SEO Press Release Writing Checklist

SEO Press Release Writing Checklist

Posted on 15. Nov, 2010 by + in Press Release Writing Tips

I just love the art of the press release and could talk about them all day — and I do! If I’m not talking about them, I’m writing about them, or coaching people on writing them, or writing them myself. With so much info out there about press releases, I’m sure it would be hard to know where exactly to begin to learn the art of SEO press release writing. But if there were just 5 posts that I could share with someone who was getting started in press release writing, this would be one of them (and this would be another).

We’ve put together a “Press Release Writing Checklist” that covers the absolute bare bones basics of press release writing. I think its so important that I’ve even created a downloadable PDF version of the SEO press release writing checklist that you can send to your writer or that you can use to compare your press release drafts to before submitting that will ensure that they are both editorially optimized and search engine optimized.

Press Release Writing Checklist:

Editorial Optimization

  • Does the press release clearly state the news angle in the title?
  • Does the summary elaborate on the news angle stated in the title?
  • Is the title written in title case?
  • Is the title 100 characters or less?
  • Is the summary 300 characters or less?
  • Does the body of the press release go right into the news announcement, without any hype or build up?
  • Have you double-checked the press release to ensure that the reader is not addressed as “you” or that the company is not addressed as “we”? This type of language is too informal for a press release unless it is in a quote.
  • Are claims that could be viewed as subjective attributed to a person, such as in a quote?

Search Engine Optimization

  • Does the press release title contain your primary 1 keyword?
  • Does the summary contain your secondary keywords?
  • Does the press release body contain the three target keywords?
  • Have you included at least 1 full URL in your press release (in case it is republished without anchor text?)

Why A Checklist?

Tara and I truly have a passion for helping people develop great quality press releases. And we see so many people every single day taking the time and effort to create and submit press releases — only to have to go back and edit them before they can be published. The points above are a compilation of the most common things that we coach people to fix on a daily basis.

Look, there are a lot of press releases sites out there that will take just about anything. For a while, even press release sites that published ‘obviously not news’ announcements were getting picked up by Google News — but not any more. As you may have noticed, Google made some major changes a few weeks ago and many PR sites were wiped out of Google News altogether. We made the cut — and we believe that is because we are sticklers for ensuring that we help people to craft real honest to goodness news releases, not ads and articles masquerading as PRs.

So when our editorial team writes with suggestion on how to optimize your PR for SEO and editorial, don’t be frustrated (though most people are thrilled and grateful!). We’re doing it to keep the good integrity of our site for the good of everyone who uses Online PR Media. And the very best way to prevent making edits later is to write press releases that are properly optimized from the beginning — and this press release checklist is designed to get you on the right track!

Your Turn!

While there is certainly a full-size guide that can written about press release writing, do you have any absolute “must-do’s” to add to the list? What are your biggest challenges when writing press releases?

0

18 Responses to “SEO Press Release Writing Checklist”

  1. Cortney Farmer

    15. Nov, 2010

    The checklist is a great – an excellent tool even for experienced writers just to make sure nothing gets overlooked in the process!

  2. Megan L.

    16. Nov, 2010

    I love this list — very helpful! I can’t think of anything to add to it, either. I think you covered it all! My biggest challenge when writing press releases is usually just making sure they are ‘newsy’ enough — sometimes my clients want more of the promotional ‘obviously not news’ announcements you described above and it is challenging to come up with a newsy spin to take on the subject. Every company has news, though, whether they know it or not so it is always doable to find SOMETHING to use as the news angle!

  3. Becky

    16. Nov, 2010

    This post is really helpful, I love how the checklist is split into 2 separate sections, Editorial and SEO – that really makes things easier to catch when reviewing a PR.

    Is there a rule of thumb or guideline for how many quotes a PR should have? I have always wondered if there was a better standard practice for the amount of quotes.

    Your feedback would be very helpful.

    Thanks! :)

  4. Christine OKelly

    Christine

    16. Nov, 2010

    Yes! There is always something to announce — in the rare case that there’s not, that’s a good reason to get something going within your company!

