Writing a press release is a great way to get incoming links to your website and exposure for your business. 

If you haven’t written a press release lately, now would be a good time to get one put together.  The biggest question when it comes to press releases centers around finding something that you think merits a press release.

What is Press Release Worthy?

An online press release can provide two benefits.  One is to get one-way incoming links to your website - that’s good for SEO.  Another benefit is that other websites will pick up on the press release, and your information will get published on several or many websites.

To get the second benefit, you need to write about something truly newsworthy.  And, I don’t think something newsworthy comes along all that often.  However, to get incoming links to your website all you really need to do is write a well-optimized press release that is about something that you are doing.

Press Release Topics Don’t Have to be Newsworthy

I have a Google Alert set for the term “real estate marketing”.  So, new pages that Google thinks is important for that term are sent to me in an email every day.  Last week Google included a press release in one of those emails that announced ”Real Estate Website Offers New Way to Search For Properties”. 

And, what was the new way to search?  Using a Google map to display where homes for sale are located.  Hmm… sounds like a map search that is available on lots of real estate websites.  But the point is, who cares?  If a consumer comes across that press release, they will know that the agent is Internet-savvy and has an easy way to search for homes available.

I’m not sure that lots of other websites will pick up that press release.  Maybe a small newspaper in the agent’s hometown?  But, the search engines will notice the links going from the press release to the agent’s website.

So, don’t wait until you have something to write about that is earth-shattering news.  Have you updated your website lately?  added a new team member?  published a new market report?  started a blog?  The possibilities are endless. 

And, you just never know who might find your site from seeing the press release, or from seeing your site as it climbs higher on the search result pages.