SEO Content Solutions

I write and distributed scores of press releases for clients every week without problem. But one that I recently wrote for my own company SEO Content Solutions was rejected by almost half of my regular distribution points.

It appears that the press release titled SEO Copywriting Expert Reveals Secrets to First Page Results hit too close to the truth and didn’t sit well with many PR distributors.

Some made it to the news, but nearly as many as usual.

SEO’s are a group that people love to hate. PR distributors are just another group that can’t stand us – with good reason though.

When advertisers flood the submissions with keyword-spammy ads disguised as press releases, it devalues the integrity of news.

Further, these press release distributors have the privilege of their content appearing on Google News because they have been approved as newsworthy content providers. Start letting lots of advertising through, and they could lose that privilege.

This press release wasn’t spammy or full of advertising lingo. Instead, it was a little too true. In the hands of advertisers that care more about optimizing for search engines as opposed to optimizing for humans, this type of information could cause a nightmare for PR distributors.

As someone who values information more than advertising, I understand this. When writing press releases for SEO, follow the advice in my rejected PR:

“For a press release to truly be successful, it’s critical that it be focused around providing useful information for human readers. Distributing press releases that don’t offer a real value to your target audience is a waste money and effort.”

The people that get them absolutely love them. Even I was surprised at first at their impact on the SERP’s.

Press Releases

When optimized for search engines (and of course for humans as is my motto) press releases have a bold presence in the search results. Not only that, but they are a great way to build valuable backlinks.

I’ve spent the last 6 months analyzing scores of press release distribution points to find those with the most value. There are quite a few free press release distribution points that may not give you the wide exposure of a resource like PR Web with its extensive contact list, but that do offer live links, anchor text, images, first page visibility on Google News and sometimes first page exposure on the organic results.

One of my favorite free press release resources is Open PR. The use of images really makes the release stand out in the SERPs.

Here’s a press release that I wrote that took 5 of the top 10 slots on Google’s main search page.

So if you’ve been procrastinating on sending out press releases – stop! Most of the companies I work with publish anywhere from 1-4 press releases a month like clockwork and love the effect.

Probably like you, I get so much email that I don’t have time to go through a lot of the newsletters and Google Alerts the way I would really like to.

But this morning, in the early a.m. hours as I was sifting through my email, one headline stood out so much that I couldn’t help but leave my email box behind and click on it.  The headline and summary read: 

“Copywriter Makes Major Marketing Mistake”

Just posted at the Copywriters Blog about a fundamental marketing mistake made by a prominent copywriter that could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Never underestimate the value of good old fashion gossip when creating a headline. We love to hear about someone else’s flaws because we all have them and it’s comforting, if not darn right compelling to read stories about the misfortunes of others. 

For some good reading about titles, check out CopyBlogger’s 10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas that Work and Five Common Headline Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.