E-consultancy interview: Online PR

We recently had a roundtable on Online PR which produced some very interesting insights - available in the roundtable output document.

One thing that was clear is that the thinking in this area is pretty new and that very few ’traditional’ (PR) agencies at the moment know much about it. Can you name an agency in the UK that specialises in online PR? I can’t think of one...

So far our interview we’ve turned to the leading expert in this area from the US - Greg Jarboe, the President and co-founder of SEO-PR, a firm that has combined search engine optimization and public relations to create search engine PR. More details on Greg are at the bottom.

We’ve asked Greg some questions about search engine PR.  Following are the replies we got.  If you’ve got comments / questions to add, then fire away, and we’ll see if we can’t get more information as required...

Question 1
How are search engine optimization and PR related?

Actually, search engine optimization and public relations were not closely related until Google Inc. launched Google News in September 2002.  Google News was highly unusual because it offered “a news service compiled solely by computer algorithms without human intervention.”  Google News presents information culled from 4,500 news sources worldwide – including PR Newswire, Business Wire, PR Web, and other wire services.

Conduct a news search and Google News automatically presents the most relevant news first – whether it is an article from a news organization or a press release from a PR firm.  Initially, this created a lot of controversy – particularly among journalists.  However, once Google News started labeling each news release as a “press release” the controversy died down.

In March 2004, Yahoo! Inc. released a new version of Yahoo News Search that enables users to search more than 7,000 global news sources – including PR Newswire, Business Wire, PR Web and other wire services.  According to Nielsen//NetRatings, both Yahoo News and Google News are both in the top 20 current events and global news destinations, with unique audiences that rival CNN and BBC News.  This represents both an opportunity and a challenge to public relations consultancies.  If they don’t find a way to optimize press releases for the news search engines, then there are a growing number of search engine marketing firms who will.

Question 2
What best practices should PR people take on board to help with SEO?

PR people have three options:
1. They can download SEO-PR’s free guide to increase website traffic, which Jamie O’Donnell and I wrote last year.  To download it, go to www.seo-pr.com/increase-website-traffic.html. 
2. They can subscribe to e-marketing-news, a free monthly newsletter that is edited by Mike Grehan, author of Search Engine Marketing: The essential best practice guide, and Christine Churchill, President of KeyRelevance.  To sign up, go to www.e-marketing-news.co.uk/. 
3. They can subscribe to the One Minute Benchmarking Bulletin, a free monthly newsletter published by Katie Paine.  Go to www.measuresofsuccess.com/Free+Measurement+Resources/default.aspx to subscribe.

Question 3
Have you got any case studies or examples of how SEO and PR have worked well together?

Yes, several.  One case study is entitled, “You Are Now Free to Link PR and Sales: How Southwest Airlines sold over $80,00 in tickets with one press release.” It can be found at Ballyhoo Magazine www.ballyhoomag.com.  Although you will need to be a subscriber to read it this quarter, it should appear in the free archive in Q4 of this year.

Two other examples are contained in an article entitled, “Failure IS an Option: How Measurement Can Turn Small Failures into Big Successes.”  It is posted on the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) site at www.sempo.org/articles/failure.php.

Question 4
What are your thoughts on future trends, challenges and opportunities in this area?

According to George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  So, I think the best way to answer your question about future trends, challenges and opportunities is to look carefully at the history of public relations.

Ivy Lee, who some consider to be the father of modern public relations, invented the “press release” in 1906.  Lee believed in open communication.  He not only convinced the Pennsylvania Railroad to distribute press releases about a major accident to journalists before they received other versions of the story, he also invited reporters and photographers to the scene and provided a special train to get them there.  In the weeks that followed, newspapers and elected officials effusively praised the Pennsylvania Railroad for its openness and apparent concern for the safety of its passengers.

Later that spring, Lee was hired by some anthracite coal operators to represent them during a strike.  This time, when he sent out press releases, journalists started expressing hostility, calling them ads disguised as news stories and efforts to manipulate news coverage.  In response, Lee issued a “Declaration of Principles.” 

It stated, “This is not a secret press bureau. All our work is done in the open.  We aim to supply news.  This is not an advertising agency; if you think any of our matter ought properly to go to your business office, do not use it.  Our matter is accurate.  Further details on any subject treated will be supplied promptly, and any editor will be assisted most cheerfully in verifying directly any statement of fact.  In brief, our plan is, frankly and openly, on behalf of business concerns and public institutions, to supply to the press and public of the United States prompt and accurate information concerning subjects which it is of value and interest to the public to know about."
As the press release gets re-invented at the beginning of the 21st century for news search engines, it’s important to embrace Lee’s sense of ethics and re-issue his now-famous Declaration of Principles.  If the press and public conduct a news search and find your press release, it should supply news of value and interest, contain accurate information, and offer to provide further details promptly, cheerfully and directly.

Greg Jarboe Profile:
Jarboe has more than 20 years of experience in public relations, corporate communications and marketing at Lotus Development Corp, Ziff-Davis and other companies.  He has been called “one of the best PR people in magazineland” by Media Industry Newsletter, and been praised for his “search engine optimization wizardry” by The Measurement Standard.

Jeffrey Tarter, Editor of Softletter and a well-known industry analyst, says, "Greg Jarboe always seems to be ahead of the curve whenever there’s a major shift in technology marketing.  He’s now figured out a brilliant way to integrate search engine optimization and public relations, creating a powerful strategy for generating leads, building Web traffic, and getting publicity messages in front of potential buyers at exactly the right moment."