A brief tutorial on how to optimize news releases for search engines or online distribution

1. Optimizing News Releases
For Search Engines
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2. Optimizing News Releases
For Search Engines
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3. Old Distribution Model:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2009
COUNTRY’S LARGEST ASSOCIATION
LOS ANGELES (September 18, 2009) – The
American Association for, a leader in this
industry, today announced some big news.
The organization, which celebrated its 150
year “This is an opportunity for us to aid
John Doe, CEO and president fter years of
planning The highlight of the
The organization, which celebrated its 150
year “This is an opportunity for us to aid
John Doe, CEO and president fter years of
planning The highlight of the
###

4. Old Distribution Model:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2009
September 18, 2009
COUNTRY’S LARGEST ASSOCIATION
COUNTRY’S LARGEST ASSOCIATION
LOS ANGELES (September 18, 2009) – The
LOS ANGELES (September 18, 2009) – The
American Association for, a leader in this
American Association for, a leader in this
industry, today announced some big news.
industry, today announced some big news.
The organization, which celebrated its 150
The organization, which celebrated its 150
year “This is an opportunity for us to aid
year “This is an opportunity for us to aid
John Doe, CEO and president fter years of
John Doe, CEO and president fter years of
planning The highlight of the
planning The highlight of the
The organization, which celebrated its 150
The organization, which celebrated its 150
year “This is an opportunity for us to aid
year “This is an opportunity for us to aid
John Doe, CEO and president fter years of
John Doe, CEO and president fter years of
planning The highlight of the
planning The highlight of the
###
###

5. Old Distribution Model: Social Media changed
the game
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2009
September 18, 2009
COUNTRY’S LARGEST ASSOCIATION
COUNTRY’S LARGEST ASSOCIATION
LOS ANGELES (September 18, 2009) – The
LOS ANGELES (September 18, 2009) – The
American Association for, a leader in this
American Association for, a leader in this
industry, today announced some big news.
industry, today announced some big news.
The organization, which celebrated its 150
The organization, which celebrated its 150
year “This is an opportunity for us to aid
year “This is an opportunity for us to aid
John Doe, CEO and president fter years of
John Doe, CEO and president fter years of
planning The highlight of the
planning The highlight of the
The organization, which celebrated its 150
The organization, which celebrated its 150
year “This is an opportunity for us to aid
year “This is an opportunity for us to aid
John Doe, CEO and president fter years of
John Doe, CEO and president fter years of
planning The highlight of the
planning The highlight of the
###
###

6. One Response:
Social Media
News Release
•democratizes access
•ensures accuracy
•embraces context
•builds community
•is findable

7. How to Be Findable to

8. How to Be Findable to

9. Difference between writing for
Readers vs. Searchers

10. Difference between writing for
Readers vs. Searchers

11. What are the
Keywords
searchers would use?

12. Helpful Tools
Google Insigths AdCenter Labs
Compare search volume Entity Association Graph
patterns across specific Keyword Group Detection
regions, categories, time Keyword Mutation Detection
frames and properties Keyword Forecast
Search Funnels
Google Adwords
Helps you pick keywords

13. Creating Brand Associations
Examining top related & rising searches
Keyword ‘face mask’:
Top searches refers to search terms with the most significant level of interest.
These terms are related to the term you've entered.
Other terms Internet users have used in their searches on ‘face masks’:
• n95 face mask (also a rising search)
• cpap
• 3m mask

14. Keyword ‘flu’:
Rising searches: searches that have experienced significant growth in a given time
period, with respect to the preceding time period
• Rising searchers all related to swine flu
• Breakout: over 5000% growth rate

15. Determining new markets:
Examining regional differences
worldwide web search for Michael Jackson during last 12 months
worldwide image search for Michael Jackson during last 12 months

16. Testing message resonance:
Laptop weight, laptop screen size, laptop color
Which term gets the most interest?
• ‘Laptop size’ gets consistantly more search volume
• Might want to focus on laptop size instead of color/weight

17. Size up the
Competition
for your keywords
High Competition:
• Generic words
• Brand name keywords
Less Competition:
• Specific/targeted words

18. Make sure your
Keywords
reflect natural language
Find out what words people use
when talking about your topic:
• Facebook Lexicon
• Twitter Search

19. Allows you to:
Lexicon Explore language trends across Facebook
See the buzz surrounding different words and
phrases on Facebook Walls
Compare up to five different words or two-word
phrases and see how many people talked about
that term each day

20. Mentions of ‘symptoms’ spike with ‘swine flu’

21. Mentions of ‘Mexico’ spike with ‘swine flu’

22. Words associated with ‘swine flu’ on July 13
Women use more tentative language than men

23. Make sure your
Keywords
Generate enough search volume
To do so:
• Use Google Insights
• Check SERPs
http://www.

24. Strategically integrate the
Keywords
into your news release
• Focus on position, not frequency
• Incorporate into headline, body
• Don’t break the flow
• Should still read natural

25. Credits:
Dr. Corinne Weisgerber
St. Edward’s University
Blog: http://socialmediaprclass.blogspot.com
Email: corinnew@stedwards.edu
Twitter: @corinnew
News Release Optimization tips based on:
Edelman Position Paper on Search Engine Visibility