Press Releases benefit from having an author
-
We just started doing some Press Releases and want to maximize the benefits of them to our full potential.
Would it be beneficial for our PR to have an author? We know Google likes real people and was wondering if attaching the author to the PR will provide more strength to that particular author?
-
Adding on to what Peter said, a press release is not a news story, it's a statement about a newsworthy item. The purpose of a press release is to grab the attention of journalists/bloggers so that they will want to to contact you (the press contact) for the information they need to craft their own news and feature stories.
A press release should be concise and scannable. Leave out the details. They will get those after contacting you.
While I agree with EGOL that distributing content authored by Christie Christie on bridge traffic would definitely garner a ton of attention, I would consider that an article meant for syndication if widely distributed to publishers --- not a press release. Including a direct quote from Chris Christie would be one way to grab attention with the press release, as would mentioning an opportunity to interview Chris Christie in a press conference, for instance. And yes, press releases are often released solely to let journalists know about press conferences and other PR events.
I hope that helps!
-
Would it be beneficial for our PR to have an author?
Maybe.
Depends who is the author.
Although most press releases are written for an organization that is not a law or a requirement. Imagine a press release written in the first person by Chris Christie on bridge traffic... or by Dr. Richard Besser on a new measles vaccine... or by Pope Francis on "Who am I to judge". Those would get awesome attention.
Now, if Joe Schmoe is writing about any of those topics... people will not care about it.
So, if you have somebody who is somebody who will be doing the writing it might be to your advantage to use them.
And, if you are thinking about this from a google authorship perspective a sleepy press release written by a schlepper might have negative value compared to something inspiring written by the nameless author.
-
Typically, press releases are issued by companies not people, unless the person is representing their own brand.
So in the case of a company, I would say no, because whilst you may have written it a press release is really a statement and not something you would consider as 'authored'.
For blog articles however, definitely yes. Link the article to the individual's Google+ account in the page code by using the rel=author tag in the page to do that.
I hope that helps,
Peter
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Wikipedia and Domain Authority?
Hi there, my company is an online publisher of Theater news and reviews. We also sell theater tickets. We presently don't have a Wikipedia page. Would creating one generally help our search rankings?
Branding | | TheaterMania0 -
No Domain Link In Press Release, What About Yelp?
Hi Moz, I understand that using a PR for SEO benefit is old-school, black hat, and largely outlawed by Google. We are simply trying to get our name pushed further into the local market, i.e., using a press release for it's natural intention. Our company offers free quotes through our site and the scheduling of jobs with new clients is largely done online. I think it seems silly NOT to have a link to our URL in the press release, but rather than poke Google, we're fine omitting it. However, would linking our Yelp near the end be a big deal? Yelp no-follows their URLs back to the company site so there isn't a risk with pumping up a support link through PR and we can provide SOME clickable link to our information. Thoughts?
Branding | | kirmeliux0 -
Press Mention with No Link
Hey guys, I have a client who got a nice little mention recently in her local news online, but the news site (like many I notice) does not link any content in their articles. Anyone have a creative idea for leveraging this type of mention? She is an attorney and the article mentioned her as the defense attorney on the case. Any ideas would be much appreciated!
Branding | | RickyShockley0 -
Rel=author markup in head tag
Between Google's confusing instruction on implementing rel=author and the volumes of blog posts, I'm sufficiently confused. We have a bunch of writers on our site that we'd like to expose in search and connect with their content. I'd like their bylines to link to their author page rather than to their Google+ profile. So, I'm thinking this is what I need to do: 1. Have writers create a Google+ profile linking to their bio page on our site in the "contributor" section of their Google+ profle 2. Add the link rel=author tag to the of their author bio page like this 3. Link their bylines on each story to their author page like this John Public Is this right? I'm working with an inflexible CMS so I have to go through IT, which means I have to get this right the first time. Any feedback/ corrections/ improvements are much appreciated.
Branding | | Aggie0 -
How do can I compete with 60-80 Domain Authority?
As the title says, how can I compete with competitors that have a domain authority of 60-80? (Only around 2-3 major competitors) However I would like to compete with them. Is anyone else in this situation? What did you do? I've read a lot about building backlinks etc etc but surely theres more to it. I've got to rank 1500+ subcategories for my niche and it's nearly impossible to do so. Thanks to all who reply!
Branding | | Superinks0 -
How to increase page authority and domain authority? [Ecommerce]
How can I increase my Ecommerces Domain and Homepage Authority? My competition have 60-70 page Authority and it's time I try to compete.
Branding | | InkCartridgesFast0 -
Building Site Authority vs. Link Building
Hi,
Branding | | rayvensoft
I just watched the recent Whiteboard Friday, and I have one question. He talks a lot about "Building Site Authority". Is that just Link Building, or is it something else? If it is Link Building, does that mean that exchanging (3 way, or non-reciprocal) links with other "relevant" and good sites still works, as long as you use your brand name and/or url in the anchor text? Or did I misunderstand. Is "Building Site Authority" something entirely different from Link Building? Sorry if it is a basic question, I just want to make sure I understand the difference if there is one. Thanks in advance!0 -
Is it good/bad to place a press release on a third party website as well as your own?
I have read that if a Company issues a press release via a third part service (e.g. PR Web) it is best not to place the release on the company’s own website due to negative SEO effects. Is this the case? I‘d really appreciate others thoughts on this.
Branding | | E2E0