Is the press release dead? Back when print magazines ruled the world, the press release was king of the castle, one of the top ways companies got important news out to the media.

Today, companies want to reach consumers as well as the press. But that doesn’t mean the press release is dead—it just has a new name. It’s called a news release, and it’s been SEO optimized, just like other SEO content, to get better rankings in Google.

What’s the difference between a press release and a news release?

A press release:

• Targets the media
• Includes a captivating lead
• Whets the reader’s appetite to learn more

A news release:

• Targets conventional media, bloggers, and end users of the product or service covered
• Includes a captivating lead
• Includes a call-to-action that sends readers to the company website or encourages them to buy the product or service

You can see that news releases and press releases aren’t very different from each other. They also share another thing in common: both should be written by a professional freelance writer or content agency you hire to help you with marketing, promotions, and SEO rankings.

Why Hire a Professional Freelance Writer?

A freelance writer understands all the elements that go into making news releases—and other SEO content—shine. A freelance writer will optimize your press release with links, keywords, and that all-important call to action. When you hire a freelance writer—especially a well-established professional who works with a top content agency—you’ll know you’re getting a news release designed to appeal to your target market, bloggers, and conventional media for maximum impact.

A freelance writer or content marketing agency can also help you distribute your press release. With so many news releases issued by so many different companies every day, it’s more important than ever to make sure yours stands out.

Dawn Allcot is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments. WriterAccess is powered by ideaLaunch, a full service content marketing agency serving hundreds of clients and thousands of writers since 2000.

Image from rheinstaedter.de

This entry was posted on Monday, June 14th, 2010 at 1:00 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.