Blog - Online PR Media
Nov 15 ' 18 - by admin - Tutorials - 0
How To Choose A Press Release Topic
You know that press releases can be leveraged to help your business gain online and media visibility, increase web traffic, and market your business. And yet, we hear time and again that businesses are stumped when it comes to drumming up a topic. They think they're not doing anything important enough, that the news needs to be earth-shattering to warrant a press release. But that's simply not the case. Your news just needs to matter to your audience.
Here are 10 powerful topic suggestions to use as a guide when creating effective, newsworthy online press releases that will catch the attention of your target audience.
(Psst… if you already have an Online PR Media account, you can access FREE press release templates for all 10 of these topics, and more!)
- New Product or Service
- New Website, Feature or Enhancement
- Reaction to News
- New Digital Content (Whitepaper, e-Book, Video, etc)
- Award or Accolade
- Upcoming Event
- Contest or Giveaway Announcement
- Promotion or Sale Event
- New Strategic Partnership
- New Team Hire
Oct 25 ' 18 - by admin - Tutorials - 0
Press Release Editorial Guidelines Our goal at Online PR Media is to help you gain visibility for your company. To remain a trusted source for search and journalists, the news releases we publish must meet certain quality guidelines. Following these guidelines helps you create a message that better resonates with journalists, influencers, potential customers, and strategic partners.
To ensure a smooth and successful distribution, your press release should:
Be Newsworthy - First and foremost, your press release should be newsworthy and informative in nature. Your release should have a legitimate news angle that is appropriate for news media sites and relevant to your audience.
Be Accurate - Your release should contain complete and accurate facts and proper attribution for any sources cited outside of your own organization. For legal matters, press release must contain a case number, court of record, or other public legal documentation.
Be Objective - The tone of your press release should be professional and objective. Write in the third person and avoid using a conversational tone. Words like "I", "you", and "we" should only be used in the quotes.
Be from a Clear News Source - The news source is the company submitting the press release. The company should be clearly named in the title of the release. And it should be clear how the company is related to the news being announced.
Be an Acceptable Length - Press releases should be a minimum of 250 words, and not more than 800 words for readability. For extended distribution on PR Newswire, and for international releases, word count is very specific and overages are an additional charge. Please contact support@onlineprmedia.com before you begin writing if you have purchased extended distribution.
Contain a Valid Media Contact - A valid media contact is required for all Online PR Media press releases. The minimum requirement is a name, email and phone number. The media contact can be someone from the news source (company submitting the release), or a person at the agency representing the news source.
Be Properly Formatted - Online PR Media requires the body of your release to be uploaded as plain text. Avoid HTML tags, tables, non-standard formatting, and special characters.
Not Contain Excessive Links - Online PR Media allows four anchor text links. Links should not be spammy or keyword-stuffed. Links should direct readers to helpful, relevant sources related to the news topic. Online PR Media provides separate fields for links; do not use HTML in the body of the release. Learn more about using anchor text links here.
Not be Promotional - Advertorials, overtly-promotional content, sales pitches, and strong opinion-based writing will not be approved by Online PR Media editors for distribution.
Not be Duplicated - Each press release you submit should be completely original. Duplicate releases or content copied from other sources will not be approved.
Not be Disreputable - Sites that offer adult products and services, escort services, illegal products and services, scams and pyramid schemes, or iPhone unlocking products are not acceptable news sources. These releases will not be approved or distributed by Online PR Media.
Online PR Media's editors review every press release before distribution. While our editors determine if your release is appropriate and meets editorial guidelines, they are also your partner in success. Unless you opt-out at upload, they will provide editorial suggestions to improve your press release for the most successful distribution possible. Have specific questions about writing or formatting your press release? We're here to help! Contact our editors at support@onlineprmedia.com for questions about editorial guidelines while writing your press release.
Oct 04 ' 18 - by admin - Tutorials - 0
Professional, Turnkey News Release Videos For Your 2019 PR Strategy
A press release is most successful when it gets your news in front of your target audience. And what's the latest tool that PR professionals are loving for reaching and engaging audiences online? Video. When used effectively, a professionally produced press release video can be an extremely powerful tool for getting your organization’s news out to a wide audience and making a significant SEO impact.
