How to Write Effective Online News Releases

How to write Effective Online News Releases

What is an Online News Release?

Writing online press releases is similar to writing offline news releases. There is a lot of information available about how to write traditional news releases. So, I’ll focus here on how online press releases are different from offline press releases.

An online press release can give you SEO in addition to traffic.

Here’s a recipe for writing effective online press releases.

Focus on keywords

The purpose of writing SEO optimized content is to get indexed for your keywords and show up in the search results when someone does a search for your keywords.

Writing for search engines means including keywords.  To get the maximum SEO benefit of online news releases, you need to include key phrases. Here’s how to use key phrases to optimize your press release for search engines.

• First, you must know what keywords you will be targeting.
• Write each news release around one main key phrase.
• Include your key phrase in your title.
• Include your key phrase in the first and last paragraph.
• Include your key phrase several times in the body of the news release. 1-3% keywords is ideal which means repeating your keyword 4-12 times max in a 400 word press release.
• Include your key phrase it in your resource box (in anchor text whenever possible).

Caution about keyword spamming: But don’t overdo the keywords. If your news release doesn’t make sense to readers, they won’t go to your site.  If you’re using the keywords too often, you can be penalized for keyword spamming.  Target about 3% keyword density  and never use more than 6%.  3% density means that you are mentioning your keyword 3 times per 100 words. For example, if you’re writing a 400 word article, 3% keyword density means that you can mention your keyword 12 times.

Writing an online news release

A press release has similar elements are an article. It has a title, introduction, body, ending/conclusion and a resource box.  The difference is that a news release has to have a newsly feel.

You can use press releases to announce a range of news items such as new products and services, new procedures, new equipment, events, awards, accomplishments, promotions, moved, renovated, special price, sales and financial data. Press releases can also be used to generate a feature story.

Writing a compelling title

You’ll want to write a compelling title that will intrigue a large amount of people. Your title has to be  related your topic.  Keep it powerful but vague. Make readers click to find out what it’s all about. Avoid using your business’s name or your own name in the title.

Writing the body of the news release.

• Rewrite an article to give it a newsly feel.
• The “story” approach or the “newspaper” approach work well. With the newspaper approach, put all the pertinent details in the first paragraph and then slowly scale down the story. When using the story approach, you don’t give any specific details until the end.

Writing a resource box

A resource box is a blurb with your contact information that goes at the end of the press release.  Here’s how to write a resource box for your news release.

• Include your main key phrase in the resource box.
• Direct the reader to your site in your resource box. Included your full url  (including ).
• When allowed, create anchor links linking your key phrase to a specific web page about that topic. (this is very important)
• Don’t forget to include a call to action, e.g. ask to call or visit your web site.

Submitting your news release

After writing the news release, you have to submit it to online press release sites.

It’s important to follow is the submission guidelines of the press release service you choose. Some services require character-per-line formatting while others allow wrapped text.  You will typically have to include certain information such as your telephone number, address, and byline.

You can submit your news release yourself or you can use a press release submission service.

We submit your press release to 125 news sites, including PR Web, which is the industry leader of press release services.

Read more about the benefits of online press releases here
and check out our online press release services here.

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• How to Write a Press Release will tell you in clear detail how to break down your press release into distinct parts.
• Press Release Sample Swipe File
• Press Release Templates

• PRWeb Guide

• The Press Release includes distribution services for your press releases, press release writers, etc.

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More News Release Resources

• See information about our press release writing and submission services here.
• See recommended  books about writing press releases in the resource page.
• Sandra Beckwith shows how to write a tip sheet news release.
• 5 tips for writing a book announcement news release that will get used by the press

Related posts:

1. Benefits of News Releases
2. Press Release Submissions
3. Press Release Info