Keep press release headlines short to get Google SEO love

While both Google News and Google Search both reward brevity, what many people don’t realize is that Google News is a very different beast than Google Search, and has different SEO requirements.

The two most important elements for optimizing a news release headline are keyword inclusion and length. There are many other factors that go into whether a release will show up in Google News, but keeping the headline short but full of keywords is essential.

In terms of length, a full release headline must be 65 characters or fewer to be displayed in Google, yet only 18% of press release headlines meet this requirement.  For a news release to show up on Google News, it must have fewer than 23 words in the headline (subhead not included).

A study conducted by Schwartz Research Group in Boston last fall revealed that the average headline length is 123 characters. The firm analyzed over 1,600 press releases over a one month period and found that 22% of online press releases were completely ignored by Google News because the headlines were 24 words or more.

Clearly the lesson here is that while the content of releases should be the primary focus, overlooking headline length could mean limited exposure for a well-crafted release. If you want to avoid slamming the door on Google News, you might want to consider brief, keyword rich headlines for your news releases. - Maria Loscerbo

Infographics: A PR secret weapon

In a recent issue of the Globe and Mail, I learned about a cool new, web-based app called visualize.me, which takes user data from LinkedIn and turns it into a customizable infographic résumé like this one I quickly created for myself here: visualize.me – Maria Loscerbo.

Some people believe conventional text-based resumes are too linear to describe information that is often non-linear. This software tool allows you to market yourself visually with a creative and interactive résumé that you can construct in less than 5 minutes.

With visualize.me, prospective employers can read about your work history in a dynamic and colourful flowchart complete with stylized sections that include skills, interests, testimonials and relevant career statistics. The creator of this app was originally inspired by the infographic resume of writer Chris Spurlock. This resume (shown above) garnered high profile media coverage around the world and, eventually, a journalism job at Huffington Post.

I am a huge advocate of infographics for PR purposes! Not only are they a quick way to graphically convey key information but they are a helpful visual aid for time-crunched people who want the top line facts in about 10 seconds.

How to be a presentation god

Jerry Seinfeld once pointed out in a skit that studies show public speaking is a bigger fear than death. If you are one of those millions of people who have been plagued by the fear of public speaking, this link includes an inspiring presentation by one of the world’s best business communicators:  Steve Jobs. Check it out when you have 5 minutes.  In addition, here are a few lessons learned from this example that might help you sharpen your presentation skills.  Presentation gods: Maria Loscerbo

1.   Understand their audience.  The next time you’re preparing a presentation, ask yourself: Who are they? What do they want to hear? What do they expect?  What keeps then up at night?

2.  Keep it simple.  A few well-chosen key points and images can be a powerful tool.  In the Steve Jobs example I provided you above, Steve never used more than ten words per slide! Good presenters know that the more separate points they make, the less their audience will take in. They don’t inundate their audience with too many details and they don’t lecture to their audience.

How to deal with detractors

Most issues have two sides where detractors or naysayers will challenge your point of view – often out in the open.  In a news story, the media strive to create balanced stories or use ‘conflict’ as a news hook so they will often include comment from critics.

Here are some tips on how to deal with detractors:

• Identify who they are and do your research on them so that you know who you’re dealing with and why. Often people are simply misinformed and they may have misunderstandings about what you’re doing. What do they know and how much do they know? Is it accurate or inaccurate?

• It’s easier to rebut their criticism pre-emptively in your key messages. This is best done by not leaving gaps in your messages.

Vitaminwater’s exaggerated claims backfire: PR lessons learned

Yesterday I read an article in the Vancouver Sun about how Health Canada is questioning Vitaminwater’s  health claims.  Apparently the product is filled with sugar and uses misleading marketing messages in its advertising and packaging like ”defence,” “multi-v,” and “restore” and “nutrition enhanced water beverage” that lead consumers to believe the product is a healthier beverage option than it actually is.

Critics say Vitaminwater is basically coloured sugar water with a few cents worth of synthetic vitamins that is marketed as a beneficial alternative to sugary soft drinks. (FYI: Sugar is indeed one of the main ingredients. A  591 ml bottle of vitaminwater has 32 grams of sugar, compared to 42 grams of sugar in a 355 ml can of Coke and 38 grams of sugar in Sprite.)

An insider reveals 7 secrets to PR success

I really enjoyed reading this post on why the media isn’t telling your company’s story.  Here, PROFIT editor Ian Portsmouth reveals seven keys to getting the coverage you crave.  Ian says it’s likely because your company, like the vast majority of businesses, doesn’t know how to get its story told. I concur.

Too often I work with clients that want me to pursue media profile when it is really just a thinly veiled attempt at advertising a product or service. No one wants to read a blatantly self-serving story filled with promotional marketing messages.  That’s what ads are for and you can buy ad space.

