PR - Express Writers

The Wicked Witch of Online Syndication is Dead: Why We’re No Longer Offering Syndicated Press Release Distribution

December 31, 2020October 31, 2016 by Adam Oakley

$6,100.00. That’s what one big brand was spending per month on press release distribution, according to a study by marketing agency owner Tim Grice, posted on Moz in 2012. That’s a huge number. For the past year now, at Express Writers, we’ve offered syndicated online press release distribution to all of our customers, at rates well below what our former news partner charged on their own site. Our clients got a good deal—and we felt happy to offer it to them. That is, until this October—when we stood back and looked at the actual benefit of online, syndicated news. I even got two experts on the line to help me dig up solid truths about this industry. (I’m indebted to Steve Rayson at BuzzSumo for pulling metrics and data for me, and Tim Grice at Branded3 for an updated quote.) Our findings weren’t good, by any means. That’s why we’re calling our findings the wicked witch of online press syndication and turning it into a Halloween post. Here’s the (in the spirit of Halloween—cold, dead) truth: if you’re paying for syndicated news, you might just be wasting every single dollar you sink into that channel. Don’t just be frightened by the witch: know the facts and make an informed decision the next time you choose to put your money into syndicated news (or not). The Story Behind the Study: What Inspired Me to Take a Deeper Look at Press Release Distribution I’d noticed a pattern: in 2012, when we started offering distribution, I saw amazing, fast results in Google. For instance, one press release we did back then was about a stuffed toy. Their keyword, a solid, low competition long-tail, ranked #3 in Google in just days—the #3 result was their actual PRWeb release. Now that was value! But I haven’t seen this happen since that day. And we’re talking out of dozens to hundreds of press releases that our team has written and distributed by now. On average, we distribute 6-10 press releases for clients in a month. We have so many clients that complain about the reports we send them. “This is all the data and results we get?” And the truth is: we didn’t really have an answer for them. The quality of the news results online was finicky. I’d see an online Fox station pick it up—and then it would be gone the next day, when I was ready to send the link to the client. Results weren’t permanent. And nothing showed in the first page of Google for their (great) long-tail news keywords. The more I saw this happening, the more I realized I needed to research syndicated distribution. A bad feeling in my gut drove me to do it before we renewed our contract this year. And sure enough, what I found was pretty dire. To make my research and findings official, I got in touch with my friend Steve Rayson, Director at BuzzSumo, for an exclusive study: and even got in touch personally with Tim Grice from Branded3.com, the author of the Moz piece, for some updated findings. Let’s dive in to the findings. Interview with Tim Grice: The Cold, Hard, Dead Truth of Syndicated Online Press Release Distribution Here’s what Tim Grice had to say, when I sat down with him to discuss his Moz post and what he’d say about online press syndication currently as it stands in 2016. Julia: You shared your findings on how budgets are being wasted with online press release syndication, back in 2012. Would you say it’s become an even bigger waste of budget in 2016? Or have you seen brands adapting, and investing less in online PR? Tim: The Moz post is specifically referring to online PR syndication (PR Newswire, etc). SEO agencies and in-house teams were using them as a primary link building channel, firing out boring stories that got absolutely no pick up and the online links created were from low value directories. In 2008, it worked really well to game Google’s rankings: but by 2012, it should have been on its way out. Not so much. Link building was becoming difficult and it was the easy go-to option for many agencies. Here’s the thing: if anyone is using syndication for links today, they should be fired. [clickToTweet tweet=”There is no value in press release syndication for SEO purposes. – @Tim_Grice” quote=”There is no value in press release syndication for SEO purposes. – @Tim_Grice”] Journalists are already inundated with companies offering up information for free, and there is no need to check a press wire. Julia: Why is online PR a bad idea for a link building investment? Tim: Online PR done right is not a bad idea, syndicating crap stories around the web for a handful of links on press wires is a terrible SEO strategy; no relevance, no authority, no trust. Creating genuinely insightful content or offering up unique data and selling it indirectly to journalists and bloggers is the right approach to online PR (done right, you can generate hundreds of high authority links from a single campaign). Julia: Is there any good form of online syndication? Tim: Not that I am aware of. [clickToTweet tweet=”Anything designed to create quick, easy links is almost always a waste of time and money. -@Tim_Grice” quote=”Anything designed to create quick, easy links is almost always a waste of time and money. -@Tim_Grice”] Julia: What is a much better way to invest revenue to boost your online marketing, instead of online PR? Tim: Done right, online PR can return good ROI as well as high authority links, however the fact is that where you invest will depend purely on the gaps in your strategy. From an SEO stand point, if you rank in the top five you’ve probably got enough links to be position one, and you should work on the technical side of it, CTR’s, mobile and great content. Final word… [clickToTweet tweet=”Syndication is never a good investment, and I would opt for any other tactic. – … Read more

#ContentWritingChat Recap: The Role of PR in an Internet-Based Media Age with Shannon Renee

