Just say no to the SEO press release

There is only one good reason to issue a press or news release: when you have actual news to share. Well, um, isn’t that a given? Why would that even merit a blog post? For one, because the frivolous, irrelevant or just plain dumb press release is an age-old problem. They were the bane of journalists’ existence when I talked to them every day as a media analyst in the early 2000s. And that was –gasp! – almost 20 years ago. Most still get bombarded with hundreds of releases and pitches every day, very few relevant and well written. Now, there’s also the SEO press release adding insult to injury.

The SEO press release

Don’t get me wrong. I am obviously all for SEO. It is an absolute requirement in today’s digital world. If you want people to find you, people need to be able to find you. And a good press release will certainly help your SEO. It generates press coverage, which results in the very elusive, SEO-boosting high quality backlinks. Everybody wins! Unfortunately, this has inspired too many to use press releases as just another tool in the never-ending SEO battle. Hence the SEO press release. No real news to share. Just a block of copy stuffed with just the right keywords, parked on distribution services just to get the backlinks. Somewhere, somehow, the one and only reason to issue a press release got lost in the shuffle. It isn’t just making journalists keel over in disgust. Because you’re not impressing any living person much with your actual “news”, especially the ones that can generate valuable media coverage for you.

What is the real message of your SEO content?

The content you put out there in the vast expanse that is the interwebs, does much more than prop up your SEO. It communicates something about you. And a vapid SEO press release is a great tool to make you look like one. Never mind getting that quality backlink. We’re pumping out so much pointless content, it is clogging the online universe like the plastic debris in our oceans.  With any content you create, ask yourself the question: does this do anything for me except boost my SEO? If the answer is no, keep working on finding that relevance. Taking a step back and creating more judiciously will give you the quality that rises above the ever-increasing quantity.