19 Ways to Drive Content Discovery

@prnewswire #CMWDisco #cmworld
10 ^ Ways to Drive Content
Discovery
Sarah Skerik
@sarahskerik
Vice President, Content Marketing
PR Newswire
19

I’m all about content distribution.
• 20+ years with PR Newswire, Reuters and
the City News Bureau of Chicago
– Currently vice president of content marketing
for PR Newswire
• I have a baby, and it’s named Beyond PR
(http://blog.prnewswire.com)
• I experiment. A lot.

My lab.

If you publish it, will they convert even see the dang thing?

Our Agenda: Driving Discovery
• How to build discovery into content strategy.
• Distribution deep dive (paid & free)
• BONUS: Fast formatting tips & tactics proven
to improve results

A lead is what sets the
scene and grabs your
reader’s attention – it is
your introduction. A
news hook is what makes
your piece timely.
- The OpEd Project

#1 Most e-mailed

#2 Timely responses
Pro tip: These are trackable URLs

Tie thought leadership to timely events
Blog post
Press release
promoting
blog post
Resulting traffic
increases

#3 Capitalize on trends, issues - positively

#4 Use EdCals to inform strategy & timing

#5 Leverage sponsored/owned content

They developed a great news hook

And earned a little media …

#6 Seasonal & recurring events
PR Newswire Feature Calendar
A variety of headlines from a
package of back-to-school
press releases used to
promote multimedia
content and web sites.

#7 Distribute the content.

Results

11. It’s not a press release, it’s a vehicle for all sorts of
news and info.

Interesting ways to distribute
content … for free

#8 Find, connect with and quote the people who care.

#9 Use free PR sites – judiciously.
• Focus on different message
elements – no repeats!
• It’s about the content not
links
• Use trackable links
CAVEAT
• Beware an emphasis on SEO
• Look for no follow link
attributes

#10 Balance time & effort against results.
Did you get any
Clicks? Shares?
Results?

Distribution – An Insider’s Guide

Myths
• Press releases cost $1,000.
• Media aren’t reading press releases.
• All newswires are the same.
• Google has killed press releases.

Search engines
• If your vendor distributes no-
follow links, you’re cool.
• If you’re a spammy linkbuilder
who used press releases as a
foundational SEO strategy, you
will be inconvenienced.
(Oh, and you’re at the wrong
conference.)

Questions you should ask potential vendors:
• Who is receiving my content?
• What different distribution formats & platforms are you
using?
• Where will my content be seen?
• When will recipients get the content?
• Why is your service the best fit for my audience and
message?
• How will you measure the results my content generates?

Online distribution
• Syndication vs RSS
• Reporting
– Impressions
– Spiders
– Views
– Keywords
– Clicks
– Shares & interactions
Will the vendor
*really* distribute
your content, or are
they just creating a
landing page?

RED FLAGS

Media reach
Delivery:
• “Wire”
– AP
– Other
• Email targeting
• Personalized web
• Reporting!

In the newsroom – a reporter’s eye view
Pro tip: Make the first 80 characters of
your headline count. (That was #11.)

#12 Mine industry groups & media for press release
submission opportunities

#13 Consider niche players

Press releases accrue results over time.
It takes almost 4 months for the average
release to accumulate most of its views.

Bonus: Formatting tips that my-
hand-to-God will improve your
message visibility.

• Keep them short. Why?
– Our data. (80-130)
– Search engines (65)
– Remember that AP slide?
(80)
– Twitter (100)
• Use a subhead to keep
peers happy.
#14 Headline length REALLY matters.
Pro tip: Shoot for 110 characters,
put the most important/attractive
ideas at the beginning.

#15 Employ multimedia elements.
• Visuals have their own
distribution networks
• Visuals draw eyeballs
• Algorithms value visuals
• People like pictures.
• Better results accrue

#16 Dump the speed bump. Give the reader
a reason to keep reading.
September 11, 2013/Cleveland/ -- XYZ Corporation, a
leading global provider of world-class, end-to-end
cross-platform scalable enterprise cloud solutions
designed to deliver comprehensive process-
improvement outcomes for customers in various
vertical sectors including manufacturing, mining and
procurement today announced …

#17 Embed a CTA – near the TOP
Link strategically. Think
reader service, not
SEO.
• Link to profiles of
key people quoted in
the message.
• Embed calls to
action for prospects

#18 Use keywords, but not for the reason you might
think.
200%!

#19 Build an element
of distribution into every
content component you
publish. Driving ongoing
discovery of your
content is crucial.

Thank you!
Sarah Skerik
Vice president of content marketing, PR Newswire
• @sarahskerik
• Linkedin.com/in/sarahskerik
Discovery is a recurring theme on the PR Newswire blog. Stay up to
speed with what we’re thinking (and my latest experiments) here:
http://blog.prnewswire.com/tag/discovery/

19 Ways to Drive Content Discovery

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