Press releases are well known tools used by a variety of businesses and events to attract local news coverage, but have you ever thought about using them for link building purposes?
The world of public relations is changing, literally every day. It used to be that the only way for someone to receive publicity was to write a press release, submit it to their local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations, then call in a day or two to be sure it was received. The media people there would have had the chance to look at it and decide whether it warranted any further attention on their part, based on its contents.
This kind of activity is still going on for local, "bricks and mortar" businesses, but you can also post and submit press releases today at online publicity sites, like Pitch Engine or PRNewswire. There, information about the event is made available to the social media and Internet worlds.
Actually, both methods work, and both can be used to build links to your website. It's just that local, print links won't be live. They can, however, drive tons of traffic to your site, and they can get you links on media websites if they choose to post your PR there. This is a well known process for getting a considerable amount of traffic in a short space of time, to help your online marketing agenda. And to take advantage of this quickly, seriously consider taking on someone looking into how to become a virtual assistant, or even a team looking into how to become a virtual assistant business, to maximise your efforts in a very short span of time.
Whenever you send a press release to online sites, treat it like a webpage from your site, with an extra bit of promotion added for good effect. Always use the best SEO tactics, including the right keywords for your target audience and make sure it's well composed. Don't make any spelling errors, check your grammar and look for incorrect words. If you don't feel comfortable writing it yourself, hire a writer. It's worth the minimal cost to have it done right. Don't forget, someone looking into how to become a virtual assistant can help you with all the details, at a great price.
When the press release is finished, make a page for it on your site. Now, you can begin the promotion.
• Submit the page link to various directories and indices.
• Include the link in your signature, whenever you post on forums or on guest blogs.
• Post the press release on your blog.
• Forward to those free press release directory sites.
• Search Google for "submit your PR" or "submit your press release" and you'll find, not only PR sites like PRWeb, but you'll also find a ton of blogs, ezines, and websites that will gladly post your press release for you—with a link back to your site.
• Do everything that you can to get a link using the PR.
Don't think that press releases are old-fashioned and that they are not used by anyone anymore; wait for the results. Try writing a good press release about an upcoming event or something special your company is doing. Use the methods mentioned above to promote it well online. Before long you will really appreciate the value of press releases when it comes to link building.