  5. Christine OKelly

    Christine

    17. Nov, 2010

    Hi Becky! I usually include one to two quotes in a press release. That seems to be a good amount to inject some passion and subjectivity without overpowering the facts and details. I think the main thing is that it is balanced and that the quotes don’t outweigh the rest of the PR.

    Great question!

  6. Becky

    17. Nov, 2010

    Thanks Christine, I have seen 3 quotes in PRs before and felt that it was a bit overkill. Thanks for your insight!

  7. Amber K

    18. Nov, 2010

    Great tool – thanks so much for sharing! This, among some of your other recent posts, has gone into my own personal toolbox for helping clients create solid PRs. Thanks!

  8. Tom Parker

    10. Jun, 2011

    Short, sweet, and to the point… very powerful! For those of us who don’t write press releases often, It’s great to have references like this for a quick check of of our work. So often, people overlook some very basic SEO practices when publishing information on the internet whether it’s via website pages, blog posts, articles, etc. Proper keyword usage is critical to being found in search.

  9. John

    15. Jul, 2011

    I’ve very impressed with your checklist. I found the tips you mentioned quite beneficial and effective. You mentioned “Does the summary elaborate on the news angle stated in the title?”. I think this is very important. As a reader, I find it very annoying reading interesting titles, only to find out that the summary and the body do not relate that much to the title.

  10. John Malcoverley

    27. Jul, 2011

    Christine

    You really should be charging for these insights. This has more valuable information than I’ve seen in many ebook style guides. I think I tend to avoid checklists as it seems so time consuming, but I guess at the end of the day, your approach is more productive and hence effective.

    Cheers

    John
    John Malcoverley recently posted..Personal Injury Compensation Claims Solicitors

  11. kelli@SEO Arizona

    03. Aug, 2011

    Haven’t done press release just yet. Anyway, have to study your checklist, thanks

  12. Cindy Seipel

    10. Sep, 2011

    I’m in the process of trying to tackle the art of Press Releases. I love to write but I know you can’t be to wordy! So glad I ran across your post and thanks for quality content.

  13. Channel Partner Marketing

    22. Sep, 2011

    I think the most important thing mentioned here is this ..

    “Ensure that they are both editorially optimized and search engine optimized.”

    It’s important to achieve a balance. Your press release needs to be found (SEO) and, once found, compelling enough to read and take action (editorially sound).

    One thing I disagree with, however, is the recommendation to AVOID addressing the reader as “you.” While that isn’t a good approach for a release that’s aimed at traditional media, it’s effective for releases that are written directly for the consumer (that’s reading your release directly online). It has worked well for our clients.

  14. Tara Geissinger

    Tara

    22. Sep, 2011

    Thanks for the comment! I know it is tempting to write a press release for consumers only, but that’s not really what they’re meant to be. The reality is that PRs published online are going to be read by consumers, bloggers and journalists. That’s why we believe it’s important to stick to some common guidelines for writing them. A quick Google search for the phrase “first person in press releases” will bring up countless articles, blog posts, tutorials and guidelines that all urge writers to avoid using first person when writing a press release.

    You are right though — addressing the reader personally is often very powerful when you are speaking directly to a consumer. That is what the quotes are for in your press release! Within a quote, you can speak in the first person AND get a little ‘salesy’ with your message. We are huge proponents of including quotes in every press release and using them to their fullest advantage. :)

  15. Stacy Sumoge

    09. Apr, 2012

    This checklist is fantastic! I just tweeted and printed it. This is useful, even for PR pros. Thanks for sharing!

  16. Christine OKelly

    Christine OKelly

    09. Apr, 2012

    Glad to hear that you found this useful Stacy – thanks for sharing!

  17. jShrimali

    19. Apr, 2012

    I appreciate this.. ! Thanks!

    jShrimali
    http:///www.amarketforce.com

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Our Favorites This Week: Unique PR Ideas | Online PR Media - June 22, 2011

    [...] many cases, press release writing can get stale. A typical news release announces a new product or service and talks about how [...]

Leave a Reply

CommentLuv badge