Mickie Kennedy, Founder of eReleasesPhoto from Baltimore Meetup Group
By Mickie Kennedy, Founder of eReleases
Guest Blogpost for MommyBlogExpert.com
A visit to some of those free press release distribution websites reveals that the vast majority of press releases on those sites are completely lame. Why? Because many of these make one or more of these common mistakes.1. It's exploding with keywords. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a great strategy when used correctly. However, it doesn't mean cramming so many keywords in the thing that it becomes unreadable.
2. Press releases disguised as commercials or ads. So they shouldn't read like one and sales speak has no business here. It's a news release: so the best approach is to stick to the facts and avoid bias.
3. The focus is on quantity instead of quality. As everyone learns of the internet marketing benefits of press release distribution, they start to pump out as many press releases as they can. The result: hundreds of poorly-written, keyword-stuffed, and non-newsworthy press releases.
4. Not getting to the point up front. The target reader should know what your story is about by reading only the first paragraph of your press release. Press releases are written in what's called the "inverted pyramid" format with the basics of who, what, when, where, and how placed at the top of the
press release, followed by minor details in subsequent paragraphs.
5. A translator is required to interpret the jargon. Have you ever seen the Web Economy BS Generator? It's a funny little tool that allows you to instantly create meaningless jargon and corporate-speak, like "generate ubiquitous mindshare" and "monetize frictionless technologies." For sure, jargon should be confined to internal audiences, it has no place in press releases.
6. The headline is boring. It's always best to avoid being uninteresting and self-serving. Instead, find a solid news angle that focuses on something unique that provides a tangible benefit people might be interested in and craft your headline around it.
7. Careless or no proofreading prior to distribution. Without proofreading, you risk sending out a press release that's riddled with typos and grammatical errors. Needless to say, that doesn't exactly command respect from editors and online readers.
These seven oversights are among the most common in my own observations. Which press release mistakes would you add to this list? Please leave a comment and share them.
About Mickie Kennedy
Mickie Kennedy is founder of eReleases, an online provider of affordable press release distribution. Grab the three free ebooks his company offers, including the Big Press Release Book and Twitter Tactics, here
FTC Disclosure: I did not receive payment or any other compensation in association with this post. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.
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