5 Common Press Release Mistakes, And How to Avoid Them

Did you know press releases can also be used to help your website rank better in Google, target specific keywords and build links into your website?

HubSpot recently conducted a study to learn how best to use press releases as a means to help your website perform better in search engines. ( We will be announcing those results on our May 20th webinar. )

For now, here's five common mistakes that any marketer or business owner can easily fix when creating press releases.

1) Don't only link to your main website. The most common link in a press release is the company website in the boilerplate. Don't let this be the only link you use. Make sure you are taking advantage of every opportunity to link back to interior pages that often don't receive any links at all.

2) Don't forget to use anchor text. Anchor text tells Google what a link is about. Take a few minutes to review your press release and look for words that you want to rank for. Link those words back to related, internal pages as anchor text.

3) Don't use Gobbledygook words. They mean nothing to people or search engines. Flashy words as headlines also hurt a release's ability to be syndicated, or reposted, on other websites. Use keyword-rich language that is straight forward. Use free tools like Gobbledygook Grader to check. 

4) Don't embed multimedia in your press releases. Post it on your own website instead, and include a link to it in your release. It'd be a shame if people started linking to the press release instead of your site. Also, multimedia capabilities tends to be a lot more expensive than regular releases. Why dish out the extra cash?

5) Don't forget to post your press release to your blog. Press releases can make great company blog posts. Why not take an adaptation and put it on your blog? It'll reach another audience and it's a great way to repurpose important content.

Watch the Webinar: New Research on Creating News Releases That Work

Learn what happens behind-the-scenes after you submit a press release. Miss the live webinar? Catch the archive here to learn how to best optimize your press releases to get more links.