In today’s hyper-saturated digital landscape, “authority” is the new currency. But is press releases still relevant in 2025?

It’s not enough to simply exist online; your brand must be perceived as a credible, trustworthy, and authoritative leader in its field. Customers are skeptical, and search engines like Google are actively prioritizing content from sources that demonstrate genuine E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness).

So, how do you build this elusive authority? You could spend years pumping out blog content, meticulously crafting social media posts, and hoping for the best. Or, you could tap into one of the most established, powerful, and surprisingly modern tools in the public relations arsenal: the press release (PR).

Many modern marketers dismiss the press release as a relic—a dusty formality from an era of fax machines and print media. This is a critical, and costly, mistake.

When written, optimized, and distributed strategically, a single press release is a dual-purpose powerhouse. It simultaneously builds your brand’s narrative and provides the technical SEO fuel that Google’s algorithm craves.

At BrandJunction.Online, we’ve built entire authority-building campaigns for global clients using the press release as a cornerstone. Here’s a detailed breakdown of its impact and how it’s an indispensable part of any serious digital strategy.

Part 1: The Impact on Your Brand (The “Human” Element)

Before we even touch on SEO, let’s talk about perception. Your brand is not what you say it is; it’s what the world perceives it to be. A press release is your primary tool for shaping that perception.

1. Instant Credibility and Third-Party Validation

Think about the last time you saw a product “As Seen On ABC, NBC, and CBS.” What was your immediate reaction? You probably felt a sense of trust.

A press release distribution service syndicates your news to hundreds of media outlets, including affiliates of major networks, financial portals like Bloomberg and Yahoo Finance, and industry-specific journals.

When your press release appears on these sites, your brand benefits from the “halo effect.” You are borrowing the authority of that established news source. For a potential customer, seeing your company’s name on a respected platform is a powerful, non-salesy signal that your business is legitimate, active, and newsworthy.

2. Controlling Your Brand’s Narrative

If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. Or worse, no one will tell it at all.

A press release gives you the power to be the primary source for your own news.

  • Launching a new product? A PR frames its features and, more importantly, its benefits in your own words.
  • Hiring a new C-level executive? A PR highlights their experience and explains why this move is a strategic win for the company.
  • Facing a crisis? A PR is the fastest, most formal way to get your official statement on the record, ensuring accuracy and mitigating misinformation.

You provide the official quotes, the key facts, and the strategic context. Journalists and bloggers will use your release as the foundation for their own stories, ensuring your core message is preserved.

3. Building Trust with All Stakeholders

Your “audience” isn’t just customers. It’s your employees, your investors, your partners, and your future talent.

  • For Investors: A steady stream of positive news (e.g., “BrandX Hits 50,000 Users,” “BrandX Secures New Partnership”) demonstrates momentum and a return on their investment.
  • For Employees: Public announcements about company milestones or positive achievements foster a sense of pride and stability. It validates their work.
  • For Potential Recruits: A strong, positive news presence makes your company a more attractive place to work, positioning you as a vibrant and growing industry leader.

4. Top-of-Funnel Awareness and Reach

A press release is not just for announcing news; it’s for distributing it.

A top-tier distribution service can place your story in front of millions of potential eyeballs. This is broad-strokes marketing. Someone who has never heard of your brand might read about your new industry report on Yahoo Finance, be intrigued, and click through to your website. You’ve just created a new lead from a channel you couldn’t have accessed otherwise.

Part 2: The Impact on Your SEO (The “Technical” Element)

This is where the press release transitions from a “branding” tool to a “technical marketing” asset. Google’s entire goal is to provide searchers with the most authoritative and relevant answers. A well-executed PR campaign sends all the right signals.

1. The Holy Grail: High-Authority Backlinks

This is, without question, the single most significant SEO benefit of a press release.

A backlink is a link from one website to another. In Google’s eyes, a backlink is a “vote of confidence.” When a high-authority website (like a major news outlet with a high Domain Authority or “DA”) links to your site, it’s telling Google, “We trust this source. You should, too.”

When your press release is syndicated, it gets published on hundreds of sites. While many of these links may be “nofollow” (a tag that tells Google not to pass equity, but which we’ll discuss later), many are not.

More importantly, a journalist or blogger who discovers your press release on the newswire might write their own original story about your announcement. This “organic pickup” will almost always include a natural, “dofollow” link to your site. This single, high-authority, editorially-given link can be more powerful for your SEO than hundreds of low-quality links.

2. The Power of “Brand Mentions” (Co-Citation)

Google’s algorithm is smarter than just counting links. It understands context.

Even if a news article mentions your brand name—”BrandJunction.Online announced a new service today…”—without linking to you, Google sees and indexes this. This is called a brand mention or co-citation.