Video Format Press Releases Provide SEO Value
One of the few things that experts in online marketing trends can agree on is that video has become an integral part of any robust online strategy in recent years. In fact:- YouTube is now the second largest search engine behind Google with more than 1 billion viewers and a billion hours watched daily
- A study by aimClear found video search results have a 41% higher click-through than plain text results
- People are significantly more likely to stay on your site for longer if there is video content rather than just having a plain text site
- 59% of senior executives say that they will opt for video when given the choice between video and text
Why Video Press Releases Work
Primarily, video is engaging in a way that simple text is not. Consider your own personal preferences for browsing online content - would you be more likely to view an engaging video press release, rather than reading blocks of text? For most people, the answer is YES! That is because video engages our brains on multiple levels: visual and auditory. Our brains are wired to be attracted to these things, and we naturally remember more of what we see and hear compared with what we read. Because of this level of deep engagement, viewers are also far more likely to stay on a website with video content for a longer time. If people are going to your site and leaving immediately, that doesn’t speak very highly of the value your pages are offering. Likewise, that's why the time a viewer spends on your news release is one of the measures Google uses for determining the value of your content; more time equals more engagement and ultimately improved rankings. And since one of the many benefits of utilizing press releases in your online marketing strategy is SEO, producing a great video featuring valuable and relevant news - that readers actually engage with by reading, clicking, and sharing - is a sure way to improve SEO value. Another tremendous positive of utilizing a video format for your press release is the extent of video’s reach. Obviously, you’re wanting to reach the greatest number of people with your news release. Well, sharing your news release in a variety of multimedia formats and across multiple platforms can increase your audience significantly! Instead of just having your press release published on news and media sites, you'll also be on sites like Vimeo and YouTube -- the second largest search engine behind Google, as a reminder!What Makes A Good Video Press Release
When thinking about how to format your organization’s news release, it is helpful to picture your press release being read aloud on your local news channel. While this might seem a bit strange to think about as you're writing, it really makes the difference between an engaging and captivating video, and something that was meant to be read, not heard.
Our advice? Have a little fun with it! If you're in an office, find your best "news anchor" personalities (a balance between a painfully-dry Ken from Channel 2 Action News and Ron Burgundy is ideal), and have them practice reading your press release out loud.
You want your video to be:
- Professional – A video that doesn’t appear to be professional or modern is going to hurt your message more than help. Cutting corners and producing a sub-standard video won’t pay off in terms of shares and user engagement, nor will it reflect positively on your brand.
- On Brand – When developing a video press release, it’s especially important that the message you are delivering is on brand and to the point. A poorly written press release will come across badly in video format.
- Accurate – It’s important to ensure the technical aspects of your video press release are accurate, alongside the message you’re sharing. This means all metadata is accurate, titles and descriptions incorporate your keyword targeting, and a strong launch plan is in place to ensure wide distribution of your news release.
Why The News Anchor Format Works
If you have spent any time researching how to attract the attention of your target audience online, you’re certainly aware that video content works. Now it’s simply up to you to decide how you want to present your news. As professionals in the digital press release world, Online PR Media has found the news anchor format lends itself perfectly to delivering your business’s big news, whether you’re announcing an award, a new product launch, a sale, a strategic partnership, or any other relevant news that matters to your audience. The newsroom format allows you to communicate your news with authority and in a familiar setting to your viewers. Of course, most businesses don’t have the equipment and expertise in-house to design, produce and edit professional looking videos. That’s why we developed the News Anchor PR Coverage distribution package, to give you access to this valuable multimedia platform for producing professional looking press release videos. We created the Online PR Media News Room: a studio where you have all of the great film production tools and the people who know how to operate them at your disposal. You write a stellar press release (we'll help if you need it!), then upload your press release as usual along with an abbreviated (150 words max) "script." Your script should be succinct and impactful, pulling the key points from your release along with a brief quote. Our staff will then read the script from our very own newsroom. The result is a professional and valuable press release video that you have full rights to and can distribute far and wide for maximum exposure and engagement! The $279 Online PR Media News Anchor PR Coverage package includes: All of the same features of our best-selling Search Engine Visibility package, PLUS:- A professional video recording of the reading of the press release script from the Online PR Media newsroom
- Full rights to the distribution and copy of the video
Online PR Media Is Here To Help Get Your Press Release The Attention It Deserves
Whether you're a seasoned PR-writing pro, or you're just getting started, a news anchor press release is a great addition to your online marketing strategy toolbox that will get your news more coverage and boost your SEO results. Want to learn more about this distribution package from Online PR Media, or how we can help with writing, editing and production of your video? We'd love to help! Contact us online to schedule time with a press release expert today.
