As discussed in our post on using PR for SEO, press releases can be a hidden weapon in your college marketing department’s SEO arsenal. If your College Press Release Optimization is correct, SEO press releases can:
- Provide backlinks from credible sites – increasing the rank of your program pages for relevant keywords
- Boost your college’s online presence by increasing visibility on search engines and Google and Yahoo News
- Provide thousands of headline impressions on RSS feeds (from blogs, relevant websites, news outlets, etc.)
- Generate potential media coverage for your college
To reap these benefits in higher education marketing, you must ensure your press release follows PR and SEO best practices.
Here Are Some Press Release Tips:
Be News-y
This probably sounds silly, but it needs emphasizing: your press release has to have a newsy angle. Before you start panicking, however, take a moment to think about how much “news” a career college or university generates over the year. There are countless PR opportunities, from open houses, seminars, and workshops to new programs, courses, and faculty. Make sure you take advantage of them.
Follow Typical PR Formatting
Press releases generally follow the same format: a title, summary (usually a 1-2 line subheadline), body, a paragraph or two about the college or university, and contact information. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel; follow the standard format.
Titles and summaries should be keyword-rich, and the body should include 1-2 quotes and be roughly 300 words long. Meanwhile, the “about us” paragraph should be a sort of “elevator pitch” about your college.
Here is a typical PR template (which you can download online) that provides a visual cue to what we’ve just outlined:
Click here for more tips on press release formatting.
Front Load Your Title
Focus on important keywords from the start by stuffing the most informative and eye-catching words at the front of the title. However, we recommend keeping titles under 100 characters in length.
Use Keywords
Like any other content optimization, press releases need to be keyword-rich. Ideally, it would be best if you tried to use 3-4 keywords or keyword phrases in the body of your press release. The title and sub-title, however, should also be keyword-rich.
Use Links Effectively
Add links back to your program pages. This way, not only will your release rank for those keywords, but it will also drive traffic back to your college website. Also, make sure to use relevant, keyword-rich anchor text. For example:
- Do not use “click here” as an anchor text
- Use something with more SEO impact, like: “Click here to request a free website audit.”
Format for the short attention span
Try to bold or italicize keywords and add bullet lists where possible. This makes your press release easier and less intimidating to read and can also enhance SEO (by showing search engine crawlers what your keywords are).
Incorporate Multimedia and Logos
Many people still view press releases as old or traditional. There’s nothing old about an online press release incorporating videos, audio, photos, and podcast links. Don’t be afraid to jazz up your PR. Meanwhile, inserting school and department logos can be a great branding tool.
Use Online New Release Distributors
Online news distributor sites like PRWeb, Marketwire, and CNW are essential to an SEO press release. These sites can:
- Get your PR indexed by top news search engines
- Deliver your release to subscribers via RSS feeds
- Increase Exposure
- Track and measure the performance of your release
These sites may be costly, but they are worth the expense. If you’re still not convinced, here is a handy video explaining “PRWeb in Plain English”:
Tie the release to your site
Don’t just send your press release out into the ether. Create a news section or “newsroom” on your college website. This way, you can post press releases—or a post on your blog linking to the press release—and tie them into your program pages.
What other suggestions do you have for optimizing press releases?
FAQs To Consider
How do I make a press release SEO friendly?
Use something with more SEO impact, like: “Click here to request a free website audit.”
How do you optimize a press release?
Press releases generally follow the same format: a title, summary (usually a 1-2 line subheadline), body, a paragraph or two about the college or university, and contact information. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel; follow the standard format.
How can I improve my press release?
Titles and summaries should be keyword-rich, and the body should include 1-2 quotes and be roughly 300 words long. Meanwhile, the “about us” paragraph should be a sort of “elevator pitch” about your college.