December 31, 2020July 15, 2016 by Rachel Moffett

Hey, friends! Did you miss #ContentWritingChat this week? Have no fear! You can get caught up with our recap and learn all about public relations from our chat participants. #ContentWritingChat Recap: The Role of PR in an Internet-Based Media Age with Shannon Renee Join us for #ContentWritingChat on Tuesday, July 12th at 10 AM CDT with guest host @ShannonRenee of @McKPR! pic.twitter.com/PEh9HCqbyI — Express Writers (@ExpWriters) July 5, 2016 This week, our guest host was Shannon Mouton Gray. Shannon is the Managing Director of McKinney & Associates, a public relations firm. Q1: Many argue that PR isn’t as worthwhile as it once was in today’s online age. Thoughts? There’s been a pretty hot debate lately about whether or not PR is still important in this online age. What did people from Tuesday’s chat have to say? Find out: A1 PR is as important today–if not more so–than it’s ever been. #ContentWritingChat — Shannon Mouton Gray (@ShannonRenee) July 12, 2016 Shannon believes PR is just as important today as it was years ago. In fact, she thinks it may be even more important now. A1: I agree, the lines are getting really blurry but PR is still a necessity, some things need to be #OldShool #ContentWritingChat — Brandie McCallum (@lttlewys) July 12, 2016 Brandie agreed that PR is still a necessity for brands. Even though times have changed, it’s still important. A1 I think that everything evolves, changes to be up-to-date and relevant. #PR is the same = communications =connections #ContentWritingChat — Zala Bricelj (@ZalkaB) July 12, 2016 Zala knows PR has changed over the years, but she still sees it as being relevant. Q2: What would you say to those who no longer value PR to convince them otherwise? If someone told you they didn’t value PR anymore, but you did, what would you say to them? Here’s what we heard from our chat participants: A2 View last answer to A1 LOL…nearly all SM is PR & it has to be monitored b/c it can’t be controlled. #ContentWritingChat — Shannon Mouton Gray (@ShannonRenee) July 12, 2016 A2 An undervalued/utilized part of PR is the MONITORING. What are folks saying about you, your brand & your clients? #ContentWritingChat — Shannon Mouton Gray (@ShannonRenee) July 12, 2016 As Shannon said, social media is a form of public relations and it has to be monitored. You want to know what others are saying about your brand. A2: Your positive brand message/story, consistently told publicly, is good for business. It also happens to be good PR. #contentwritingchat — Ray Sidney-Smith (@w3consulting) July 12, 2016 Ray knows that having a positive brand message and telling it consistently is good for business. A PR team can help you with that. A2 The hardest thing to change is a mind. Redefine your work in #ROI terms that help solve those people’s problems. #ContentWritingChat — Bill Skowronski (@BillSkowronski) July 12, 2016 Bill knows it’s not easy to change someone’s mind, especially if they’re stuck in their ways. The best thing you can do is to show someone the ROI that PR can provide. A2: PR is essential if there’s ever a crises, especially on Social Media. PR keeps order and control. #ContentWritingChat — CoSchedule (@CoSchedule) July 12, 2016 A2. PR crisis management is an absolute necessity for any growing company. I think that’s where PR really saves the day! #contentwritingchat — Kristen Dunleavy (@KristenWritesIt) July 12, 2016 Having a PR team behind you is also helpful in a time of crisis. If something goes wrong with your brand, your PR team can step in and take control. A2 PR is necessary if you want to get news out about your business. It’s all around us. The channels have just changed #ContentWritingChat — Julia McCoy (@JuliaEMcCoy) July 12, 2016 A2b Everyone has NEWS. The best way to get that out? A well written press release syndicated & distributed. #ContentWritingChat — Julia McCoy (@JuliaEMcCoy) July 12, 2016 Julia said you still need PR if you want to spread the news about your business. The channels in which you do it are just different. Here at Express Writers, we also know the power of a great press release. Show the naysayers exactly what a well-written press release can do for their brand. Q3: How has PR changed in recent years due to this internet-based age? As we’ve already discussed, PR has definitely changed over the years. What changes have occurred? Here’s what you need to know: A3 Monitoring PR has become more important. Yes, what your brand puts out matters, tho, what folks are saying is too. #ContentWritingChat — Shannon Mouton Gray (@ShannonRenee) July 12, 2016 A3 The amount of content has grown exponentially, making it nearly impossible to keep up with what everyone is saying. #ContentWritingChat — Shannon Mouton Gray (@ShannonRenee) July 12, 2016 Shannon feels monitoring PR has become even more important than it once was. You need to monitor not only what your brand puts out there, but also was other people are saying. A3: The rise of Social Media + blogging over the years have impacted the necessity for PR. More monitoring nowadays! #ContentWritingChat — CoSchedule (@CoSchedule) July 12, 2016 It seems Halle from CoSchedule agrees with Shannon! There’s even more of a need for monitoring nowadays. @ExpWriters A3 – Methods of reaching publications have changed, opps to go straight to the audience via social media. #ContentWritingChat — globalHMA (@globalHMA) July 12, 2016 Katie from globalHMA said the methods of reaching publications have changed these days. Now, we have the opportunity to go straight to the audience with the help of social media. .@ExpWriters A3 easier to monitor, greater chance to spread content more widely, more paths to PR contacts #ContentWritingChat — Amanda Vera (@amnda_vera) July 12, 2016 Amanda feels it’s become easier to monitor and you now have a greater opportunity to spread your content far and wide. A3 PR is now a lot more about strategic content creation+placement, building thought leadership. #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/NvdJXqiGtf — … Read more