Sep 01 ' 18 - by admin - Tutorials - 0
What Are Anchor Text Links, And How To Use Them In Your Press Release
If you're new to writing press releases, you may be wondering about using anchor text links. Or maybe even what they are to begin with! An anchor text link is just online marketing speak for words that go somewhere when clicked. You see them all the time in your daily ramblings around the web. They're usually underlined and colored, often blue, although modern website templates offer more choices for matching the look of links to a site's branding.
Looks aside, the function of anchor text links is the topic today, and more specifically how to effectively use them in your press releases. Some quick research on the topic reveals some controversy around anchor text links. To quickly clarify before going on, there absolutely IS a right way and a wrong way to use anchor text links. Knowing the right way to use them, and having the right expectations when creating content, is key to success.
First, let's take a closer look at the history of anchor text links and why we're sharing information about this topic to begin with.
The Rise Of Anchor Text Links In SEO
Once upon a time, it was a common SEO practice to use a ton of keyword stuffed links all going to a site's homepage in online content - including press releases. The idea was that with content published offsite (not on a company's own website), such as with guest blogs and press releases, the more links from third party sources a site had pointing to it, the more credible the site appeared. When combined with the technique of using high-ranking keywords in third party links, websites that practiced this SEO strategy saw an instant and lasting boost in their rankings.
It was such a popular and effective strategy, that agencies sold "link building" packages, promising website owners a certain number of "backlinks" (links from third party sources linking back to a website) each month. It worked. Search results were riddled with crappy, keyword-stuffed, over-linked content that was effectively clickbait for users conducting legitimate searches for legitimate answers. The result? A website may rank #1, but visitors weren't staying on the site, much less converting on anything.
Users were annoyed. And Google caught on.
In 2012, Google launched Penguin, an algorithm update that stopped giving juice to low-quality content with spammy links. It buried that content in the furthest reaches of the SERPs where no one goes, and in some cases even penalized sites that continued trying to game the system.
SEO experts agreed that anchor text links were dead. But then something incredible came of the change that tanked the rankings for so many sites. The top results in the SERPs were suddenly filled with USEFUL information. RELEVANT content that actually made sense, provided value to readers, answered questions, and helped users have a better search experience.
That was Google's intention. And really, isn't that the ultimate goal when creating content for your brand? Create great content FIRST… then figure out how you can link to related and relevant materials (maybe it's on your website, maybe it's not!) to support your content and create the best experience for readers.
Now let's dig into some specific best practices for using anchor text links in press releases.
Tips For Using Links In Press Releases
#1 - Write a great press release first
The overarching goal of distributing a press release is sharing relevant news about your company to a specific audience (customers, investors, etc.). News that matters to people is more likely to get picked up by prominent publications, catch the attention of journalists, reach a greater audience, and ultimately get read and shared by your target audience.
#2 - Less is more when it comes to links
Five links in a two-sentence paragraph is too many, and Google will see it as spammy. Resist the urge to link to every applicable page on your website. Less really is more if you take the time to plan out your links and make them count by linking to relevant materials that truly support your news.
If you use Online PR Media to distribute your press releases, we allow a maximum of 4 anchor text links. We do this specifically help protect you against accidentally spamming your release with too many links.
#3 - Use keywords strategically in links
The problem that Google Penguin addressed was not just too many links, but too many anchor text links in a site's link profile that matched their onsite optimization 100%. Meaning, if a website is optimized for the phrase "weight loss supplements" and all, or most, of their backlinks are exactly "weight loss supplements," it is clear they're attempting to build links artificially to rank higher. This is the content Google penalizes.
