Imagine spending 30 minutes writing about your site in exchange for fistfuls of authority backlinks, dozens of targeted visitors and serious brand exposure. Sound too good to be true? Not if you tap into the seldom-used power of press releases.
Press Releases=SEO Friendly
To give you an idea of how powerful this technique can be, here is the distribution of a press release I recently sent out for one of my sites using my personal Rolodex of newswires (which I’ll share with you, of course):
That’s over 5,000 pages talking about my 1 press release!
Of course, not all of these sites have a link back to my site, but many, like this one…
…will link back to your press release, tossing some extra link juice to your press release’s page.
More importantly, my site currently sits at the #2 spot for a competitive make money online-related term (over 5 million results) simply from sending out a single press release and a building handful of links from my private blog network.
A few days after submitting the release, I logged into my Google Webmaster tools account and saw dozens of incoming links from many news sites that I had never heard about in my life:
The Press Release Power System
With something this effective, I had to give it a catchy name: enter the Press Release Power System!
Here is how the Press Release Power System works:
Write a Well-Written Press Release About Your Site
To maximize the exposure of your press release, it has to be top-notch. If you’ve never written a press release you can find the basics of press release writing here.
The most important thing to keep in mind about your press release is that it has to be newsworthy. Now, your blog about cats isn’t about to get the New York Times banging on your door, but that’s not the kind of news exposure we’re expecting.
My blog, SurveySpencer.com isn’t anything that’s going to be on CNN, but I can always find PR topics if I’m creative enough.
Here’s some fodder for a small to medium sized blog to consider for their press releases:
- Site upgrade or redesign
- Social media integration
- Guest blog post on authority site
- Hiring of new staff or freelancer
- Joint venture with other site or business
- New article or video series
Power Tip: Include high volume keywords in your press release title. Many topic-specific news wires pick up press releases based on the keywords that appear in press release titles. If you press release is about a new paleo diet plan you’ve posted to your blog, consider adding “diet” , “weight loss”, or “health” into your press release title.
Distribute to Top Newswires
From distributing hundreds of press releases, the formula that I’ve found works best is to submit your PR into one Google News approved site and at least 15-20 free press release sites.
Sites like PRWeb.com and PRNewsWire.com are Google News sites, but they’re incredible pricey (up to $300 per release). I find I get the most bang from my buck from two Google News sites: WebWire.com ($25 per release) and EmpoweredNews.net (a bargain at $4 per release).
Once my press release is approved and I see it in Google News, I start sending it out to the following free press release sites:
PR-Inside.com
Live-PR.com
OnlinePRNews.com.com
Bignews.biz
Amazines.com
I-newswire.com
Ideamarketers.com
Prlog.org
Pressexposure.com
PrSync.com
Release-news.com
Free-pressrelease.org
Newpressrelease.com
Exactrelease.com
Sit Back and Let the Backlinks and Traffic Roll In
You could do that…or you could do some extra legwork to put some momentum behind your release.
Here are some ways to get the most eyeballs to your press release:
- Comment on top blogs with a link back to your press release (make sure the release is related to the topic of the blog and article)
- Tweet, Facebook Share and put your release in front of people in your blog’s social media channels
- Link back to your press release in your blog as a new post or in a press release section
If you’re looking for more backlinks, more visitors and more buzz (what blogger isn’t?), then you need to write a press release today!
About Spencer Mitchell
Haven’t experimented too much with press releases so far – sounds intriguing! How much referral traffic have you gotten from them?
Thomas
Thomas recently posted..How to Come Up With KILLER App Ideas Series – Part 5 – Using Concepts of Existing Games
Hey Thomas,
I’d recommend adding press releases to your SEO arsenal as soon as you can. The referral traffic honestly isn’t amazing, but you do get a surge as the PR gets into Google news and a trickle after that. It also depends on your niche. If you include a keyword from a popular niche (ie. make money online, weight loss etc.) in the PR title you usually get more eyeballs than if you’re going after a microniche.
Spencer Mitchell recently posted..Best Online Surveys for Money
Hi Spencer, thanks for sharing this interesting post. Could you give here a link to one of your press releases? Thanks in advance!
BR, Chris
Chris recently posted..35+ Traffic and SEO Tips & Articles From Bloggers
My pleasure, Chris!
Sure, here’s a link to the one I referenced in this post: http://www.pr-inside.com/paid-survey-website-surveyspencer-com-officially-r3231115.htm.
Spencer Mitchell recently posted..Best Online Surveys for Money
Thanks Spencer, I really appreciate your answer!
Chris recently posted..8 Helpful Tips, How To Promote Your Blog
I’ve been using Press Releases for a little while now to generate traffic to my sites, as well as for consulting clients. I’ve had good success with them. Thanks for the reminder!!
Go get ‘em Jasmine! It’s one of the most effective backlink strategies post-Penguin.
Spencer Mitchell recently posted..MyView Review: Is This Survey Panel For Real?
This is great! thank you so much for the tip and link. Have to try it myself one day. Have not used press releases before. Love to see how they turn out.
Aaron recently posted..In the short term, QUANTITY BEATS QUALITY in social media
My pleasure, Aaron. I just saw your site and each one of your posts is worthy of a press release!
Spencer Mitchell recently posted..MyView Review: Is This Survey Panel For Real?
Thank you for checking out my site Spenser. Do you have any posts that teaches the best way to approach it or how i can use my content for that?
Aaron recently posted..In the short term, QUANTITY BEATS QUALITY in social media
Press releases sound good. I just haven’t given them a shot yet but you have given me the motivation to try. Hope everything will work well…
I recently wrote blog post on this. Its great to see you are using this strategy to build backlinks too.
