I never use it but I am getting a lot of feed back about how necessary it is to do a few PR here and there.
Press releases should never be treated as PLR. These should be fashioned according to your website, business, advocacy or whatever it is you want the release to be about. And yes, press releases can help you generate traffic.
It's ratio of drive a traffic to your site is low but it can put your site in front of industrial people eye. It can increase your chance to get good back link too.
Distributing press release in multiple PR sites may work especially if it is well written and newsworthy.
^ and may I just quickly add...the press release should NEVER be a marketing piece! This is a really big misconception. Blatant self promotion is a big no-no in press release writing.
I have actually found press releases get me more quality backlinks than any other method. I run a public relations and marketing company as well and have a strong background in that so I know how to distribute the releases and have them written in a way that gives them a great chance of inclusion on websites. It is all about only putting out releases when it is actually newsworthy. So many people put out a press release each time they make a new post that seems interesting and unless it is a great article it is not news worthy.
yes, press releases often send you some quick burst of traffic and make some sudden sales. i have experienced it. who knows? if it interests media or news readers you may also be called for interview. hi bobchrist! i have seen you in webhostingtalk and helping me. Nice to see you here
You can pay a little extra and PRWeb will submit your press release to more publications including newspapers, magazines etc. Depending on your press release you could end up on a really good site.
Just remember that while press releases do lead to traffic, that's not the primary purpose, and the best traffic results often come from going about it the right way. What does that mean? 1. Your news release should target media outlets, niche bloggers, etc. with a real news story. 2. It should be well-written in reverse pyramid style, and never just a generic article (what you'll find from a lot of writers here) thrown into a press release template. 3. The distribution should be targeted - that means you shouldn't be spending time submitting to huge numbers of PR distribution sites (the ROI beyond the first 1 - 3 doesn't justify it compared to spending that time elsewhere). Instead, get it online with either a free or paid service, get it archived on your own site in a media kit or press room area, and then hand-submit the release with personalized pitches to at least a handful of relevant media folks / bloggers at the top of the content food chain. This is where the real traffic and links come from (high quality, relevant, often permanent backlinks and traffic from related sites through a trickle down effect of popular sites' coverage leading to pickups on smaller sites). The links and traffic you get from most links through large-scale free distribution sites are garbage - poorly targeted traffic (people looking to see if you're worth writing about; not the end target audience you're trying to ready), and a bunch of links that come from irrelevant sites like the PR site itself and scraper sites. Focus on quality - remember press releases, and everything in PR, affect your company / site image in the long run.