How to use press release to drive traffic to your website?

If you have a website, I am sure you want to increase both the exposure and traffic of your website. So far, one of the popular and adopted methods is getting quality backlinks. Yes, the fact cannot be denied that there are numerous methods telling you to get more backlinks, but the main question here is how many of them actually prove beneficial?

A few years back, link building was one of the best ways of getting traffic to your website. But, the search algorithm of Google has become smarter and Google even penalised the sites using link building method. Instead, people started using link earning technique.

Now, are you wondering how it is different from link building? Well, I would say that you are earning your links in an ethical manner without doing any spamming through your content at someone else’s blog. All those readers who appreciated your content will be sharing your links automatically on the various social media platforms. In result, you will be earning your links. Without a doubt, this is one of the practical ways of earning backlinks as you will be known for your content rather than spamming links that are beneficial for the readers.

Getting more backlinks

Over the years, SEO has witnessed some considerable changes and I have found various other ways of earning backlinks as well – Press Release. I know all of you who are hearing this for the first time will surely be surprised. But, these things went through my mind as well. But, over the years, I realised that writing a press release is one of the best ways to earn backlinks.

Take my word for it, it really does come handy. Over the years, we have been searching for the methods to generate traffic for our website. Press Release distribution is one of the best & economical ways to increase the traffic for your website. Generally, you can easily boost the traffic for your website and maximise SEO efforts with the help of press release distribution.

Let me put that in simple words for you –

• Getting more backlinks from the high authority sites.
• Right anchor texts pointing to your website.

The above-mentioned are the two goals you are trying to accomplish. Now, let me discuss how a press release can help you achieve your goals.

How press release has SEO value

The key purpose of a press release is to make the common people aware of your business, product or services. In addition, a press release also draws the attention of the media on something that is newsworthy, so that they write about it. Now, in order to accomplish this, it is important it has news value. The approach for various online platforms like blogs and social media platforms has also undergone a significant change.

In addition to newspapers, radio stations, and magazines, the news is also being sent to the online media. Press releases are being used by the established companies and start-ups. A press release is needed by the business owners in order to reach their target customers as this will play a key role in generating sales. In addition, you should also know the fact that various search engines also index press releases.

If you are still sceptical about using a press release, allow me to give you a clear vision.

Press release basis

To ensure that your target audience is getting the message you want to send across, let us get familiar with the basis of a press release. Let me give one example – let us assume one of your friends is asking you to send a parcel, but he is not sharing where and to whom it should be sent. So, how will you figure out when your friend is not sharing all the details with you.

This is the same that goes with a press release. You should give the maximum information to your readers/customers. It is important that they are well-aware of the place where they can find you, just in case if they are interested in using your services. In a press release, the first thing that your customer will read is the Headline, the first paragraph, and then going down to the summary. So, it is important you impress your customers and leave a mark. Here comes the important part, what actually a press release should ideally have.

Let us get to know the key things, discussed above, in detail.

Headline – It is imperative you have a clear understanding of what is a press release and what is a sales letter. So, while you are writing a headline for a press release, make sure it should not appear promotional. Ideally, a press release headline should be in a way that you are making an announcement about your news. You must have read the news headlines; they are crisp, up-to-date, and newsworthy.

Summary – A summary should not be more than one paragraph and the main purpose to have a summary is to give your customers a brief idea of your content. The language used in the summary and in the first paragraph should be different. If your customers get to know that you have used the same information repeatedly, they will no longer be interested in going through your press release, I am sure you don’t want this to happen. Therefore, try to keep it short and to the point.

Dateline – It is also important that the dateline is mentioned correctly and as per the format, ideally, used in the press releases. A dateline comprises of city, state, and date on which the press release is being issued. Also, the place of having a timeline is also important. It should be ideally in the first line of your copy and it should be followed by the introduction of your announcement.

Lead paragraph – The first paragraph of your press release is really important and it should have all the 5Ws (who, when, where, what, why) and 1H (how). It is imperative you have started with a strong introduction so that it easily draws the attention of your customers.

Body – While you are writing a press release, it should always be written from a third-person point of view. First-person perspective is being used in advertisements so, you have to ensure that it is being written from a third man’s perspective.

Boilerplate – It is a short paragraph containing company’s information and it is usually placed in the last paragraph of the PR.

Contact Details – Make sure you have included your contact information including – name, phone number, and email address. This will certainly help your customers if they want to get in touch with you.

Author’s bio
Emma Brown is a writer by profession. She has done Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication and is a Gold Medalist in the same. A voracious reader, she has written several articles for sites like Fixithere and newspapers like The Telegraph. She loves traveling and photography.