Learn how to use search engine optimized press releases to increase organic search traffic from Google. [View the recording of this webinar at: www.boulderseomarketing.com/webinar-public-relations-is-dead-long-live-public-relations] Google’s recent “Panda” algorithm update triggered many SEO agencies around the globe to speculate that this was the end of the search engine-optimized press release as we knew it. Here’s what happened: the “bad apples” in the SEO industry who didn’t adhere to Google’s Quality Guidelines saw their low quality, over-optimized press releases vanish from Google’s search results and the press releases that provide high quality and useful content started to show up higher in Google’s search results. More than ever now, high quality search engine-optimized press releases are an effective and inexpensive way to generate quality backlinks to your website, improve your site’s visibility in search engines and to increase referral and organic search traffic to your site. From a “conventional” public relations standpoint, press releases are your window to the world. They support your branding efforts, they keep your customers and stakeholders informed about your latest activities and they also reach potential new customers. In complimentary 45-minute webinar recording, public relations expert Marc Gutman of WildStory Media and SEO training expert Chris Raulf of Boulder SEO Marketing discuss the ins and outs of how to get the most out of your public relations efforts. You will learn: - How to include search engine-optimized press releases as part of your digital marketing strategy - How to draft and properly optimize press releases that will show up on Google’s page number one - Ways to distribute press releases through free and paid online distribution channels - How to monitor and measure the success of your search engine-optimized press releases - What is Public Relations (PR)? - Why a press release maybe good for SEO but not for getting media attention - How to get free press coverage (earned media) - 3 Tips on getting journalists to write about your company About the Presenters ------------------------ Marc Gutman is founder of WildStory Media, a Boulder-based, boutique Public Relations firm specializing in PR, media relations, corporate communications, reputation management, social media, and digital strategy. Marc loves helping business of all types get more recognition and get their wild stories out to the world. Chris Raulf is founder of Boulder SEO Marketing, a boutique online SEO training and consulting agency located in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. Chris and his team assist local, national as well international clients with all of their SEO, social media and content marketing needs. Chris has 15+ years of digital marketing expertise under his belt and The Online Marketing Institute recently added him to their “Top 40+ Digital Strategists in Marketing for 2014” list.

1. [Webinar] Public Relations is Dead, Long Live
Public Relations
May 6, 2014
Marc Gutman
Founder and Publicist at WildStory Media
E: mgutman@wildstory.com
Chris Raulf
Founder & President, Boulder SEO Marketing
E: chris@boulderseomarketing.com
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

2. Today’s
Agenda
• Search
Engine-­‐Op/mized
Press
Releases
– How
to
include
search
engine-­‐op/mized
press
releases
as
part
of
your
digital
and
content
marke/ng
strategy
– How
to
dra?
and
properly
op/mize
press
releases
that
will
show
up
on
Google’s
page
number
one
– Ways
to
distribute
press
releases
through
free
and
paid
online
distribu/on
channels
– How
to
monitor
and
measure
the
success
of
your
search
engine-­‐
op/mized
press
releases
• Public
Rela/ons
– What
is
Public
Rela/ons?
– Why
a
press
release
may
be
good
for
SEO
but
not
for
geEng
media
aFen/on
– How
to
get
free
press
coverage
(earned
media)
– 3
Tips
on
geEng
journalists
to
write
about
your
company
• Ques/ons
&
Answers
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

3. Quick
Poll
• I
use
search
engine-­‐op/mized
press
releases
as
part
of
my
SEO
and
content
marke/ng
strategy!
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

4. Quick
Poll
• My
company
has
a
public
rela/ons
strategy
in
place!
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

5. How to Include Search Engine-Optimized Press Releases as
Part of Your SEO, Digital and Content Marketing Strategy
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

6. The
5
Pillars
of
Search
Engine
Op.miza.on
1. Technical
Health
of
Website
2. Website
Func/onality
3. On-­‐Page
Search
Engine
Op/miza/on
– Content
Marke/ng
4. Off-­‐Page
Search
Engine
Op/miza/on
– Search
Engine-­‐Op/mized
Press
Releases
5. Social
Media
Marke/ng
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

7. What
to
Announce
in
a
Search
Engine-­‐Op.mized
Press
Release
• Events
• Awards
• Promo/ons
• New
employees
• New
services
or
products
and
services
• New
client
/
partnership
• Financial
data
• Accomplishments
• …the
list
never
ends.
Think
outside
of
the
box!
– www.boulderseomarke/ng.com/about/press-­‐releases
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

8. Source: TechTarget2009 Media Consumption Report
Content
Marke.ng
Roadmap
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

9. Editorial
Calendar
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

10. Campaign
Based
Content
Marke.ng,
Search
Engine
Op.miza.on
and
Social
Media
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

