Creating and distributing press releases is an effective digital marketing strategy to convey a brand’s message and its online identity. 

Many people are familiar with press releases, but they typically don’t recognize them as a marketing tool that benefits Search Engine Optimization (SEO). 

In many cases, folks think a press release is something a company or news agency sends out to journalists if something bad is about to happen. 

Press releases are official statements describing brief but specific information about a newsworthy event. 

Companies often issue press releases to announce a product launch or a circumstance that positively affects a business. 

A good press release will interest readers with beneficial information, and if a company or organization does it right, a media outlet might pick it up. 

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about press releases and SEO. Why they are a valuable asset to your strategy and how you can use them to generate “buzz” around your service, product, or brand. 

How to Create Press Releases for SEO 

In today’s digital marketing landscape, SEO goes much further than creating text filled with specific keywords. 

SEO includes proper use of citations, links, image descriptions, and alt tags. 

However, quality content remains a force in generating quality backlinks from high-authority, reputable sources — and press releases are a valuable resource to distribute this content.

Here’s what you need to know about creating this type of content:

Write Your Press Release for Your Readers 

Many digital marketers write their content for machines, algorithms, or search engines. 

The same is true for press releases. However, most people skim this type of content (or don’t read it at all), and people are who you want to read your press releases. 

If you think about how quickly we scroll through our feeds or inboxes, the challenge really becomes not just getting noticed but also holding attention for more than half a second. It’s wild how many press releases read like they’re talking to Google instead of real people. That’s probably why so many end up in the virtual trash without a second glance.

The value comes when a release actually says something a human cares about—maybe it answers a question that’s top of mind, or it brings a little twist to topics people think they already know. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel here, but you do need to remember someone—presumably not an algorithm (at least not yet)—is on the other side, reading, judging, hopefully sharing.

So, it’s important to follow these tips when crafting a press release: 

• Write an irresistible headline — everyone will read the headline.
• Answer the “who” and the “what” in the first paragraph — what your company does and who the press release is for.
• Set the scene and present facts from a position of authority.
• Include valuable background information on the subject, but avoid tidbits or boring facts about the company.
• Keep the content helpful and concise.
• Keep yourself and your organization honest — let others read your press releases.
• Ideal press releases should be between 400-600 words. 

Before you can implement these rules in your press releases, you must know your audience. 

Write to your target demographic using language they understand. You also want to find a hook that makes your target audience care. 

Caring is the component that governs newsworthiness. 

For example, if you’re writing a press release to highlight an event, you need to include why the event is happening versus just stating the event is happening.

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