To secure a news story, the media pitch has to be newsworthy.  It must be timely, relevant, informative and interesting.  Ian uses the acronym TRII and it’s a formula that he uses to decide (in 10 to 15 seconds) whether or not a press release or media pitch is worth pursuing.  Relevance is key and often the one criterion that many companies and PR folks don’t nail.  By this Ian means that the story has to matter in some aspect of his reader’s life.

The real key is simple: his readers (and ultimately your target audiences) want to know, “what’s in it for me?” Tell them. If you don’t do that, no amount of pitching pizazz and dazzling marketing material matters.  Ian provides several good tips and I encourage you to read his post.

I would also add one more tip:  it’s important to be personable, meaning that you should talk like a real person, rather than blather on in corporate speak.  Who wants to sound like an institution?   You know what I’m talking about.  A press release that includes gobbledygook like, “ABC company, a leading provider of best-in-class widgets, launches a robust, end to end, customer-centric, mission critical software platform for the SMB market”.   Huh?    Maria Loscerbo

Why media exclusives are a bad idea

Recently I worked on a client project where the executive I was working with wanted to grant an exclusive to the Globe and Mail. He thought it would be a good idea to give the G&M the scoop first to secure a story in a high-circulation national newspaper; the exclusive story would be timed to come out the same morning we issued the news release to the rest of the media across the country. His thinking was that it would compel other media outlets to follow suit with their own stories the next day, and that his company would benefit from this approach because it would receive more news momentum and media coverage.

Should you give exclusives to journalists? My advice on this has always been ‘no’. Exclusives are a risky business – they make one friend at the expense of making a lot of enemies. In the long run, they are a bad deal for your business and make no difference to the audience you’re trying to reach.

Journalists are competitive and they care about who gets information first. They will not be happy campers if they know that you gave the scoop to their competitor first.

LinkedIn adds a “share” button

I just heard that LinkedIn added a share button.  This is one of the easiest ways your company can increase its online FB profile and it’s now available on LinkedIn too. I recommend you insert the new share button in your organization’s website and blog to encourage online visitors to share your articles, tips, blog posts, video and other content.

Go here and choose from one of three styles. Grab the code and insert it onto your site. (If you can’t do this yourself, delegate this to your techie.)

LinkedIn is a great way to reach a professional audience. The social media site has 85M world wide users – of which 4.2M are corporate executives; nearly 8M are business decision makers and 1.3M are small business owners.

For communication professionals, LinkedIn is also a good way to research and connect with journalists, make connections,  use the news feed to share information, and engage with audiences through LinkedIn Answers.

Here’s another tip:  You can use LinkedIn to find bloggers in a particular industry. How? Use the advance search feature of LinkedIn, then type “blog” as keyword and, for this industry, you will get all the people in your network that have a blog listed in their profile. Makes it handy to get to know them or to build a list of relevant bloggers for a particular need. See you on LinkedIn!  Maria Loscerbo

How to work with a PR firm: 15 do’s and 8 don’ts

Over the years I’ve worked with all kinds of clients — small, big, experienced, uninitiated.  The first thing I try to convey at the beginning of our relationship is that it is a partnership. This means we are given a seat at the table during important meetings and they respect and trust my counsel and creative ideas.  I often tell clients to think of me as an extension of their staff so that business/marketing/PR activities are closely integrated and aligned.

I also remind new clients that seeing results takes time - often up to three to six months before the ROI is apparent. We cannot command ink in a major newspaper overnight (well, we can and it’s called “advertising” and it costs a lot of money for typically very little ROI).  Building relationships and obtaining earned media coverage and online profile takes time.

Thirdly, when we are trying to get up-to-speed on your organization, the rule of thumb is “more information is better and as early as possible”.  At the very least, we should schedule regular updates to review strategies and discuss company news.

Here’s a blog post written I came across today that lists 15 do’s and 8 don’ts.  It’s a decent list of items for both parties to keep in mind.  Enjoy!  Maria Loscerbo

60 Ways to Increase Your Influence Online

Do you want your brand to stand out in a compelling and meaningful way?

Earlier this summer, The Influencer Project, the shortest a marketing conference ever at just one hour, asked 60 top online marketers to take only one minute and give at least one concise and valuable piece of advice.  While some of the advice was a no-brainer like get on Facebook, what resonated was that these 60 experts – all of whom have influence online – know what they’re talking about and were passionate about their one or two tips.  They had one minute to share their tip(s).

Sixty leaders. Sixty seconds each. Sixty ways to increase your online influence.

I found a quick summary of the list here.   I encourage you to read it, and choose two or three things you need to improve. You can even download the free mp3 and transcript. Maria Loscerbo