social media and press release optimization may09 webinar slides
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The art of optimizing press releases includes the use of relevant keywords and a new breed of press releases including social media of Web 2.0 press releases that can reach online influencers with diverse content including video, pictures and text. Presenters include Doug Hay President of Expansion Plus who introduced and demonstrated a new, innovative and complimentary tool bar designed by PRESSfeed for PR professionals to help in the press optimization process including the sites and tools you need. The guest presenter was Melinda Van Patter of Marketwire who explained the social media press release and its place in the world of Web 2.0. View the video on YouTube if you have questions about backlinks, the latest search engine tools and techniques, or just wonder if a social media press release is right for you.TRANSCRIPT
"Learn the Secrets of Optimized Press Releases"
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Presenters:Doug Hay, Expansion Plus/PRESSfeed
Melinda Van Patter, Marketwire
AgendaAgenda
• Communicating in a Web 2.0 Worldg
• 3 Types of Press Releases: Traditional, Optimized, Social Media
• The PRESSfeed Toolbar
• Optimizing Your Release: Detailed Steps
• Social Media: Potential Audience
• Social Media Press Releases
• Top 5 Takeaways
• Type your questions and we will answer at the end• Type your questions and we will answer at the end
• Q&A
Communicating in a Pre‐Web 2.0 WorldCommunicating in a Pre Web 2.0 World
Companies controlled the messageCompanies controlled the message
M di t d t kMedia acted as gatekeeper
C ti “t d ” d
A di i d f h
Conversation was “top‐down” and one way
Audiences waited for the story
Communicating in a Web 2.0 WorldCommunicating in a Web 2.0 World
What kind of digital What doesEVERYONE ELSE hi k?
gcamera should I buy?EVERYONE ELSE think?
What are you doing NOW?
Check out howCOOL THIS IS!
Communicating in a Web 2.0 WorldCommunicating in a Web 2.0 World
Conversation is multi‐directionalConversation is multi directional
G t k
Audience is actively participating
Gatekeepers are gone
Image courtesy of Brian Solis
Pick Your ToolsPick Your Tools
• Blogs – publish and/or reach out• Microblogging – presence (Twitter)• Podcasts• Video• Video• Articles • Press Releases• Images• RSS Feeds• Social News Sites• Social News Sites• Social Networks
Search Trends Among ConsumersSearch Trends Among Consumers• 93% of Internet surfers look for company information through searchthrough search
• 80% use search to make purchases on the Web
• Top search engine rankings can generate up to 900% more traffic to a site, potentially increasing exposure up to 80%
h d h diSearch Trends Among the Media• 98% of journalists go online every day
• 76% of journalists search for sources/experts
• 73% of journalists search for news releasesSource: MarketingSherpa
3 Types of Press Releases3 Types of Press Releases
1. Traditional: for newspapers, radio, TV, magazines ‐ top down, rely on media to reach target audience
2. Optimized: for online audiences & buyers –online press kit, unique web page, direct communication searchablecommunication, searchable
3. Social Media Press Releases: for media,3. Social Media Press Releases: for media, bloggers, consumers – viral, word of mouth, conversational
Traditional Press ReleasesTraditional Press Releases
Text‐only news writtenalmost exclusively for
‘traditional’ media and otherstakeholders
Press Releases OnlinePress Releases Online
News Engines
Search Engines
Journalists/Bloggers
Buyers
Optimized (SEO) Press ReleasesOptimized (SEO) Press Releases
k d hIntegrating key words, phrasesand embedded links to
optimize “findability” and rankwithin search enginesg
Targets for SEO releases areconsumers, not media
REMEMBER! You don’t need to be a
programmer to take advantageprogrammer to take advantageof SEO – the technology is
SIMPLE!
Optimized (SEO) Press ReleasesOptimized (SEO) Press Releases
Integrating embedded multimedia such as video
and photos –
ENGAGESreaders and buyers
TELLS A STORY
Detailed StepsDetailed Steps
• There are 11 key steps to research, write, optimize and y p , , pdistribute an online press release
• Full toolbar:
http://www.press‐feed.com/toolbar
1. What Is The Release About?1. What Is The Release About?
• Get the data about the release. Look it over for obvious keywords
• E.g. ABC Company and the Green Foundation plan to hold an event to educate parents about the effects of harmful chemicals found in ordinary yhousehold products on children.
• The most obvious words of interest will be harmful chemicals and children
2. Find A News Item2. Find A News Item
• Find a news item or statistics that can be used in the lead
• Tool: Yahoo! News Google NewsTool: Yahoo! News, Google News Timeline
• E.g. A release about chemicals in h h ld dhousehold products.
• A news search reveals a book written by a pediatrician andwritten by a pediatrician and statistics about kids being poisoned by household chemicals.chemicals.
2. Find A News Item2. Find A News Item
2. Find A News Item2. Find A News Item
3. Key Word Research3. Key Word Research
• Do your Keyword Research based on what you find.
• Look for words and phrases thatLook for words and phrases that people are searching for, so you get the most traffic to your release
l l d d• Tools: Google Adwords Free Keyword Research Tool or Nichebot
4. Make A Search Term Grid4. Make A Search Term Grid
Create a grid of the search term, number of searchesCreate a grid of the search term, number of searches and competitive pages in Google.
5. Write The Headline5. Write The Headline
• Use the keywords as close to the beginning of the headline as blpossible.
