A publicist’s greatest tool, the press release is a staple in any copywriter’s arsenal. Writing a press release is said to be a talent for some of the best in the field. However, with a few tips and a little practice even a novice writer creating an effective press releases.

It is a common misconception that press releases are just another form of advertisement. On the contrary, they are simply an announcement–often more like an invitation than an ad. When used properly, press releases are meant to draw attention to a specific item, be it a news story, new product, service, etc. In short, it’s supposed to make the reader want to know more information about the item described.

First, there’s the formatting. The service that you use to circulate your press release may have their own guidelines. Follow them. If not, here’s some things to remember.

Think of a strong, eye-catching headline. It is the first thing that people will see and will decide whether they read on or throw your press release into the trash pile.

Make sure that your release contains genuinely newsworthy information. Not everything is news a new product launch or a new website can be news. Changes in senior level company personnel can be news. Starting your new business is also news. What you shouldn’t do with a press release is mistake it for a sales pitch or an advertisement; that’s not what a PR is for. You need to tell your story objectively in this format or risk turning off readers, especially journalists, editors and other media professionals.

When writing the body, keep in mind that you are inviting your listener to seek more information, not convincing them to buy something. How do you invite these info-seekers? Use facts, to tell about your item; tell the who, what, where, and why. Save the hype for later and the fluffy adjectives for creative writing.

Now as for making your PR SEO friendly, you’ll want to make the headline a link to your site; you can also include a link at the bottom of the release, following the body and one link within the body of the release as well. Don’t overdo it with the links though, as this will be distracting to readers.

Your keyword use matters here too. Use the same kind of SEO best practices as you would on your webpage. Use keywords in your headline and naturally throughout the body of the release. Don’t make the mistake of packing your release with keywords; this can lead to it being ignored by search engines and makes it difficult to read remember to write for human readers first and search engines second.

A well written search engine optimized press release can do a lot for your business. It can raise your profile, bring in new clients and give you some invaluable free exposure in the media. Writing SEO press releases for the web is a skill well worth learning; or at least hiring a professional copywriter to do for you there are a lot of benefits to be had and the press release remains as valuable of a marketing tool, possibly more so than ever.