Things I am learning - professionals and experts make mistakes too! News Releases are looked upon as a conservative document that should not waiver from the format-Right? Wrong! There is a turning of the tide with #SMM and all of us in communications and marketing will need to adapt or go the 'way of the dinosaur,'
This is a very important assignment - not just because it's homework and a project but because of the ever-changing landscape of PR, press releases and communication in general. Shortly after I started with the Municipality I've worked at now for the past four years, I started to move away from traditional news releases (although I did use them, sparingly, from time-to-time to ease those who were not sure about the transformation), and started incorporating more #SM-friendly releases.
We used a tool called Pitch Engine to create and distribute online-friendly releases. Responses to this approach have been overwhelmingly positive. We now create Optimized News Releases every time.
To clarify, we still use traditional tools from time-to-time, but they are used specific to our audience. Therein lies the key: the approach one takes should be catered to the stakeholders/audiences one is trying to reach. That makes for "effective" communication...
Regarding Optimized Press Releases, Skerick (2014) notes that "search engines continually update the algorithms they use to index, categorize and rank online content, and the SEO landscape is far different today than it was several years ago."
Expanding on that, she says, "The days of structuring content first and foremost for search engines are over and gone. You no longer need to repeat the same keyword over and over in the text, to achieve perfect keyword density.
"'Exact-match links' – anchor text links that use precise keyword phrases – are no longer an important requirement. Lists of links at the bottom of the page and blocks of text stuffed with keywords are not only passé, they can now pose risks for those who still employ those tactics, as the search engines are starting to penalize content they consider ‘over optimized,’ and many of these tactics are likely to be red-flagged."
Regarding Optimized Press Releases, Skerick (2014) notes that "search engines continually update the algorithms they use to index, categorize and rank online content, and the SEO landscape is far different today than it was several years ago."(1)
Expanding on that, she says, "The days of structuring content first and foremost for search engines are over and gone. You no longer need to repeat the same keyword over and over in the text, to achieve perfect keyword density.
"'Exact-match links' – anchor text links that use precise keyword phrases – are no longer an important requirement. Lists of links at the bottom of the page and blocks of text stuffed with keywords are not only passé, they can now pose risks for those who still employ those tactics, as the search engines are starting to penalize content they consider ‘over optimized,’ and many of these tactics are likely to be red-flagged."(2)
(1) Skerik, S. (2014). "Optimizing press releases: SEO is now about natural writing, social sharing and interesting content." PR Newswire. Retrieved 17 April, 2014 from (2) iBid.
As per the class syllabus and assignment/activity instructions, see below:
For this assignment, I critiqued some work of my (former) place of employment. Nothing like hitting close to home. I reviewed a news releases that one of our external stakeholders provided to us that we published without editing or reviewing. That was/is not our normal protocol, but in this case, we were directed by the higher-ups to post 'as-is.' It was very traumatic for me...ha, ha!
Thus, I was grateful for this opportunity in this class to review and update it and make it a little (lot!) more SEO-friendly. I have submitted the original and revised (optimised) releases, along with my rationale for the changes, as a Word document to our instructors; however, you can compare the two releases yourself online.
^ Note: I see that the original release has changed slightly from when I first accessed it and used it for this assignment; however, you will still notice the differences / improvements between the two.
Good pointers! There are a ton of poorly written news releases!
ReplyDeleteThings I am learning - professionals and experts make mistakes too! News Releases are looked upon as a conservative document that should not waiver from the format-Right? Wrong! There is a turning of the tide with #SMM and all of us in communications and marketing will need to adapt or go the 'way of the dinosaur,'
ReplyDeleteGood Exercise!.
This is a very important assignment - not just because it's homework and a project but because of the ever-changing landscape of PR, press releases and communication in general. Shortly after I started with the Municipality I've worked at now for the past four years, I started to move away from traditional news releases (although I did use them, sparingly, from time-to-time to ease those who were not sure about the transformation), and started incorporating more #SM-friendly releases.
ReplyDeleteWe used a tool called Pitch Engine to create and distribute online-friendly releases. Responses to this approach have been overwhelmingly positive. We now create Optimized News Releases every time.
To clarify, we still use traditional tools from time-to-time, but they are used specific to our audience. Therein lies the key: the approach one takes should be catered to the stakeholders/audiences one is trying to reach. That makes for "effective" communication...
ReplyDeleteRegarding Optimized Press Releases, Skerick (2014) notes that "search engines continually update the algorithms they use to index, categorize and rank online content, and the SEO landscape is far different today than it was several years ago."
ReplyDeleteExpanding on that, she says, "The days of structuring content first and foremost for search engines are over and gone. You no longer need to repeat the same keyword over and over in the text, to achieve perfect keyword density.
"'Exact-match links' – anchor text links that use precise keyword phrases – are no longer an important requirement. Lists of links at the bottom of the page and blocks of text stuffed with keywords are not only passé, they can now pose risks for those who still employ those tactics, as the search engines are starting to penalize content they consider ‘over optimized,’ and many of these tactics are likely to be red-flagged."
Check out here tips for writing online news releases in her excellent blog entry: "Optimizing Press Releases: SEO is Now About Natural Writing, Social Sharing & Interesting Content" at PR Daily. It's a practical post that is well worth your time reading.
Regarding Optimized Press Releases, Skerick (2014) notes that "search engines continually update the algorithms they use to index, categorize and rank online content, and the SEO landscape is far different today than it was several years ago."(1)
ReplyDeleteExpanding on that, she says, "The days of structuring content first and foremost for search engines are over and gone. You no longer need to repeat the same keyword over and over in the text, to achieve perfect keyword density.
"'Exact-match links' – anchor text links that use precise keyword phrases – are no longer an important requirement. Lists of links at the bottom of the page and blocks of text stuffed with keywords are not only passé, they can now pose risks for those who still employ those tactics, as the search engines are starting to penalize content they consider ‘over optimized,’ and many of these tactics are likely to be red-flagged."(2)
Check out here tips for writing online news releases in her excellent blog entry: "Optimizing Press Releases: SEO is Now About Natural Writing, Social Sharing & Interesting Content" at PR Newswire. It's a practical post that is well worth your time reading.
ENDNOTE:
(1) Skerik, S. (2014). "Optimizing press releases: SEO is now about natural writing, social sharing and interesting content." PR Newswire. Retrieved 17 April, 2014 from
(2) iBid.
As per the class syllabus and assignment/activity instructions, see below:
ReplyDeleteFor this assignment, I critiqued some work of my (former) place of employment. Nothing like hitting close to home. I reviewed a news releases that one of our external stakeholders provided to us that we published without editing or reviewing. That was/is not our normal protocol, but in this case, we were directed by the higher-ups to post 'as-is.' It was very traumatic for me...ha, ha!
Thus, I was grateful for this opportunity in this class to review and update it and make it a little (lot!) more SEO-friendly. I have submitted the original and revised (optimised) releases, along with my rationale for the changes, as a Word document to our instructors; however, you can compare the two releases yourself online.
* Original release*
* Optimised (revised) release
^ Note: I see that the original release has changed slightly from when I first accessed it and used it for this assignment; however, you will still notice the differences / improvements between the two.