In search engine marketing, creating and distributing press releases is a great way to build backlinks for your website, in addition to branding your company through direct exposure. A lot of people find press releases intimidating, but they’re actually very easy to write — no J-school required.

To get started, let’s take a look at 5 simple rules for creating SEO press releases:

1. Quote Smart

Although press releases are usually pretty formal, you can spice up your text by adding a few good quotes —shoot for the opinionated, funny, passionate, or otherwise compelling. Many PR engines grab pull-out quotes by choosing text within quotation marks, so be sure to keep your quotes in logical chunks. Don’t say:

“Our business,” Steve began, “is to be the best search engine agency in NY.”

Otherwise, you might get stuck with a pull-out quote that says only “your business.” You also want to avoid putting individual “words” in quotes in your text — if you need to use quotation marks for emphasis, use single quotes.

2. Mind Your Media

Every PR service is different, but many of them allow video and/or image attachments, in addition to inset links, possibly with keywords. For optimum business marketing, be sure to take advantage of these factors whenever possible.