This doesn't mean you can't use keywords in your links. It just means the words and your strategy need to be varied. Here are some considerations:
- Use longtail keywords - In addition to your core keywords, longtail keywords are more specific, have less competition, but more total searches. For example, if your core keyword is "weight loss supplement," some related longtail keywords might be "safe weight loss pills," "medically proven weight loss supplements," "natural weight loss pills," and so on, depending on your niche. Not only does using different keywords in your anchor text links keep you on the right side of Google, but it helps to create context, which search engines love because they can more accurately index and display your content in searches.
- Use branded links - Even if you're not a well-known national brand, using your company name in your anchor text links is a great way to build recognition and visibility, and create a varied link profile.
- Use generic links - How often do you see links that say, "For more information, click here."? More, click, here, this site, this blog, etc. are safe anchor text links. As an added benefit, if you do a good job writing the content around the link to be a teaser, people won't be able to help themselves. They'll have to click out of sheer curiosity. And every click is SEO currency that signals to Google that your content is useful, relevant and helpful. (See where we're going here?)
- Use full URLs - While we often talk about anchor text links as being words or phrases, using a full URL also counts as a "link" to Google. The caveat? Short, recognizable links are best. Think about the difference between seeing a link such as www.example.com in a page of content, versus www.example.com/resources/blog/how-to-write-a-blog-post . In the latter, you might as well just say "Learn how to write a blog post here."
#4 - Understand the difference between do-follow and no-follow links
Getting links back to your website is a normal part of any comprehensive online marketing strategy. Google knows this. Google also knows there are going to be places where you publish regularly - and get backlinks from regularly - that, while not necessarily artificial and spammy, are not organically earned links you want accumulating in your link profile. On the other hand, there will be some mentions and one-off publications and subsequent links back to your site that you definitely DO want in your link profile!
When you create a link, you are allowed to tell search engines whether you want it recognized and indexed, or not.
A "no-follow" link tells search engines to ignore it. It won't be indexed and it won't be counted for or against your link profile. A "do-follow" link is the opposite; it's added to your link profile and the content is appropriately indexed.
Why would you want a no-follow link? Let's talk specifically about press releases. If PRs are a part of your regular marketing plan and you send several (think 2 or more per week), you're going to quickly accumulate lots of backlinks in your link profile. Even if you're varying your keyword and linking strategy, you're going to have some overlap with that frequency. In this case, you may decide to only make the most important and newsworthy releases do-follow links, and set the others to no-follow.
The opposite is true if you seldom send press releases, and you have a really stellar topic. Do-follow links will help your content get found, and ensure the credible third-party links are added to your link profile.
When you upload a press release to Online PR Media, your anchor text links are "no-follow" by default. Again, this is to protect users against accidentally adding unwanted links to their link profile. If you want to make your links "do-follow," simply check the box at upload.
#5 - Optimize your anchor text links
Your linking strategy will be specific to your business, your news, and the resources you're linking to. However, this is a general guide for optimizing the 4 links and full URL in your OPM press releases.
- Link your company name to your homepage, ideally in the first paragraph.
- Link one keyword phrase to a relevant internal page or blog on your website, ideally in the first half of the release.
- Link a different keyword phrase to a piece of your content published offsite (Guest posts, Medium, LinkedIn, Slideshare, etc.)
- Link the name of the person you quote to their LinkedIn profile.
- Use a full URL linking to your homepage or relevant landing page toward the end of your release. For example, “Learn more at https://onlineprnews.com/.”
Online PR Media Is Here To Help
We hope this resource has been helpful in understanding anchor text links and how to use them in your press releases. The best part is that we have expert SEO press release editors on staff who can provide recommendations and editorial tips to help you get the most from your PRs.
Aug 12 ' 18 - by admin - Tutorials - 0
Online PR Media’s 6-Step Press Release Strategy
Something exciting has happened at your company - a new product launch? a sale or promotion? an award? a new website feature? - you want to share the news! But, how do you get the word out? Using a press release for a newsworthy event is a great way to showcase these developments. Before digging in though, you need to have a plan.
Not sure where to start? We've put together a six-step plan to help you integrate ongoing press releases into your marketing plan. Once you master the process, you'll be able to grind out exceptional press releases in no time - dare we say monthly? - to leverage this valuable strategy.
