Dec 23 ' 21 - by Kevin Petersen - Tutorials - 0

Maximizing Traffic From Your Press Releases
So you've written and distributed an online press release. Woohoo! Now what? Ideally, your customers will read it and take some action like clicking the links and visiting your website. But is your site ready for them? 
While we have always recommended a mix of anchor text links in press releases that go to your homepage, relevant product/service pages, and supporting content, we haven't really talked strategy for converting the people coming from those links. "Converting" as in, buying something, downloading something, signing up for something, or otherwise taking some desired action. 

After all, isn't that the purpose of your website? To provide something valuable or helpful to visitors so that they will reward you with business? Even if that business isn't cash-money just yet, by signing up for your newsletters, reading your content, or downloading your handy guides, they are getting to know your company, building trust, and keeping you in mind for when they need your product or service.
So now let's get serious about those visitors who are coming to your site from your press releases. They just read something that interested them and they want to learn more - that's great! Instead of just dumping them on your homepage, use this opportunity to send them to a dedicated landing page or show them a specific pop-up offer that relates to your press release topic or call to action. 

Landing Pages

There's a misconception that a landing page is just any page on your website. A landing page is generally not part of your website navigation; a visitor can't come to your website and find a landing page. Instead, they land on these pages from other locations around the internet (i.e. ads, social media posts, press release links, etc.)
Landing pages are very specific. They expand on a single topic - for example, an SaaS company that is promoting discounted renewal pricing for the holidays might create a dedicated landing page that shows the discounts, highlights the benefits, and has an easy form for people to convert (sign up for the offer!). This promotion might not be on their website, but they may promote it as an exclusive offer from a press release or social media ad. Only people coming from those sources will land on the landing page and see this offer. 

Using Landing Pages From Your Press Release Links

Consider these best practices when creating landing pages for your PR links:

• When creating your anchor text links, direct one of them to a dedicated landing page related to your call to action (i.e. "exclusive holiday renewal pricing" that links to your landing page, https://example.com/holiday-software-renewal/).

• Use your landing page to go into more depth about the press release topic and/or call to action.

• Include a form to collect leads and signups. Just be sure to only ask for what you need to make it easy for customers. 

• Be sure the topic of the landing page actually relates to the press release topic and/or call to action. If a person clicks a link for "exclusive holiday renewal pricing" don't send them to a landing page to schedule a demo. 

UTMs And CRO, Oh My!

In our last post, we shared tips for using UTM tracking codes in your press release links to track engagement with those links. It's particularly helpful for creating targeted pop-ups on your website based on where the traffic is coming from (often called the "referring source"). 
To create pop-ups on your website, you'll need a conversion rate optimization platform. Don't let that sound intimidating. Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is simply any strategy that increases the number of people, that do what you want them to do, on your website. Want more people to sign up for your newsletter? That's considered a conversion. So is renewing a software subscription under a holiday pricing plan. It's some action you want visitors to take that you can measure and track -- and that you can ultimately increase using CRO strategies, such as pop-ups. 

Targeted Pop-Ups

Once you've mastered using UTM codes in the links in your press releases, it's time to focus on what to do with that specific traffic once it hits your website. Enter: pop-ups, a pretty powerful CRO strategy!
Great pop-ups work not necessarily because they disrupt the visitor on your website, but because they are timely, relevant and valuable. A great pop-up shows the right offer, to the right, visitor, at the right time. This is why using a pop-up to capture traffic from your press release links with UTM codes is so effective. 

As a quick refresher, to create a UTM code in Google Analytics, go to the Campaign URL Builder. For our holiday software renewal, the UTM parameters could look something like this:
Website URL: https://example.com/holiday-software-renewal/

Campaign: "holiday-pricing"

Source: "news"

Medium: "press-release"

Content: "nov-19"

You'll get a custom URL that includes the tracking code. Use this URL in the keyword section when you upload your press release on Online PR Media:

Next, go to your pop-up software and create a new campaign to capture traffic from your press release link. When you get to targeting, you will see an option for "referring source" or "where visitor came from." Click through these options until you are able to paste in the UTM link to indicate that visitors coming from that source or domain should see your pop-up.
What should the actual pop-up contain? 

• A relevant offer. If you're capturing traffic from the "exclusive holiday renewal pricing" link, your offer should give them a way to secure the pricing.
• Clear and actionable language.  

• Attractive design that catches the eye while complementing your website's branding. 

• A follow-up. Whether you're downloading your leads manually or they are automatically being sent to your email platform, be sure to have an email ready to go to confirm whatever the customer signed up for. 

Here's an example: 

And remember, only the people who clicked on your UTM links from your press release will see this offer. Because they read the release and clicked the link, this pop-up will not only make perfect sense to them, but it will be exactly what they were looking for. It couldn't be more timely or relevant than that!

Want To Maximize Traffic From Your Press Releases?

When it comes to CRO platforms that perform, we recommend our partners over at Picreel. They offer a free 30-day trial - no credit card required. And for a limited time, they're even offering free setup services. Meaning, they will install Picreel on your website, create your first campaign, and launch it on your website. It really doesn't get any easier than that!