Do you know what an optimized press release is? Have you ever written one? I get more questions about writing press releases than just about anything else. From the proper format for a press release to press release templates to sample business press releases, I receive requests for them all.

It’s still the case that most people don’t understand why or how a press release is optimized. Without getting too deep into why you MUST make friends with the search engines (and by search engines I mean Google and Yahoo!), here is the most important thing to keep in mind when writing your releases:

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Last time, we began talking about what makes a press release successful in the digital age.

When writing a release for your VA practice, you want to keep it search-engine friendly. Remember to think in terms of keywords. The beauty of keywords is they signal to the search engines that you are really talking about what you say you are talking about, and, in turn, help give the release more mileage and get you more quickly and efficiently connected to your target audience.

Some other quick tips related to your VA press releases and search engine optimization (SEO) Copywriting in general:

• Sprinkle key words throughout your release, but don’t over do it.

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Press releases and the people who write and distribute them have come a long way in a short time. Thinking that your release should only be sent to your local paper is so last-century. Today, you can skip the middle man and connect directly with your clients and prospects.

It’s all thanks to the electronic age. In the 21st century, press releases tend to be distributed (and reside) online.

Before, you needed a hook to grab a journalist’s attention. Now, you still need a hook, but it’s got to capture the attention of a lot more people.

When developing your hook, I recommend that you consider what’s important to your clients and prospects. What topics would they find interesting and newsworthy? It’s great that you relaunched your website, but are they really going to get excited about it? I think you’d be better off finding a subject that has broad appeal.

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I’ve noticed that a lot of small business owners, including many Virtual Assistants, overlook press releases when preparing their marketing efforts. Or, they employ press releases but not, in my opinion, properly.

Yes, a press release is a great way to build awareness for your VA practice – and if you write it yourself, it’ll cost you nothing. But that doesn’t mean it can and should be about anything.

Whenever there’s news about your business, there’s an opportunity to distribute a press release. The challenge is to get it published and read. For that you need a hook. Just like it sounds, a hook is meant to get the reader’s attention and pull them into reading the release.

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