Are Press Releases Worth Your Effort?

Press releases are continually touted as the best way to improve your SEO efforts these days, but they can be a bit frustrating and overwhelming for many online marketers. Wondering why? They’re not only a little more expensive and complex than other forms of online marketing, but they also come with some real drawbacks. In and of themselves, they don’t help your SEO in the long term. They don’t even always get your message out to your target audience as effectively as other means. So, why are they so popular? There are a few reasons:

1. Press releases have a high likelihood of being picked up by other publications. With the right angle, the right content, and the right release, you’re going to get the buzz and coverage you want in a way other content just can’t hit. While a Facebook update might get coverage, a good strategy and the right press release can mean you definitely get coverage.
2. Links are a huge benefit with press releases. Coverage of your press release is typically going to come with links back to your site, and that’s going to mean a real boost to your overall SEO work.
3. Press releases are a solid way to enhance your other branding efforts. They’re tools that work inside your organization as well as outside of it. Your sales reps can point to your press releases, as can your board members. Sure, they’re a great way to get the attention of customers, but they’re an equally good way to offer more marketing tools to your staff as well.

Press releases aren’t always the right option. They have to fit with your overall marketing plan, and they actually have to be newsworthy, but in the right context, they’re a great marketing tool for your company.