While their demise has been predicted for years now, the reality is that press releases remain a proven (and often necessary) tool in the fintech public relations toolbox. Since the first press release was issued in 1906, we now have the ability to make a much greater impact when leveraging them to share company news. By following a few best practices, you can optimize your next fintech press release to reach a wider audience of potential prospects.  

1. Research Keywords
   Since your press release will likely be shared multiple times across different platforms, it’s important to ensure that the keywords used are relevant to your company and will drive website traffic. An ideal keyword is one that has a relatively high search volume and low competition. Some of our favorite free tools for assessing keywords are Keyword Keg and Google’s Keyword Planner. The keyword should be included in the title of the release as well as a few times throughout the body, ideally with a link back to a relevant page on your website.
2. Include Links
   As mentioned above, creating “backlinks,” or links from other websites back to yours, is one of the best ways to improve SEO and drive traffic to your website. While there is certainly such a thing as too many links, including 1-2 quality hyperlinks won’t detract from the content of the release. For example, if the release is promoting a new product, choose a keyword that relates to a problem it solves and hyperlink it to the product page on your website. Always include a hyperlink to your website within the boiler plate, both for SEO benefits and so prospects can easily find more information.  
3. Repurpose the Content
   The more places your press release appears online, the bigger the SEO boost. Publishing the release on your own website is a best practice for several reasons. It’s great content for your newsroom and also enables you to share the release on social media while driving the resulting website traffic to your own site rather than a wire service. With some minor adjustments, you can even use the content for a blog post to rank higher for the keyword. 
4. Include a “Tweetable” Quote
   The best way to encourage others to spread your news is to make it convenient. Take advantage of the social media sharing features available through wire services to make it fast and easy for readers to share the news on Twitter, thus creating more (you guessed it) backlinks. Highlight an interesting quote or one sentence summary of the news and be sure to tag your company and any other relevant companies. 
5. Be Available for Interviews or Bylines
   Being available to provide quotes or give interviews is generally a given when publishing a press release, but you may not have considered the importance of this practice for SEO. If the media picks up your news, it’s an opportunity to climb closer to that coveted first page of Google search results. Links to your website from a well-respected financial services resource tell Google’s algorithm that your company is an authority on the topic.
   

    

   While there are many factors impacting the success of a press release, these are a few best practices you can follow to maximize SEO and broaden the reach of your news. If you’d like some additional support sharing your company’s big news, please reach out to learn more about our fintech public relations services.