3 Ways to Get the Most Out of Inbound Press Releases

Press releases were originally designed as a tool to generate media coverage and attention. Now, in the days of inbound marketing , press releases have a totally different purpose. Press releases should be viewed as news updates directed at your potential and current customers instead of just the broad media. These types of news releases can keep your prospects engaged while also working as a powerful SEO tool for your business. With these two goals in mind, you can take full advantage of your press releases and perhaps gain some bonus media coverage as well.

As a marketer, you should think about your press releases as a way to distribute content frequently to boost the credibility and findability of your company. Follow these 3 tips to make sure you get the most out of your future press releases.

1. Create fresh content frequently.

This is a staple for both press release and inbound marketing success. Ultimately, you want to use every news release to keep your audience interested and wanting more. Don’t stick to boring company announcements like new hires or promotions. Write about interesting topics such as new product features, industry trends, survey data, or case studies demonstrating how your customers have benefited from your product. You’ll also want to include important keywords for which your business is trying to rank. Be sure to use these keywords in your press release title, text, and alt tags. This will help boost your company’s SEO as the release gets syndicated on news sites throughout the web.

2. Determine the most appropriate channels for your news releases.

Think about the message you are trying to send and the audience you want to reach. The obvious channel to leverage is your own website and blog. Coverage in other industry blogs that have high traffic and authority is also a great way to improve SEO and reach a new audience. Consider pinging a few industry bloggers about your news for a better chance of coverage. Also, don’t forget to use your company's social media presence to promote your news release in various channels. Furthermore, consider distributing your release using a distribution service like PRWeb. By doing these things, you’ll expand your reach and touch a potentially new audience while building SEO rankings for specific topics.

3. Measure and iterate to optimize future press releases.

Once you publish your press release, you’ll want to know if it’s actually working. If you published your release to your blog, use your blog analytics tool to measure the number of views, comments, and inbound links for that specific news release. You can also monitor your website's referral traffic to see if any websites or blogs that have syndicated your release are sending traffic your way. Additionally, monitor how your search engine rankings improve for the particular keywords you optimized for in your release. These are all great ways to help you analyze which topics, types, and distribution methods work best for your news releases as well as whether the time, money, and effort you're putting into your news releases is worth it.

How else can you leverage inbound press releases in your marketing?