Step 1: Understanding The Value Of A Press Release In Your Marketing Plan
Press releases are more than just a simple means of sharing your news; when used as a strategic part of your online marketing plan, press releases help to increase your online visibility, market your brand, and reach a greater audience. In addition to increasing brand exposure, press releases also have significant SEO value. Building links, increasing web traffic through organic search (i.e. when potential customers search for keywords used in your release), and adding social currency, all work together to improve your site's overall rankings.Step 2: Identifying Your Goal In Using A Press Release
When thinking about sharing your organization's news, one of the first questions you should ask yourself is "what is the goal of using a press release?" What kind of attention do you want for your news? Do you want to increase traffic to your website, get traction on social media, or both? For example, a press release can be used to highlight a brand new product that you’ve developed, or a sale that only lasts for a couple of days. In the first case, your goal might be to drive traffic to your website to the new product landing page. In the latter, your goal might be to drum up a ton of interest on social and get people sharing the news of the sale to ensure its success. Knowing your goal ahead of time makes writing your press release and defining your audiences much simpler.Step 3: Defining Your Audience
Defining your target audience helps your release get traction in the proper media channels (i.e. reaching potential customers on mainstream media sites, versus reaching investors on financial news sites). Creating a list of key audiences, deciding if you need to segment your lists and write multiple releases for different audiences, and understanding the scope of the publications where your release will go are key considerations in the PR planning process. For example, if you announce a sale, the audience should clearly be your end customers. Announcing this same sale to your vendors and investors doesn’t make sense and can lead to lower engagement with the news. In the same light, announcing a new vendor partnership isn’t a detail that customers need to know, but rather your board and investors should know so that they are aware of the new trajectory of the company.Step 4: Choosing Appropriate Channels
After defining the target audience for your release, the next step is deciding how you will communicate with them. WIll you use an online PR distribution partner? Or, do you have an up to date list of media partners and plan to personally reach out to pitch your news? When choosing channels, it's important to understand how syndication works. At Online PR Media, we have hundreds of partnerships with reputable media and news sites. Through our strategic partnerships, we’ve already done the work of sourcing the best industry-specific channels for your news, which can save countless hours on your end. When using Online PR Media to syndicate your news, you will have the option to select up to seven categories during the upload process -- this is where you'll fine tune the channels to ensure your news goes to sites that are relevant to the topic and industry.Step 5: Writing Your Press Release
Writing the release itself is obviously one of the most important steps in the development of a PR plan! However, writing the release should be calculated, and should include relevant keywords, links and content that will increase your SEO footprint as well as human engagement. Make sure to include current media contact information, lead with a strong title and summary, as this is often the information that is pulled and displayed in the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages), include impactful quotes from people close to the news (i.e. a quote from a customer about how a new product made their job easier is more impactful than a generic quote from an organization's CEO), and always include links to sources you cite. The best releases also include content that would be relevant to use in other media channels at later times. For example, writing about topics that you could share to your Facebook or LinkedIn pages will save time down the road when you’re looking for media and marketing content for your social media strategy. We've created an in-depth source for writing SEO press releases so that they're optimized for both search engines and human readers. Check it out here.Step 6: Optimizing The Timing Of Your Release
Understanding the right time to deploy the release can have a significant impact on your results. We recommend sending Tuesday through Thursday in the morning, and avoiding Monday and Friday unless the news is time-sensitive. Of course, once you hit 'publish' you will be eager to know where your press release went! Here at Online PR Media, we offer robust reporting features with interactive components to help you understand the impact of your release and specifically what sites published your news. Reviewing and understanding this reporting can help you develop even better strategies for future releases.Online PR Media Is Always Here to Help
We’ve put this resource together to help you understand the best approaches to creating a comprehensive press release strategy that supports your overall marketing plan. Have a question? We're here to help! Our expert SEO press release editors can assist with preparing your release for distribution, editorial suggestions, timing recommendations, and how to select categories to best distribute your news to relevant channels.
Jul 16 ' 18 - by admin - Tutorials - 0
You’ve Written And Published A Press Release – Now What? Press releases are one of the most effective ways to gain visibility for your brand, but they require a bit of finesse in their post-distribution promotion. After writing an SEO press release, there are a few steps you can take to promote the release to ensure it reaches the most people, on the most channels, in the most effective manner possible.
