Press Release Online - Step by Step Guide

The Internet has brought about changes to how we write for business and for pleasure. We're not just referring to the chat abbreviations such as LOL, we're talking about the creation of real content written with purpose and intent.

An online press release is a fantastic way of getting your message out there. You have the option of posting it to your blog or to an outside hosting service.

How can a press release help my message?

Well it can make your message appear more official and a wider audience can be targeted.

How can I get the most out of a release?

Follow these simple steps and you will be able to get the most out of your press release;

• Have a clear headline - make it short and catchy. You want people to see it above other press releases. Consider the use of a subheading if you don't want to overpopulate the main title.

• Use keywords effectively - just like writing a blog post or web page content, you have to include your keywords into a natural sentence and not over do it. If your press release is around the length of a single-page then you should be using about 2 keywords. No more, otherwise you could get penalised by search engines.

• Include relevant content - this may sound simple but a lot of folk don't include relevant information. A goal of an online press release is to generate web traffic. Remember that humans are the one clicking on the links so it need to appeal to them in a human way. Treat the press release like a news story and use the 'inverted pyramid' technique and don't forget those all important 5 W's - who, what, when, where and why.

• Take readers to other places - the Internet is designed to be interactive so use this to your advantage and direct the user through links to different places whether it is on your site or someone else's.

How should it be structured?

Your press release structure guide;

• Header - this should read 'FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE'
• Headline - catchy informative title in Bold but without CAPS
• Dateline - do not send an article without a dateline , it should be placed under the header and before the headline or at the beginning of the release body
•  Body - by paragraph structure;

1. answer the 5 W's
2. more details on the subject

• Boiler plate - a boiler plate is a description text that you can re-use in each press releases that you publish. In this case it should be a short description of you / your business. Be careful not to use a sales-pitch style, stay objective.
• Contact information - don't be mysterious, provide your contact details so you can be reached if need be.

How can I optimise my article?

Optimising a press release is just as important as writing it.

You should really use language that appeals to humans but also works with the search engines. You can optimise a press release in the same manner as a blog or a website. An optimised press release will have much better search engine results, getting you more traffic.

Choose your keywords carefully and preferably focus them within the first too paragraphs. It is thought that search engines place more focus in your more early content, especially the headings.

Multimedia is a key player in your press release, this will really make it stand out. Also Google Images receive a huge amount of search traffic and will actually drive people back to your online article.

We hope this helps you on your press release ventures! Please get in contact if you have any questions.