The Benefits of Distributing a Press Release Online
Many years ago, the process of distributing a press release was cut and dry. You would craft your release, contact reporters, and hope for some coverage. While there are still benefits of this strategy, most people have come to realize the advantages of relying heavily on the internet.
Not only are these people conducting business online, but they realize how much easier it is to communicate with others, including reporters and their target audience, via the internet.
If you have never distributed a press release online, you may have a difficult time understanding how this could be so much better than more traditional methods.
Once you have some experience with this, you will never again wonder why the popularity of online distribution has reached new heights over the past three to five years.
Five of the Biggest Benefits
Since every company is unique, from their target message to their industry, it would be impossible to list every benefit of distributing a press release online. Fortunately, there are five benefits that you will achieve if you decide to move forward in this direction:
1. SEO value. If you want your business to thrive online, it is important to do whatever you can to rise to the top of the search engines for your targeted keywords. This is never a simple task, however, it should not stop you from trying.
One of the primary ranking factors is the quality of the links pointing towards your site. A press release with an active URL can be picked up by thousands of outlets. In turn, you will receive a backlink from each site in the process.
2. Traffic to your website. SEO value aside, driving traffic to your website is also a distinct possibility.
The more times your release is published the more people there are who will read what you have to say. And the more people who read the release the better chance you have of them visiting your website.
Tip: track traffic to your website via your analytics program. This will give you an understanding of how much click through traffic you can generate with each published release.
3. No more phone calls or fax machines. If you were in the business world in the 1980’s and 1990’s, you may remember calling reporters and editors to discuss your press release and more or less beg for coverage. Along with this, you probably sent your fair share of faxes.
When you distribute your press release online, even if you don’t use a dedicated distribution service, you never again have to spend time on the phone or fax. Everything is done electronically.
Along with time savings, this allows you to better track your distribution and results.
4. Speed, speed, and more speed. As you know, timing is everything when it comes to the success of your business. The quicker you get your news to your readers the quicker you can achieve the desired results.
You can move fast when you distribute a press release online. Once your release is written, all you have to do at that point is upload it to your distribution service for approval. Once this comes, your release is sent and you are in business. If everything plays out as you are hoping, you can expect reporters to be reading about your company within a couple of hours. How about that for speed?
5. More control. If you like having control over everything related to your business, you will really enjoy what you get when you decide to distribute your press release online.
You can control many details, including the date and time at which your release is published. Along with this, you can specify your release for particular markets.
With so much control, you can improve the chance of reaching the goals you have set for your press release. Also, it is easier to tweak your campaigns when you have full control.
First Hand Experience is a Must
It is easy to talk about the benefits of distributing a press release online, but until you get first hand experience it can be difficult to fully understand. Once you dive in and get a taste of the action, you will never turn back to your old ways.
