When it comes to a press release, headlines are everything.
It determines whether or not a journalist will consider the press release newsworthy and worth reading.
It drives social sharing (or discourages it), based on the topic and how compelling it is.
It impacts click-through rates on search engines, depending how well-written it is.
It has a huge impact on search visibility (SEO), if keywords or phrases are integrated correctly.
Not only should it be well-written, compelling and seeded with a keyword or phrase – low on hype, please – but length matters more than most realize. Here are a few quick guidelines to keep in mind.
Just in case you missed it – we had an article hit MarketingProfs this week on SEO best practices. Hooray! If you are in the c-suite and frustrated with your team’s SEO, the buck may stop with you. Read on to fix the the gap. “Although some aspects of SEO haven’t changed much in the …
If helping our clients be more visible is the heartbeat of public relations, then learning to integrate basic SEO skills into the work we are doing is key in keeping that heartbeat strong. SEO for PR is a “must know” skill.
Every senior-level PR and content marketing professional should have a solid understanding of how SEO works and how it applies to their own work.
For the overall agency or company, SEO should be part of the standard writing and proofing processes as content is filtering through production, and included as a basic skill integrated into the continued learning culture of the organization. It should also START the content creation process, not be wrapped in at the end.
If the organization is large enough to have SEO staff, partnering with them can identify a surprising similarity in goals and effort. Starting cross-departmental conversations and working together on joint goals can also make BOTH departments extremely successful.
During the May #PRprochat on Twitter, we were lucky enough to have Ken McGaffin as our guest – former CMO of WordTracker and an expert in SEO.
“The TOP 3 SEO SKILLS that PR pros should have are keyword research, link building and blogger outreach.” ~ Ken McGaffin
When it comes to a press release, headlines are everything.