11. • Webinar:
Public
Rela/ons
is
Dead,
Long
Live
Public
Rela/ons
• Researched
target
SEO
keywords:
“press
release
packages”
• Announced
event
with
a
press
release
through
PRWeb
• Dra?ed
blog
post
for
website
• Promoted
webinar
on
LinkedIn,
Facebook,
TwiFer,
Google+,
etc.
Results
Of
A
Campaign
Based
Content
Marke.ng,
Search
Engine
Op.miza.on
And
Social
Media
Campaign
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

12. Press
Releases
Best
Prac.ces
-­‐
Who
are
the
key
players?
Anyone
else
involved
besides
your
company?
-­‐
Who
does
your
news
affect
/
who
does
it
benefit?
-­‐
What
is
new?
-­‐
Why
is
this
important
news?
What
is
different?
-­‐
Where
is
this
happening?
Local,
na/onal,
global?
Is
the
loca/on
relevant
at
all?
-­‐
When
does
it
happen
(events
etc.)?
-­‐
How
did
this
come
about?
-­‐
Don’t
forget
a
call
to
ac/on!!
How
to
DraM
and
Properly
Op.mize
Press
Releases
That
Will
Show
up
on
Google’s
Page
Number
One
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

13. -­‐
Focus
on
2-­‐3
keywords
-­‐
Clear,
concise,
and
short
headline:
Include
your
most
important
keyword
-­‐
Sub-­‐headline:
Include
a
varia/on
of
your
most
important
keyword
and
a
second
keyword
-­‐
Place
most
important
keywords
in
first
two
or
three
paragraphs
-­‐
Include
descrip/ve
links
early
-­‐
Pictures
/
Mul/media
-­‐
Post
press
release
to
website
-­‐
Use
TwiFer,
Facebook,
LinkedIn
etc.
to
spread
the
word
-­‐
Post
to
SlideShare
-­‐
Email
it
to
applicable
media
outlets
-­‐
Distribute
through
paid
and
/
or
free
PR
distribu/on
services
Search
Engine-­‐Op.miza.on
PR
Best
Prac.ces
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

14. Paid
PR
distribu/on
services:
• Vocus
/
PRWeb:
hFp://www.prweb.com
• PR
Newswire:
hFp://www.prnewswire.com
• Marketwired:
hFp://www.marketwired.com
• Business
Wire:
hFp://www.businesswire.com
Free
PR
distribu/on
services:
• PRLog:
hFp://www.prlog.org
• Kontax:
hFp://kontax.com
• PR
Urgent:
hFp://www.prurgent.com/submit_press_release.htm
Ways
to
Distribute
Press
Releases
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

15. How to Monitor and Measure the Success
of Your Search Engine-Optimized Press
Releases
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

16. How
to
Monitor
and
Measure
the
Success
of
Search
Engine-­‐
Op.mized
Press
Releases
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

17. Where
Is
The
Best
Place
To
Hide
A
Dead
Body?
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

23. How
to
Monitor
and
Measure
the
Success
of
Search
Engine-­‐
Op.mized
Press
Releases

24. How
to
Monitor
and
Measure
the
Success
of
Search
Engine-­‐
Op.mized
Press
Releases

25. PRSA
Defini.on:
What
is
Public
Rela.ons
(PR)?
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

26. Press
Releases
Best
Prac.ces
-­‐
Who
are
the
key
players?
Anyone
else
involved
besides
your
company?
-­‐
Who
does
your
news
affect
/
who
does
it
benefit?
-­‐
What
is
new?
-­‐
Why
is
this
important
news?
What
is
different?
-­‐
Where
is
this
happening?
Local,
na/onal,
global?
Is
the
loca/on
relevant
at
all?
-­‐
When
does
it
happen
(events
etc.)?
-­‐
How
did
this
come
about?
-­‐
Don’t
forget
a
call
to
ac/on!!
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

27. What
does
a
PR
firm
do?
• Media
and
Blogger
Rela/ons
• Cause
Marke/ng
• Social
Media
• Strategic
Communica/ons
Planning
• Media
Materials
and
Collateral
Development
• Media
Training
• Print,
Broadcast
and
Outdoor
Strategy
and
Execu/on
• Digital
Media
Strategy
and
Execu/on
• New
Restaurant
Introduc/on
• Press
Releases
• Investor
Rela/ons
• Industry
Awards
• Crisis
Communica/ons
• Media
Tours
and
FAM
Trips
• Social
Media
Audit
• Editorial
Strategy
and
Planning
• Content
Crea/on
• Copywri/ng
• Ambassador
Development
• Curated
Event
Planning
and
Execu/on
• New
Market
Introduc/ons
• Product
Expansion
• Reputa/on
Management
• Tailored
long
and
short-­‐term
campaigns
• Public
Policy
/
Legisla/on
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

