Publicizing your show — and your exhibitors — with a comprehensive press strategy is an important component of any event marketing plan. Smart show marketers are also tapped into the value of optimizing press materials for the Web. Taking search engine optimization into account when crafting a press release can translate into attracting new press, attendees and exhibitors who wouldn’t have found your show without the Web.

Here are three quick tips from online press release source PR Newswire: Embrace brevity. Write too long and the message becomes diluted, making it difficult for search engines to classify it as specifically. This will often force the release out of top search results, making it less likely for Internet searchers to find it quickly. Aim for 400 to 600 words, which is typically long enough to highlight key details, but short enough that the main points are emphasized.

Drop anchor. Anchor text, the links on Web sites connecting a word or phrase to a related page, can act as a conduit within a press release connecting searchers to your event. Link important keywords (think two or three words, max) back to relevant pages on your event site. Focus on the headline. The headline and subhead may be the most important elements of the press release in terms of optimization. Keep the headline short — 60 to 80 characters — and make sure the subhead doesn’t extend past two lines.

Don’t be too clever: Use descriptive language and keywords in the headline and subhead you plan to repeat in the body of the release. Want more? Get the scoop at: www.prnewswire.com/ knowledge-center/onlinepublic- relations/Press- Release-SEO—Writing-Press- Releases-Effectively-for- Search-Engines.html.