7 Crucial Tips to Optimize Your Press Release Content for SEO

February 19, 2024March 8, 2024 / Author - Albert Knapp

PR distribution cannot offer any practical results unless you optimize your press release for SEO. Find out the most effective and simple ways to optimize your content.

More than 71% of journalists agreed that press releases are one of the top content that seek to receive from the brands and what helps the PR content to reach them is nothing but SEO. Search engine optimization is an important aspect of PR campaigns that helps the content reach niche and relevant target audiences including, potential customers, investors, journalists, reporters, marketers, and many others. However, most people make the common mistake of writing and distributing the press release without optimizing it. Get to know seven effective yet simple tips to optimize your press release for SEO.

1. Incorporate Keywords

Optimizing a PR always starts with adding keywords to the content that help it rank better on the result pages of the search engines. Look for relevant keywords based on your industry and incorporate them in the title, introduction, and body of the press release content. Keywords play a vital role in the industry as they help your PR content to be found by a greater number of online users who are looking for similar products or services. You can use Google’s Keyword Planner for the task which helps to find keywords with high search volume based on the market trends of a particular industry.

2. Competitive Research

Potential competitors always provide something to learn more. You can always check the posts and press releases shared by your potential competitors to check what kind of keywords they are using. Also, check which distribution platforms they are particularly targeting. This way you can identify where the backlinks are coming from and target it yourself later. You can also steal their keywords but make sure to craft better PR content than them. You can also take the help of analytical tools to conduct this competitive research.

3. Create a Valuable Headline

It all starts with the headline as it is the first thing a reader notices and decides whether to read the press release or not. More than 80% of online users read headlines and tend to skip the content while only 20% of them read the content. In this digital age, content is the most valuable thing on the internet that comes from ways and in different forms. Only the headline plays a major role here that offers an idea of the whole content. Cut the clutter and stand out by following these tips on headlines,

It must be precise yet highly engaging to grab readers’ attention quickly.
Avoid jargon and come directly to the point.
Incorporate relevant keywords.
Try to offer a solution to the problem through the headline.
Add something that depicts an emotional value.
Add numerical (optional) as it tends to get more clicks.

4. Begin the PR with 5Ws

5Ws is the classic trick in the book which is mainly applied in the first paragraph of the press release, the introduction. To keep the readers engaged and encouraged to read the whole content, they are provided with the most important information by following the 5Ws which stands for,

When?
Where?
Who?
What?
Why?

Answering these questions will cover most points of curiosity a reader can have and when they are offered all the information from the beginning, they are more likely to give it a complete read.

5. Write an Engaging Press Release Content

Online users are exposed to a lot of content and they are quite lazy. As a result, the long-form content does not appeal to them anymore and they are more into brief materials which are easy to read and still offer all the valuable information. Press release perfectly fits the criteria but you have to think from a journalist’s end to understand how to make it engaging for them. Here are the tricks that journalists utilize to grab the attention of the readers and make them read till the end of it,

Do not just provide information but also tell stories.
Get straight to the point without using any flowery language.
Include quotes from the CEO or other industry leaders to establish your vision.
Use data to prove and support information offered in the PR.
Provide background information or source links if needed.

Last but not least, there should be a boilerplate which is a brief description of the company along with contact details. It proves the content’s authenticity and allows interested users to check the business website.

6. Leverage the Benefits of Adding Visual Elements

Visual impression tends to stay with a lasting impact while written content is easily forgotten. Online users only remember 10% of the information they have read in the last 3 days but with added visuals, they can remember up to 65% of the consumed data. Therefore, visual elements can improve the effectiveness of your press release content. It makes the content more attractive, engaging, and informative at the same time. There are many elements to use such as images, info-graphics, video clips, GIFs, etc.

7. End the PR Content with a Call-to-action (CTA)

After spending a lot of time crafting an SEO-optimized press release, do you want users to read and leave without performing any task? That is not a wise idea. Make sure to add a call-to-action or CTA at the end of the PR content that makes readers perform certain actions that will only benefit your business. You must add the CTA based on the business goals that you want to achieve through the PR campaign. Here are some effective ideas for CTA,

Offers downloading options or freebies.
Include a link to an online form to register on your website.
Offer deals that require immediate participation (e.g – “Buy Now and Get 50% Off).
Ask them to join a free consultation or get a free quote.
Offer exclusive deals for a limited period only.

Final Thoughts

Optimizing your PR for SEO is not an optional choice but a mandatory one to improve your PR campaign. While following the aforementioned tips can be greatly helpful, it also requires professional help to make the distribution right. Hire a professional agency and add your individuality to create an exclusive and effective PR campaign.