Press releases, if used correctly, can be very effective for increasing awareness about a company or product on the Internet. One of the press releases that eVisibility distributed for New Foreclosures Online was picked up by an ABC news affiliate in Palm Springs this week, for example. Lately, however, it seems they are often used solely for SEO purposes to build links to a company’s site. While it can be very effective, releasing too many can begin to have negative effects.

Since press releases have the potential to gain a lot of exposure in a short period of time, it is important that they are relevant and well-written. This topic was discussed in a blog post by Red Fly Marketing recently, and I couldn’t agree more. SEO strategies can get people to read press releases and help build links to your site, but they will not help build the brand or catch people’s attention unless they are topical and interesting. Sometimes it’s better just to wait for something really interesting to talk about, and spend a little more money on a distribution site with higher authority.

Remember the audience

Assume that the same people will be exposed to your press releases on a regular basis; they may be involved with or interested in your product or industry, or subscribe to a wire service. Seeing press releases from the same company on a regular basis will raise awareness about your brand, but if they are not newsworthy, that sends a negative message about your company. You will find that when you actually do have real news, no one will be listening. Your brand name will no longer be taken seriously if you saturate the market with irrelevant press releases.

Sometimes Regular Press Releases Do Work

Usually, you will have to wait for something to happen before you can write a press release, such as when you win an award or something happens in your industry that you can comment on. That being said, there are a few exceptions where press releases can and should be released on a regular basis, such as once or twice every month:

• Charitable Contributions
• Company Programs
• New Staff Members
• Ongoing Research
• Product Launches
• Promotions and Contests

Regular events that promote your brand, such as contests or company sports teams, deserve regular releases. Galas or company outings might also make good press release topics. It will get old really fast if you publish a press release about your company luncheon or a cheap giveaway every week, though. The same can be said about charitable efforts and product launches. It might be newsworthy to publish regularly scheduled press releases about these, but only if significant progress is made.

Informative reports that are relevant to your industry will also be newsworthy and can build the credibility of your brand. The team at eVisibility did a report on the Fortune 500 companies that don’t rank high in search engines for their industry keywords, for example. If your team does research frequently, there’s no reason you can’t publish press releases about it. Product launches can also make for very relevant press releases, even if they come out once a week. The key is to make sure that every press release has something new and newsworthy, even if you have to wait.

If You Don’t Have Anything New to Say, Don’t Say Anything At All

If you find it difficult to come up with press release topics, maybe it’s time you start getting involved in charitable efforts, doing relevant research, or getting involved in other things that will get your name out there. You still might not have relevant news to report every month, though. Therefore, it might be better to save the money you would spend on monthly press releases through a site like PR Newswire and wait to release a higher end piece of content on a distribution company like Business Wire. The cost difference can be considerable; $1000-$2000 compared to $100-$200. The credibility you gain from a really good press release can be much more effective for building your brand.