• The headline should not be longer than 65 characters (with spaces)( p )
• Original headline: ABC Company and the Green Foundation Educate Parents on the Effects of Chemicals on Children 93 characters93 c a ac e s
• Optimized headline: Toxic Household Chemicals Harmful to Children 48 characters
S bh d ABC C d h G F d i d• Subhead: ABC Company and the Green Foundation educate parents on the effects of dangerous chemicals in everyday household products
6. Write The First Paragraph6. Write The First Paragraph
• Use main keyword in the firstUse main keyword in the first paragraph.
• Put a link to your website at the end of the first paragraph usingend of the first paragraph, using the keyword or phrase as anchor text for the link.
• Example: …The study links damaging the protective layer of the skin to the formation of dry Photo credit: Ariel Soudak yskin. (When you use keywords to make the link it is called anchor text)
7. Write The Body Of The Release7. Write The Body Of The Release
• Use your main keyword a few y ymore times in the release and once in the last paragraph.
• Link to your website at the end of the release.
• E g Shielding lotion replaces the• E.g. Shielding lotion replaces the protective layer of the skin and dermatologists have found it effective for the treatment of dry, itchy skin.
7. Write The Body Of The Release7. Write The Body Of The Release
• Check to see that you have not used the keywords more than 2% of the total word count2% of the total word count.
• E.g. If the release is 300 words ‐ use the keyword or phrase a y pmaximum of 6 times ‐ in the headline, the first paragraph, the last paragraph and a couple of times in the body.
8. Post To Your OwnWebsite8. Post To Your Own Website
• Put the release onto your website in your Media Room before you send it on the wire.
• Google will acknowledge the• Google will acknowledge the first site it appears on as the owner of the content. So you want that to be your websitewant that to be your website.
• Use a tool or platform that allows you to load the release
lfyourself so you are not dependent on a webmaster or the IT department.
9. Syndicate In RSS9. Syndicate In RSS
Syndicate your release with RSS (R ll Si lan RSS (Really Simple
Syndication) News feed.
10. Distribute On Wire Service10. Distribute On Wire Service
• Distribute the release on a wire service such as Marketwire
• There are Free Press Release Services but these will not get you into Yahoo! News which isyou into Yahoo! News, which is the largest news engine on the web.
11. Track Results11. Track Results
• The wire service should give you lots of stats about how well your release does.
• Also check in Yahoo! News and• Also check in Yahoo! News and Google News to see where it shows up for the keywords.
• If it is well optimized, on the day it is released it should appear on page one when you do a search f k d i hfor your keywords in the news engines.
11. Track Results11. Track Results
● Detailed Distribution and A b h i hAccess tabs, showing who received your release, and who read it
● Web Clips tab highlights online pick‐ups from leading news destinations and search engines (Yahoo!, Google, Lycos)
● For SEO releases, SEO tab hi hli ht t h i dhighlights top search engines and popular search terms from the release
Potential AudiencePotential Audience
iTunes 70 Million Users
Facebook50 Million Users
Photobucket38 Million Users
Top Blog Sites YouTube S d Lif24 Million UsersYouTube
300+M videos viewed dailySecond Life
13 Million Residents
Twitter½ Million Users
LinkedIn35 Million Users
Flickr1.5 Million Users
35 Million Users
Social Media Press ReleasesSocial Media Press Releases
•The Social Media Release is an adaptation of the traditional•The Social Media Release is an adaptation of the traditional news release to make your message more engaging and user‐friendly in this new media environment
•If your goal is conversation and increased web presence,
then the Social Media Release is a key tool and a first step in
sparking the dialogue
http://www.marketwire.com/press‐release/Reed'S‐Inc‐
NASDAQ‐REED‐984473.html
Social Media Press ReleasesSocial Media Press ReleasesMultimedia ElementsAudio Headline
Summary
DIGG,Technorati, Search Engine StatsBulleted
News Facts
y
LinkedIn/Facebook
Trackback and Friendly Permalink
Multiple Quotes
Social Bookmarking
/(Social Networking)
Social Media Newsroom
Corporate RSS Feed
Social BookmarkingLinks
I t lli t K d
Resources
Technorati Navigation
Moderated Comments
Corporate Web Site
Intelligent KeywordNavigation
Social Media Press ReleasesSocial Media Press Releases
The Social Media Release format puts the power of distribution and content repurposing into the hands of
the social media community via sharing and bookmarking…it can become a viral PR mechanism.
Top 5 TakeawaysTop 5 Takeaways
1. Optimized press releases allow you to communicate DIRECTLY with audiences online ‐ there is no gatekeeper
2 Keywords are important – research choose and use2. Keywords are important research, choose and use them wisely
3. Add your press releases to your website in a RSS feed4. Use a wire service for broader distribution5. The technology behind optimization is EASY – all you
have to do is write great contenthave to do is write great content
Social Media Webinar SeriesSocial Media Webinar Series
• 4‐part webinar series + 4 social media white papers
• Webinar #1: Setting Baselines & Goals
• Webinar #2: Researching & Planning
• Webinar #3: Choosing Your Tactics
• Webinar #4: Measuring ROI
• Vistit www.marketwire.com/SMStrategy to registerVistit www.marketwire.com/SMStrategy to register
ContactContact
Doug Hay CEO Expansion PlusDoug Hay, CEO, Expansion Plus
[email protected]‐793‐4911
Melinda Van Patter, Client Relations Manager, Marketwire
416‐941‐5828
ResourcesResources
http://www marketwire com/mkt/PR2 0/PR 2.0http://www.marketwire.com/mkt/PR2.0/
http://www.press-feed.com/toolbarToolbarhttp://www.press feed.com/toolbar