Online PR
Online PR is but a short descriptor of something much, much bigger. As web 2.0 and social media marketing continues to grow and expand its reach, so does online PR. Even so, it is often misunderstood for a variety of reasons. So let’s look deeper at what online PR is and isn’t.
More than just the media
It’s amazing that just because someone puts a press release online and they call it online PR. Technically, they are correct and yet that’s really only the tip of the iceberg. First off, online PR reaches multiple audiences, not just the media.
Today, the media is no longer the gatekeeper or “the decider” on what news gets published. Now, anyone can publish an online press release (or even better, an optimized press release) and reach the public directly.
So now individuals, small businesses, organizations, non-profits, anyone really, can reach prospects and influencers via search engines, authority blogs, news search, social networks, online communities, including forums and discussion boards and more.
More than just short-term, announcement-driven press releases
A major difference between online PR and offline PR is shelf life or staying power. With offline PR, this old expression is appropriate, “There’s nothing as dated as yesterday’s newspaper.” In fact this applies to print, radio and TV. And yet with online PR, optimized press releases live on the web for weeks, months, even years.
Note: in my post “7 Actions to Amp your Press Release ROI” I suggest always including content in your online press release that is timeless or evergreen. That way, when anyone discovers your release, even if something time-sensitive already happened (like an event), there is still relevant information which prospects and the media would find of value.
More than just optimized press releases
Don’t get me wrong. I developed PR Traffic, a complete, step-by-step optimized press releases tutorial system. Yet even with that course, the optimized press release represented just a piece of a much bigger picture.
As such, that’s what makes online PR so compelling as a viable marketing channel. With inherent SEO advantages, you can vastly extend the value and reach of your online marketing and media relations efforts. Here are some other ways you can conduct online PR in addition to optimized press releases:
- Social Media marketing including social networking, micro-blogging, online video, audio and more
- Blogger relations: pitching stories to authority blogs
- Writing articles and submitting them to online marketing directories
- Media relations: connecting to journalists via Twitter, email and more
Consider looking at these online PR developments in this light: there will always be value in optimizing press releases. But you’re not stopping there. You’re going beyond optimizing a press release to optimizing news content in all its shapes, forms and distribution channels. For example, here are some more ways to get the word out via optimized news content:
- Blog articles
- Online video releases
- Online op-eds / letters to the editor
- Online newsrooms and media kits
- Reports and white papers
- Instructional (non-selling) Webinars and demos
- Podcasts / Internet radio shows
How to get started with Online PR
There are multiple resources available on the Internet regarding press release examples and online press release templates. There’s just one problem: many of those same resources are really only addressing one side of the coin: the media.
As such, that was a significant need that was filled by developing my online PR system and course called PR Traffic. To learn more about leveraging maximum exposure and visibility across as many online channels as possible, consult the recommended resources below.
Recommended online PR resources:
- Learn precisely which online PR mistakes to avoid (that even the experts make with “The 7 Deadly Sins Nearly Everyone Makes with Web PR And How You Can Avoid Them” available for free and immediate download
- Press release template: a free, keyword optimized press release template that includes sample headlines and complete instructions
