Search engine optimization for public relations: Tip #1

As more publicity and public relations material ends up online, it's becoming more and more important to tailor the message to the medium. Josh Millrod of Positive Vibes SEO is training me on how to write copy for press releases, web sites and blogs with search engines in mind. It's a broad subject, but I'll be posting some tips about how to marry your SEO and PR strategies. Tip #1: Give Your Press Release A Relevant Title

When your press release is posted online, the headline probably will be coded so that it's bolder and bigger than the rest of the text. This sends a signal to the search engine that those words are more important than the rest of the text, so it will weight the title more heavily when deciding what the page is about. The key to optimization is to make it easier for the search engine to decide what your press release is about. Say you're writing a press release for Willy Wonka's new watermelon-flavored licorice. If you give your press release a cute title, say, "Pink Is The New Black!" the search engine has no idea what the release is really about. The New York Times recently had a story called "Gentlemen Cows In Prime Time." The story was about the Supreme Court upholding the FCC rules about swearing on TV. But what would a search engine think that story was about? Cows? Prime rib, maybe? It takes extra effort to write for search engines and for humans, but the two are not mutually exclusive. Write your headline so that whoever reads it understands immediately what the release is about. Better: "With New Licorice, Pink Is The New Black" Even better: "New Willy Wonka Licorice Shows Watermelon-Pink is the New Black" Best: "New Willy Wonka Watermelon-Flavored Licorice Proves Once And For All That Pink Is The New Black"

-Adrianne (@msfener)