28. PR
Pros
Wear
Many
Hats
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

29. PR
Part
of
the
Marke.ng
Umbrella
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com
PR
Content
Marke/ng
Lead
Gen
Adver/sing
Brand
Development
SEO
SEM
Paid
Search
Company
Blog
Website
Development

30. Press
Releases
Work
Great
For:
+
SEO
+
When
there
is
actually
NEWS
-­‐
Good
News
-­‐-­‐
You
Don’t
Want
to
Talk
to
the
Press
(Google
buys
Your
Company
/
New
Apple
iPhone)
-­‐
Bad
news
–
/me
to
control
the
message
(CEO
caught
stealing
/
Gov’t
Mess)
Press
Releases
DO
NOT
Work
Well
for:
+
GeEng
Journalists
to
Cover
Your
Company
+
GeEng
Quality
Coverage
for
Your
Company
Back
To
Press
Releases
–
PR
View
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

31. 3
Types
of
Media
-­‐
Owned
–
your
website,
your
blog.
“Hey
World
WS
Is
Great!”
(me)
-­‐
Earned
–
People
Write
About
You.
“Hey
World,
I’m
an
unbiased
expert
and
WS
is
preFy
great.”
(Journalist)
-­‐
Paid
–
Adver/sing
–
“Hey
World,
I’m
Aston
Kucher
and
trust
me
WS
is
great.”
(celebrity)
EARNED
MEDIA
–
A
Great
Value
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

32. EARNED
MEDIA
–
Why?
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

33. www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

34. Earned
Media
vs.
Paid
Media
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

35. Let’s
Put
This
in
Real
World
Terms
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

36. Ah…
No
Thanks
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

37. Hey,
check
that
guy
out….
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

38. Put
that
way…
I
think
I’d
like
to
get
to
know
him
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com

39. What
Changed?
Third
Party
Valida.on
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com
People
Don’t
Like
it
When
You
Talk
About
Yourself…..Even
if
it’s
True
Benefits
of
Earned
Media
• Cost
Effec/ve
–
Much
Less
than
Adver/sing
• Builds
Trust
• Builds
Brand
Awareness
• 3rd
Party
Valida/on
• Digital
Content
–
Long
Las/ng
SEO
/
Google
• Makes
Your
Company
Look
at
Large
as
the
Big
Boys
• Drives
Revenue!

40. Types
of
Earned
Media
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com
• Newspapers
• Blogs
• Influencers
• Industry
Awards
• Industry
Specific
Publica/ons
/
Trade
Publica/ons
• TV
• News
• Review
Shows
• Challenge
Shows
• Long
Lead
Magazines
• Niche
• Social
Media

41. Before
We
Pitch
:
Today’s
Journalist
Landscape
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com
Caveat:
Journalist
=
anyone
who
reports
on
your
company
Understand
Pressure
on
Journalists
is
Greater
than
Ever.
They
have
no
TIME.
Example
722
emails
a
day.
You
Can
Be
Their
Best
Friend
or
Worst
Enemy.
Good
News
is
they
NEED
Content.
They
WANT
to
buy
what
you’re
selling…if
it’s
good.

42. 3
Tips
To
Get
Journalists
To
No.ce
You
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com
• Send
a
short,
concise
email
pitch
for
a
story
• Be
brief
• Think
Movie
Trailer
• Would
you
read/watch
this
story
if
it
wasn’t
your
company?
• Put
yourself
in
Journalist’s
shoes
• Is
this
a
story?
Why
is
it
interes/ng?
• Save
/me,
present
it
as
a
story,
not
abstract
• One
tac/c
-­‐
frame
around
a
personal
story
• Be
prepared
if
they
say
“Yes”
• Have
sources
veFed
• Have
suppor/ng
materials
• Photos
always
help
• Extra
nugget
–
Don’t
Pitch
TV
if
the
person
to
appear
has
never
been
on
video
or
TV
• Producers
want
to
see
your
“expert”
isn’t
a
dud

43. Real
World
Example
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com
Brief
Pitch
Understand
Journalist’s
Beat
Be
Prepared

44. Questions?
Connect with WildStory Media:
Web:
www.wildstory.com
LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/company/wildstory-media
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/wildstorymedia
Twiber:
www.twiFer.com/wildstorymedia
Google+:
https://plus.google.com/+WildStoryMedia
Connect with Boulder SEO Marketing and Chris:
Web: www.boulderseomarketing.com
LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/company/boulder-­‐seo-­‐marke/ng and
www.linkedin.com/in/chrisraulf
Twiber:
www.twiFer.com/Marke/ngSEOWiz and @swisschris
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/BoulderSEOMarke/ng
Google+:
hFps://plus.google.com/+Boulderseomarke/ng
YouTube:
www.youtube.com/user/boulderseomarke/ng
www.boulderseomarke.ng.com
|
www.wildstory.com