Media consumption is changing. Look no further than the New York Times recent announcement that they will begin charging for content as proof. No longer can stale advertising models support quality content.
So where is your audience getting their news? Despite paywalls, the answer is still: the Web.
According to a Pew Research study announced a little more than a month ago, "For the first time, more people said they got news from the Web more than newspapers."
With the change in the method people are consuming news, how do PR practitioners ensure their content is being seen not only by the media, but also by potential customers?
Three letters: S-E-O.
Search Engine Optimization has become an important part of the savvy PR practitioner's toolkit.
Here are three tips to get your pitches, press releases and other PR collateral online to work double-time, providing both SEO and PR functions.
- Know your audience. Who are you trying to reach - CIOs, CSOs or engineers at a few target companies?
- Use your resources. Do you have a list of important keywords already? Make sure they are weaved throughout all your materials.
- Determine which keywords work. Use Google to seach competing keywords (e.g., Los Gatos attorney vs Los Gatos lawyer. Which has more results? There's your winner.)
Editor's note: This post is the first in a three-part series on SEO. Next time, we'll look at keyword phrases - how to choose them, what to focus on and why your phrases need to go beyond media to include actual customers.
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