Do Press Releases Provide Good Links?

Discussion in 'General Marketing' started by jgjg, Apr 3, 2007.

  1. #1
    I read this post on another forum and wanted to hear feedback from the pros here as I think it is a good question:

    Matt Cutts has been quoted as saying this:

    A legit press release can get you written up by reporters, or editors/sites may subsequently choose to link to your site. But the actual content of the press release itself doesn’t directly affect a site. For example, those hyperlinks don’t help [the web site in the press release] in Google.

    So submitting online press releases won't help rankings in Google. How about the other search engines? Does anyone know?

    Thanks!
     
    jgjg, Apr 3, 2007 IP
  2. NYDAz

    NYDAz Peon

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    #2
    the press releases can give you very powerful links ;)
     
    NYDAz, Apr 3, 2007 IP
  3. global results

    global results Peon

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    #3
    Good day,

    It depends on what the subject matter is and the style of the press release before I would launch it I would really think it through once it is out then your really in a bind if your press release was not a good one.
     
    global results, Apr 3, 2007 IP
  4. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #4
    The quality of links is 100% dependent on the coverage it leads to. A lot of people assume posting it to dozens of low-quality free press release distribution sites (or even paid sites) is going to give them immediate quality links. The fact of the matter however is that those links are all, or at least almost all, low-quality, temporary (at least on any page with PR), and irrelevant. The scraper sites that pick up the feeds from those sites also provide generally only low-quality, temporary, and often irrelevant links. However, if you handle press releases the right way (targeting legitimate coverage in the media and authority blogs and niche sites), you can get great relevant, high PR, in-context (b/c legitimate coverage is a new, unique, totally custom story), permanent backlinks from authority sites... of course that takes more money and/or work.
     
    jhmattern, Apr 3, 2007 IP
  5. jgjg

    jgjg Peon

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    #5
    so Jennifer, do you think PRWeb and paid sites like those are good? I agree about the scraper sites and that is why I asked this question.

    Are there any good paid services that get you PR on blogs and stuff?
     
    jgjg, Apr 3, 2007 IP
  6. himanuzo

    himanuzo Well-Known Member

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    #6
    It depends on niche market which you use and factors that be influence SEO by press release method such as keyword, title, content, backlinks, etc.
     
    himanuzo, Apr 3, 2007 IP
  7. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #7
    I'd say PRweb is far from the "best" option the vast majority of the time, but if you don't have either the time or the budget to deal with a larger manual campaign, it's OK for many online-only companies. Frankly though, even if you do get decent results with a site like that, you could have gotten even more coverage manually (and more coverage in the long run, as you spend that time relationship-building). I'd never suggest using it exclusively for a company operating offline though, and even site owners should still manually send the release to at least a handful of key bloggers in their niche (or media outlets ranging from their local paper to trade publications) in addition to PRweb if they choose that route.
     
    jhmattern, Apr 4, 2007 IP
  8. Game Producer

    Game Producer Well-Known Member

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    #8
    I definitely agree that PR can be good, here's an image from a gaming magazine where we ended up after sending a PR. Yeh, the review crushed our game - but the feeling (and change to be proud ;)) I got was amazing. PR stories CAN give you lots of good quality backlinks.

    Now... here's the catch:

    If you ask "Is PRWeb" any good? The right answer is "it depends". It depends what you have to offer, and how good story you have. If you hire a professional PR writer I would estimate that your chances getting featured gets better. My friend threw $80 for PRWeb and got absolutely nothing once. Some other have used PRWeb and received (assumingly) great results.

    It's combination of several elements such as "how good/interesting/newsworthy story you have", "how well you can write the story" and "where you do you distribute your story".

    I would recommend trying first starting small... make sure you have a good story and spend few dollars to get it in the news. Experimenting will help you in this.
     
    Game Producer, Apr 4, 2007 IP
  9. Overseas

    Overseas Well-Known Member

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    #9
    IMO prweb was the best solution for my company by far, i had calls from various US TV companies, and 2 UK newspapers contacted me from the release. It shot my site to No.1 slot on a keyword, and it's stayed there for now 2 years! well, well worth the $1,000 i spent.
     
    Overseas, Apr 4, 2007 IP
  10. jgjg

    jgjg Peon

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    #10
    $1,000? which option is that? ultra-platinum? what did you get for $1000?
     
    jgjg, Apr 4, 2007 IP
  11. shogunmike

    shogunmike Member

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    #11
    I thought the best option was the ~$600 option which included SEO and the two distribution methods?

    Mike.
     
    shogunmike, Apr 4, 2007 IP
  12. mvolpe70

    mvolpe70 Peon

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    #12
    PR Web is a good option, but if you want to get really powerful effects, you need to do some old fashioned PR work which means developing relationships with the right people who cover your space/company. Just launching a press release into cyberspace rarely works.
     
    mvolpe70, Apr 4, 2007 IP
    jhmattern likes this.
  13. mjereb2

    mjereb2 Peon

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    #13
    Can you please list some of the best PR sites (no matter the cost)? Thanks
     
    mjereb2, Aug 16, 2007 IP
  14. Tiggi

    Tiggi Active Member

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  15. olddocks

    olddocks Notable Member

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    #15
    Press releases can send you quick burst of visitors eventhough they may not be that much helpful for backlinks.

    It should be pretty interesting, you will get noticed by major news papers like CNN, BBC, Reuters etc.. which can get immense publicity. I can remember few of them being called for interviews on TV and radio channels.
     
    olddocks, Aug 16, 2007 IP
  16. whatsthedeal

    whatsthedeal Active Member

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    #16
    PRWeb is the best option for small businesses looking for national coverage (online).

    But - you need to have a very newsworthy topic and a well-written PR.
     
    whatsthedeal, Aug 16, 2007 IP
  17. garysims

    garysims Well-Known Member

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    #17
    I would like to suggest the Free Press Release Center... We specialize in SEO and link building for press release.

    Thanks,

    Gary
     
    garysims, Aug 16, 2007 IP
  18. mjereb2

    mjereb2 Peon

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    #18
    Thanks guys. Made my day :cool:
     
    mjereb2, Aug 18, 2007 IP
  19. netent

    netent Peon

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    #19
    Is there any software for automatically submitting press releases
     
    netent, Aug 18, 2007 IP
  20. jhmattern

    jhmattern Illustrious Member

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    #20
    Sure. But no journalist is going to take you seriously, and you'll likely be blocked from several services. They all have their own rules, and if you don't follow them, your release gets scrapped. If you won't do something right, don't do it at all. Press release distribution isn't the same as flooding the Web with crap articles to article directory after article directory. Do that, and you damage the reputation of your business. Stupid move if you're attempting to use PR tools for your benefit.
     
    jhmattern, Aug 18, 2007 IP