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INC Online touts a press release from hell as an example of a great press release. I beg to differ.
Kimberly McCall, president of McCall Media & Marketing, Inc, shares two releases with INC Magazine that she says passed her five-second test for intrigue.
The first release is mediocre, but the second release, about search engine optimization of press releases, sucks.
It’s 610 words, (optimum length is 300 or less) and it hides the fact that it’s selling the services of Power PR, which isn’t mentioned until the fourth graf.
The release acts like search engine optimization of releases is a new idea, and fails to explain how a release gets into a news search engine like Google News or Yahoo! News.
Why did the releases pass McCall’s scrutiny? “It’s like selling a house — you gotta have curb appeal.” Both releases, she says, had headlines that sparked her interest enough to keep reading.
Related: How to Optimize Press Releases for Search (and Why You Should)
Press Releases Are a Colossal Waste of Time
Press Releases From Hell and How to Fix Them