Press releases: from the newspaper page to the Web page

Writing a good press release is not exactly a talent that was born as a result of the Internet. Marketers and business owners have long since been submitting press releases to editors, reporters and other journalists in the hopes that the news story may get published in the newspaper, or better yet, may inspire reporters to write related stories. Now that the Internet has taken over as the one and only information super highway, it only makes sense that today's advertisers are battling for online space, instead of a spot in their local newspapers.

Why write an optimized press release

Even if you have managed to get a couple of your press releases published in your local newspaper, you can still benefit from the fruits of your efforts if you write an Internet-friendly press release. One of the biggest reasons why you should target the Internet is the fact that you will be reaching a much bigger audience. More and more people today are turning to the World Wide Web for their latest dose of news. Logging online and searching for the news items that they are interested in is much easier and more convenient rather than waiting for the news report on BBC or CNN. Even these giant news corporations are maintaining and promoting their own websites to keep up with the online world. Imagine how many people you will reach if you become featured in a popular news website or engine.

Another advantage of writing optimized press releases is that it lets you track how much readership your news story is receiving. This is virtually impossible with newspapers. Even if you keep track of how many people purchase newspapers, there's a huge possibility that they're buying for the comics, the classified ads or even just to have a shelter from the rain!

The power of keywords

Just like in the optimization of any online content, keywords will play a major role in the optimization of your press release. You need to research which keywords are the most relevant to your business or news story. These keywords can range from single words to whole phrases. Once you have decided on the most relevant keyword for you, be sure to use this in the title of the press release. You can also use related phrases in the subtitle and throughout the entire body of the article as long as the text reads well. Never overdo this tactic as quality content matters more than artificially trying to trick the search engines.

Target human readership

Even though you are vying for a top position in the search engine results, this doesn't mean that you have to put all your effort into pleasing the spiders or other software that handles the positioning of the search results. Remember that you are, first and foremost, appealing to your readers. Create a press release that is newsworthy, informative and interesting and you can rest assured that your news story will gain online popularity in due course.