Press releases are a great tool for boosting e-commerce search engine rankings – but don`t think that you can get away with a lame release about new products or new designs.

Your key to all-important press coverage is to make things as news-worthy as possible.

To do this, you should find the websites in your field that discuss industry news. Find out what are the current hot topics and try to use an RSS feed to keep in touch with daily news.

The minute you spot a good (or bad) piece of news, this is the time to write up a press release linking the topic to your own website or business. It can be as vague as you like but if you’re first out with the press release, there’s more chance a blogger or news editor will pick up your story.

Fruity number

So, for example, you are a company doing a great trade in local, organic strawberries. You also sell farm-made berry products on your website. A story hits your country’s fruit growing association to say that strawberry yields are the best for a decade.

Now is your opportunity: Get your PR contact to put together a press release that reveals the high level of strawberry yields, and includes detail of your own farm’s produce plus a comment or quote from the farm manager. Add in your website details, too. Then stick this press release on your website and ping it via email to a few contacts.

It’s likely that you’ll get press coverage – and benefit from the wider distribution of your website details on the internet.

Just remember to keep your press releases current, newsworthy and to the point.