Google Your Way to a Good Press Release Headline in 2021
What do Google and a good press release have in common?
The answer to that question is compelling headlines.
Google is the ideal research tool that can influence search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to create attention-grabbing press release headlines that pique readers’ interest.
For small and midsize companies especially, breaking through the noise of a crowded market can be difficult.
But with an effective strategy, patience, and consistency, businesses can secure their well-earned piece of consumer attention.
Though it may feel like a daunting task, the journey of building brand awareness, increasing website traffic, and improving SEO can begin with a Google search.
Yes, Google is a tried-and-true resource that companies of all sizes and industries can use to better understand their customers in order to create and distribute insightful content that speaks to their pain points, questions, interests, and more.
Why are press release headlines important?
The headline is the most important part of your press release, so anything you can do to improve yours is a step in the right direction.
Your press release headline should command attention and contain at least one keyword or key phrase that tells readers what the press release will be about.
More often than not, the headline is the only thing journalists will see when deciding what to read and use it as the basis for their own articles.
To that point, it’s reported that the average internet user will read 80% of headlines.
A keyword is therefore essential for giving readers and journalists an idea of what niche or industry topic you’re writing about.
If your target audience and journalists can find you easily, and your press release is well-written, then you have a much greater chance of a media pickup.
And earned media mentions can lead to expanded reach, which could result in more brand awareness, and so on and so forth.
Now that we’ve set the stage, let’s dig into three reasons Google should play a major role in developing press release headlines that speak to your target audience.
3 Reasons to Use Google for Press Release Headline Writing
1. Research
No matter what industry you’re in, research is imperative. Roll up your sleeves, get out your laptop or phone and start Googling to uncover the intricacies of your niche.
Let’s say for example you own a pet store, meaning your niche would be pets.
With niche marketing, you’re not trying to do everything for everyone.
Instead, you’re focusing your efforts on a single topic or subtopic and creating content accordingly. Your goal is to be an authoritative resource for those who are interested in your area of expertise.
If pets are your main topic, you might only focus on the subtopic of dogs or even just a certain breed of dogs, for example.
Narrowing your focus will help you create more targeted content and headlines that speak to a specific group: your target audience.
2. SEO
SEO is equal parts science and art, and it’s an invaluable marketing tool if you want to get free organic traffic.
According to BrightEdge, 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine.
This stat alones shows the importance of infusing SEO keywords not only in your content, but your headlines as well.
There are a variety of ways a company can uncover the SEO keywords they should be targeting, and a good starting point is researching your niche.
When doing so, you’ll come across keywords related to it.
These keywords signal to search engines like Google what your page is about.
In a matter of seconds, the search engine determines whether or not your page is related to the search query.
The more relevant your page is in relation to the particular keyword, the higher your placement on the Search Engine Results page (SERP).
And the higher your placement on the SERP, the more likely you are to build brand awareness and attract new customers.
TIP: Google is useful for keyword research and a great starting off point is to use the Google Keyword Planner tool.
Additionally, at the bottom of each SERP, you will also find a list of keywords and key phrases related to the search. You can use these to gather more ideas to attract traffic to your site through planning and publishing press releases based on those ideas.
3. Tap into trends
Another way to use Google is to tap into trends.
Look at Google News to see if anything in the top stories is related to your business, brand or industry.
You can also set Google Alerts for specific keywords to help you see niche-related content as soon as it’s published. This might give you ideas on blog posts or other organic content to create where you can share your knowledge and expertise, otherwise known as thought leadership content.
Contact us today to speak with one of our PR Strategists and learn more about how our team of Media and Marketing experts can help you craft SEO-focused press release headlines and more.
