Want Your Release to Fit In? Use These Words!

— by Phil Dennison, Senior Marketing Specialist

About a year ago,  we wrote about gobbledygook phrases — words that are used over and over in press releases and other marketing materials, but serve little purpose other than cluttering up your news. We included a link to the HubSpot Gobbledygook Grader, developed by David Meerman Scott, where you could evaluate your own copy for that kind of language.

A year later, Adam Sherk has taken a new look at overused buzzwords in press releases. Sherk developed a list of 75 phrases, then searched the PRWeb archive using Google to see how frequently those phrases were used.

I thought it would be interesting, since Sherk limited his search to the PRWeb site, to see how often those phrases have appeared in Business Wire press releases over the last year. Below is a list of Sherk’s top ten most-used phrases, ranked by their frequency in Business Wire releases, and compared with the ranking in PRWeb releases.

Rank               Buzzword          Mentions on Business Wire       PRWeb rank
1                  leading            168,000                           2
2                  best*              102,000                           3
3                  leader              96,400                           1
4                  largest             21,900                           6
5                  innovative          75,900                           7
6                  unique              65,400                           4
7                  solution            56,500                           5
8                  exclusive           25,600                          10
9                  award winning       24,200                           9
10                 innovator              866                           8
*Note: My search excluded the phrase "Best Buy," as Best Buy is a Business Wire user and would have skewed the results.

Interestingly, the top three buzzwords were the same, just ranked in a different order. In fact, all of the top ten were pretty consistent, with the exception of “innovator,” which does not seem to be a word favored by Business Wire users. At least not in the last twelve months.

Since these words are so unlikely to add any value in describing your own company, service and products, one wonders why they’re used so often. Certainly, they’re unlikely to be the terms that consumers or reporters use to try to find your news online. Rather than continue to clutter your press releases with these kinds of phrases, you’re better off concentrating on using the proper keywords to improve your search results.

Engaging Your Audience Using Video

by Rachel Gould, Client Services Representative, Business Wire Boston

Business Wire Boston recently joined forces with video production partner MEDIAmobz and VisibleGains to bring together a panel of specialists in the fields of public relations, new media, conversion marketing and video production to address innovative new ways to engage your target audience and generate buzz.  The original April 27 session was entitled, “Combining SEO and Video to Drive Awareness and Lead Generation Online.”

Check out this interactive video application for some highlights, or to watch the full session.  A 40-second video clip, highlighted at the start of the presentation, offers some guidance on integrating video with press releases.  Also featured are interviews with the panelists, including a segment on tips for creating engaging video.

The discussion was moderated by Cliff Pollan, President & CEO of VisibleGains, and panelists included:

• Tim Bradbury, President New Media, American City Business Journals
• Joe Chernov, Global Director of Communications & Social Media, Eloqua
• Judy Gern, Director of Conversion Marketing, Constant Contact
• David Meerman Scott, Bestselling Author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR
• Dave Toole, Founder & CEO, MEDIAmobz

Some key points that came out of the session:

• Using video in marketing and public relations can expand your audience. Joe Chernov, Global Director of Communications & Social Media at Eloqua, noted that he receives 500% more views on a press release with a video than just plain text content.  Video content can be an important component of a well-rounded and effective lead-generation program.
• Video can engage media and consumers and generate interest for your campaign. Tim Bradbury, President New Media at American City Business Journals, explained that his news outlets look for content to which they can easily drive web traffic.  He said that video, which can be played with the click of a finger, often translates better than text content to new portable devices such as the tablet or the iPad.
• Video adds value – both for the target audience and for search engine optimization. Judy Gern, Director of Conversion Marketing at Constant Contact, stressed the importance of giving potential leads value through video, mentioning that including video in outreach reduces opt-outs by 75 percent.  Cliff Pollan, Founder and CEO of VisibleGains, cited a Forrester survey that showed content with video was 50 times more likely to end up on the first page of Google search engine results.

Having trouble accessing the video?  Go directly to the event page at http://bizwire.pr/seovideoevent.

Local Business Wire offices host dozens of events each year on PR, IR, SEO & media topics.  Check out the Business Wire Events page to find upcoming events in your area.

Follow Business Wire events on Twitter! Hash tag #bwevents

Upcoming Business Wire Boston Event: Combining SEO and Video to Drive Awareness and Lead Generation Online

Business Wire Boston is partnering with VisibleGains and MEDIAmobz to host a free breakfast & panel discussion on Tuesday, April 27, geared toward marketing and communications professionals looking for innovative ways to generate new business leads.

This panel discussion will include industry experts from a variety of backgrounds, including public relations, new media and digital marketing practitioners, offering attendees insights on:

• Best practices for combining video and SEO for effective marketing and public relations campaigns
• Tips on creating simple, but engaging video for lead generation
• Practical advice for optimizing video and press releases for search.

Clifford Pollan, Founder, President & CEO, VisibleGains will moderate the panel, which includes:

• Tim Bradbury, President New Media, American City Business Journals
• Joe Chernov, Global Director of Communications & Social Media, Eloqua
• Judy Gern, Director of Conversion Marketing, Constant Contact
• David Meerman Scott, Bestselling Author of “The New Rules of Marketing and PR”
• Dave Toole, Founder & CEO, MEDIAmobz

Tuesday, April 27 at 8:00am ET
Constant Contact Boston
1601 Trapelo Road, Ste 329
Waltham, MA 02451

This event is free for all attendees. Please visit http://seoandonlinevideobreakfast.eventbrite.com to RSVP.

For more upcoming local Business Wire events or to see what’s coming up in our award-winning webinar series, visit http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/business-wire-events.

Follow Business Wire events on Twitter! Hash tag #bwevents