TIP: If you note down the addresses of all your your press releases, you can target those links in future press releases and make them stronger.
Yeremi Akpan recently posted..25+ Free Press Release Distribution Sites
Nice tip Yeremi!
Spencer recently posted..My Personal Toluna Surveys Review
I actually don’t have any posts on that as of yet. But I think you just gave me an idea for my next guest post…
Spencer recently posted..MyView Review: Is This Survey Panel For Real?
Glad to be useful
Wow great this really a good and easy way to build lots of backlinks for every posts and main blog url. I am going to try this now and will let you know how much backlinks I got.
Hey Ranjish,
Glad you enjoyed the post. Yes, these links are definitely what Google loves!
I look forward to seeing your results.
Spencer recently posted..Do Surveys for Money Really Work?
Hi Spencer,
I was wondering how long ago did you publish the press releases. I had a look at your website : http://surveyspencer.com/ and it still has a PR of 0.
The problem with press releases is that if everybody publishes it as you wrote it, it will generate a lot of duplicate content and I’m not sure the linkbuilding effect will be so positive.
Thomas
Hi Thomas,
I published the press release I referenced here on June 16th and launched the site a week before that. As the last toolbar PR update was in May my site will be showing a PR0 until the next update. More importantly, it’s ranking for a lot of tough keywords.
Regarding the duplicate content issue: it’s a misunderstood issue that’s been discussed to death and everyone has their opinion. My personal opinion is that Google values links from duplicate content less than original, but does give them some love.
Thanks,
Spencer
Spencer A. Mitchell recently posted..Do Surveys for Money Really Work?
Thanks for giving such information. Many topics about backlinks I’ve read before but turnung words into backlinks I read first time.SEO is like ocean which has no end. Very informative post.
ayesha recently posted..How to Develop amazing Mouse Clock
Thanks for your feedback!
Spencer A. Mitchell recently posted..Online Surveys for Kids to Make Money
Thanks for a really well written, practical post Spencer.
I’m currently reading ‘Flat Earth News’ by Nick Davies and the extent to which ‘big media’ relies on press releases and newswires is frightening – but also an opportunity for marketers!
Robert Tyson recently posted..The Elements Of A Successful B2B Social Marketing Campaign [Infographic]
Thanks for your kind words Robert.
That was a great post Michael, …
What I can not understand is:
1.You mean you write a Press Release to WebWire.com and EmpoweredNews.net , and then you distribute the same content to the list below, you’ve mentioned.Isn’t that a duplicate content?
2.You’ve mentioned that you’ve used a private blog network.What is it?Is it public or it is your own?
3.In how many days you ranked so high on Google?A month?
Please let me know
1.You mean you write a Press Release to WebWire.com and EmpoweredNews.net , and then you distribute the same content to the list below, you’ve mentioned.Isn’t that a duplicate content?
Yes, I distribute it to all the sites mentioned. It’s actually not duplicate content, it’s syndicated content which is different. Duplicate content means the same content on your own website.
2.You’ve mentioned that you’ve used a private blog network.What is it?Is it public or it is your own?
Private of course
3.In how many days you ranked so high on Google?A month?
It took about 90 days.
Spencer Mitchell recently posted..The Future of Paid Online Surveys
Hello Spencer,
I’ve written a press release before to announce a niche site challenge I did sometime ago. I didn’t monitor the success rate though, but I know some people re-published it.
I think press release when well written can be a great way to create exposure and yes, get backlinks for some kind of sites and products. But I’m almost sure it wouldn’t work for every site.
But it’s great that you wrote about this now because I just started a new site that I think I can write a great press release for and make good news.
Write a press release for posts? I’ll recommend if you can make it newsworthy yes, but since each press release will create duplicate links it’s better to keep it a minimum because with Google’s every now and then algorithm updates everything is to be kept at a minimum. Diversifying is the key for success online now. A little here a little there. Never overuse one method of anything anymore so that you limit the chances of getting over beaten with one algorithm update.
Hi Karo,
Thanks for your feedback and you’re 110% right on all counts. Press releases definitely shouldn’t be overused. They’re a small ingredient in a winning SEO recipe.
However, because they’re seldom used my affiliate marketers I just wanted to point out the traffic and SEO benefits they bring the the table.
Thanks!
Spencer
Spencer Mitchell recently posted..The Future of Paid Online Surveys
It’s my pleasure Spencer.
Of course it’s good that you discussed it
Another thing I must point out about press releases is for us to put some time into writing a professional press release else don’t even bother.
Research what you’re writing about to be able to include:
A clear problem
A clear solution being offered
Put some content in quote
Add some quick tips and ideas so it’s not just another sales page
Contact info
That’s the order I have learnt to follow for a well written press release. And please write in third person.
Karo Itoje recently posted..How To Blog? That Is Your Decision. Be Careful How You Make It
That is a great information.
Do you have suggestions what are the best press release sites?These that you’ve suggested are cheap, but are they the best?
Mae Moreno recently posted..Paid Surveys With Free Registration – Never Pay Money To Sign Up
Thanks Mae!
No, these definitely aren’t the best in the biz. If you want top notch distribution go with PRWeb or PRNewsWire.com.
What do you think of sbwire?
Not bad…but not great. The above 2 paid options I mentioned above you a better bang for your buck in my opinion.
Very cool link building strategy. I’m doing that and it works!
Thank you so much for your tips
Nos N. recently posted..Udemy Crusher Review: A Proven Process to Build Passive Income