When Google’s crawlers consistently see your brand name mentioned on authoritative news and industry sites, it reinforces your E-E-A-T profile. It tells the algorithm that your brand is a real, discussed, and relevant entity in your niche. This builds a “semantic” map of authority around your brand, making it easier for you to rank for your target keywords.

3. Driving High-Quality Referral Traffic

SEO isn’t just about rankings; it’s about traffic. Press releases drive referral traffic.

Someone reading your news on a trusted site is already “warmed up.” They aren’t cold-calling you. They are actively interested in your announcement. When they click the link in the press release to visit your website, they are a highly qualified, high-intent visitor.

This traffic sends powerful behavioral signals to Google. When Google sees that visitors from these authoritative sites land on your page, spend time there, and don’t immediately “bounce” (leave), it reinforces that your site provides a good user experience and is a relevant match for the topic. This, in turn, boosts your overall rankings.

4. Dominating Your Branded Search Results (SERP Control)

When a potential customer Googles your company’s name, what do they see?

You want to own that entire first page. You want it filled with positive, authoritative results that you control.

A press release published on high-DA news sites (like AP News, Yahoo, etc.) will often rank on the first page for your brand name. This is invaluable. It pushes down any irrelevant or potentially negative results, allowing you to completely control the “first impression” a searcher has of your brand.

Part 3: The Verdict: A Dual-Strategy Weapon

The impact of a press release is no longer a question of “brand or SEO.” It is a unified strategy where each side amplifies the other.

  • The brand awareness from the PR (the “human” element) drives traffic and brand mentions.
  • The SEO signals from that traffic and those mentions (the “technical” element) tell Google to rank you higher.
  • Your higher ranking puts you in front of more people, which in turn builds your brand awareness.

It’s a powerful, self-perpetuating cycle of authority.

Dismissing the press release is dismissing one of the few tools that directly and powerfully speaks to both people and search engines simultaneously. It’s not an outdated tactic; it’s a foundational strategy.

Let’s Talk About us , What our Clients Say

“BrandJunction transformed our online presence. Within 3 months, we saw a 200% increase in traffic and 40% more leads.” – Retail Client, Luxembourg

“Their design and SEO work helped us launch across 3 countries. A truly global-thinking agency.” – Export Client, UAE

“BrandJunction’s strategy and reporting transparency make them the best partner for measurable digital growth.” – Manufacturing Client, India

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Are press releases still relevant in 2025?

Absolutely. Their purpose has evolved. While they are still used to announce major news to journalists, their primary value for most businesses is now as a digital marketing and SEO tool. They are one of the most effective ways to secure high-authority backlinks and brand mentions, which are critical for ranking on Google.

2. What’s the difference between a press release and a blog post?

A blog post is written for your customers and audience. It’s typically informal, educational, or entertaining, and lives on your own website. A press release is written for journalists and media outlets. It is formal, factual, and must be objectively “newsworthy” (e.g., a new product, an event, a company milestone). It’s distributed through wire services to other websites, not just your own.

3. Will one press release make me rank #1 on Google?

No. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. Think of a press release as adding a significant “boost” to your authority. A single, well-distributed PR can create a powerful ripple effect, but it must be part of a consistent, long-term SEO strategy that also includes on-page optimization, quality content creation, and a good user experience.

4. Are all press release distribution services the same?

This is a crucial point: No, they are not. Free or very cheap services ($5-$50) often syndicate your release to low-quality, spammy sites, which can actually hurt your SEO. A premium service (like PR Newswire, Business Wire, etc.) costs more but guarantees your release gets on high-authority, legitimate news and financial portals. When it comes to PR distribution, you absolutely get what you pay for.

5. I heard most PR links are “nofollow.” Isn’t that bad for SEO?

Not at all. A “nofollow” link has an attribute that tells Google not to pass “link equity” or “juice.” However, Google has stated that it now treats “nofollow” as a hint rather than a strict directive. More importantly, these links are still incredibly valuable for:

  • Driving referral traffic: Real people click them, which is the ultimate goal.
  • Creating brand mentions: As discussed, Google values the mention itself.
  • Generating organic “dofollow” links: A journalist will see your “nofollow” release and write a new story with a “dofollow” link. The nofollow link is the “bait” that lands the “dofollow” fish.
  • Also Check our Services

About the Author

Gaurav Rajani is the CEO and Blogger at BrandJunction.Online, a full-service digital agency dedicated to building powerful, authoritative brands for a global audience.

Building authority isn’t just theoretical for us—it’s what we deliver every day. If your brand is struggling to be seen and heard, we can help.

Just click this link to send us a message on WhatsApp. We’ll set up a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your business goals.

Also Check our Services

Ready to see how we build brands? Explore the full range of services we offer at BrandJunction.Online.