8 Online Press Release Mistakes

You've heard how press releases can increase your company's exposure and raise credibility in the eyes of your clients. You've seen your competitors getting their name out there and possibly chipping away at your market share in the process. You might've even tried distributing a release here and there, hoping to catch some publicity. So far nothing has really stuck.

Chances are you're making some critical mistakes with your releases that are rendering them ineffective. Here are eight common mistakes in online press releases, and how you can takes steps to avoid them.

1) Missing Google News and Yahoo News in your distribution efforts
These news outlets are crucial to the effectiveness of your distribution. With the advent of universal search, surfers are even more likely to see Google News items popping up in regular search results. Make sure the distribution service you use for your press releases includes Google and Yahoo News.

2) Not including important keywords in the title of your press release
This is by far the most important place to add your keywords. Avoid stuffing every possible phrase into the title, but be creative with how you utilize them. Words do not necessarily have to be right next to each other to count in the search results. By splitting your keywords, you can add SEO value to a piece without completely butchering the title.

3) Targeting the wrong audience (or no audience at all)
Know your audience. Pharmaceutical companies use different language and have different needs than industrial firms. If it is an industry insider piece, write for your peers. If it's a consumer awareness piece, keep it focused to your clients. Make sure your tailor your news to a specific audience and speak to their needs.

4) Lack of newsworthy content
Corporate fluff and self-serving endorsements in your press release will damage your credibility with your audience and the press. The content must be newsworthy to your audience. This is not necessarily the same thing as what you think is newsworthy. Put yourself in your client's shoes. Think about what they are interested in, what their problems are, what they care about, and structure your piece accordingly.

5) Splitting the focus
Don't try to cover too much information in your PR. Ideally, your piece should fit on one page. Pick one topic for the focus and stay on target. If you try to stuff too much into one release, you risk diluting your message. You've got a short time span to grab and hold your reader's attention. Don't waste it.

6) Lack of contact information
Designate someone in your company as the press contact, and brief them on what to expect and how to respond to media inquiries. The more prestigious the contact, the better. Journalists love talking to important people within the company.

7) Not having a call to action
Journalists are important, but don't forget potential clients who are reading your release online. You want to make it as easy as possible for readers to take action. Keep sales language out of your PR, but give your audience somewhere to go for solutions or more information. The best kind of call to action involves a free report, quote, tutorial, newsletter, etc.

8) Sending visitors to a generic web page
Don't waste your call to action on a generic landing page. Readers who are interested in your press release may not survive the transition to your home page. To get them to stick around for more than few seconds, you need to build a bridge from the PR to your website. Create a landing page to link from your press releases that is related to the information they were just looking at. This will help to entice visitors from the PR to explore deeper into your website. It also helps track the traffic from your publicity efforts.

Press releases are an excellent way to get your company's name out there. With a little care and planning, you can take your press releases further and get the recognition you deserve. By avoiding these common mistakes, you can achieve better results with your publicity efforts.