re probably already using one of the major search engines to find what they need. To ensure that your company name or products pops up in their search, you can optimize your news release for search engines by following this format:

1. Use a short, compelling headline that includes keywords.
2. Include a longer subhead explaining how you solve your customers’ problems.
3. Provide a few paragraphs summarizing the news, with plenty of embedded links where prospects can go for more information.
4. Organize factual information into bulleted lists that readers can easily scan.
5. Include quotes from head honchos if you must, but only if the quotes are relevant and real. No one cares if your CEO is thrilled or excited or honored to announce this news – except maybe the CEO.
6. Post relevant, intriguing images on your website and include links in your release. Or tag your photos and post them on a social media photo sharing service such as Zoomr or Flickr. Then, list both the tags and the links in the release. A time-crunched journalist may search for your tag, find your photo and run it in a national publication.
7. Include the RSS link to your company blog. But if your blog’s neglected, don’t call attention to it. If you aren’t posting at least once a week, your audience has lost interest in it, too.

New Media Goes For Mindshare Over Market Share

You can also use news releases to unite loyal customers into an online community. First, you must capture their attention by focusing on what’s important to them. Then, offer real solutions to their pain. If you do it right, they’ll want to read more – and will forward your news to their friends. Soon you’ll have a large email list of customers and prospects eagerly awaiting your next communiqué. Their word-of-mouth endorsements will do more to build your brand and turn browsers into buyers than hordes of ho-hum occasional buyers.

From Media Manager to Business Manager

Just as news releases have changed, so have the people that write them for a living. Public relations professionals used to be valued for their influence with the media. Today, they’re judged by their business and marketing skills. They’re concerned not only with the PR program’s impact on the corporate brand, but also on the bottom line. Fortunately, when news releases are optimized for search engines and social media – and the results are tracked and analyzed – public relations becomes one of the most effective tools in the marketing mix.

About the Author

Mar Junge is principal of c3PR, a partner of Creative-Ops. This Silicon Valley-based public relations agency specializes in PR and outbound marketing programs that help stellar companies increase sales and build a loyal client base. Contact her directly at 408-730-8506 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .