What is an optimized press release?

An optimized press release is just like a standard press release, but written and formatted for search engines. The average press release is about 400-500 words, depending on what you have to say for that particular release. For approximately every 100 words, you include a text link back to your website using a variety of keywords and phrases that your customers use when searching through their favorite search engine. Remember, Google counts for the majority of your traffic. (If you disagree with me on that, talk to me.)

Do optimized press releases work?

You bet they do. I’ve seen clients move to the top of search engine rankings by utilizing our optimized press release writing services. We distributed them too. You’ll get an instant boost in traffic (if they are done right). And you’ll see some of your lower ranking keywords and phrases move up quickly in the search engines. When you distribute an optimized press release, Google picks up your content because it’s fresh, newsworthy, and … it’s filled with keywords that attract your audience.

The Upside

You get links back to your site instantly. Initially you’ll get a surge in traffic with each release. However, the links stay out there in cyberspace for a long time. Thus you get the benefits of link building. Trust me. It works.

Build momentum

In order maintain your marketing momentum with optimized press releases, you need to distribute often. How often you ask?

How often should you send a press release?

People often ask me, “How often should I send a press release?” I tell them, “As often as you can as long as it’s newsworthy.” You can see results by sending at least one a month. But if you have newsworthy topics that require more than one release per month, send no more than one a week. That said, anywhere from 1-4 releases per month will really help your branding, traffic, and SEO results.

What not to do

Some companies (not that I’m going to mention any names) will send a press release every other day. Yes, it helps with branding, but guess what? They are not listed at the top of the search engine rankings, especially in Google. Want to know specific examples? Send me an email, call, or post in the comments section to find out.

Tell me what you think

Have you utilized optimized press releases for your company? Did they work? Did they meet your expectations? How often did you send a release? Agree/disagree with me on anything I’ve written in this post or any other post?

I want to hear from you. I’ll write a featured post on your company and your campaign. You can send me an email, call, or post in the comments below to get started.

MailChimp really knows how to not only develop great software, but they also know how to build a brand. I know this first-hand because they hired me to manage their optimized press release marketing strategy. Some of the unique features they recently launched include:

• Google Analytics Email Tracking
• A/B Split Testing
• Email Authentication
• Email Segmentation
• and other cool features, too many to list here

These guys are graduates of Georgia Tech University and it shows. Their creative minds combined with solid programming skills make my job much easier. How? Writing about features that require one or two clicks to configure makes it easier to promote. In fact, their optimized press releases average well over 100,000 impressions resulting in thousands of new visitors to their website.

I enjoy writing for companies I believe have what it takes to be successful. And I subscribe to blogs I find helpful in my own professional writing services. That said, I subscribed to MonkeyBrains in Google Reader (a wonderful tool for blog readers) and added their blog to my blogroll (in case you want to click on over and visit their site).