Why Every SEO Strategy Needs a Press Kit (Most People Miss This)
Release Date: 01/17/2026
From SEO TikTok to $18M Agencies: How Creators Actually Scale
The Edward Show
E945: I’m joined by Matt Diamante and Jake Tlapek for a long-form, unfiltered conversation about what actually happens after you win on social media. All three of us came up through SEO content on TikTok and Instagram. This episode isn’t about going viral - it’s about turning attention into durable businesses, building teams, and deciding what you want to scale next. We cover the real mechanics of growing agencies, removing yourself from delivery, using content as leverage, and how AI and social search are changing SEO in practice - not theory. What we talk about in this episode: - How...
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Is E-commerce SEO Dead? Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol & the Future of Search
The Edward Show
E944: Google has introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a system that allows merchants to send product data directly to Google so users can discover and buy products inside search, AI Mode, and Gemini - without ever visiting a website. In this episode, we break down what UCP actually is, how agentic commerce works, and what this shift means for e-commerce SEO, CRO, brand authority, and margins. Joining the discussion are Harpreet Singh, Gagan Ghotra, and David Quaid, three experienced SEOs with deep backgrounds in e-commerce, SaaS, B2B, and technical SEO. Together, we unpack...
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How to Get High-Quality Backlinks From Podcast Appearances
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E943: How to get high-quality backlinks from podcast appearances and why podcast guesting is one of the most effective and overlooked SEO strategies available right now. This is based on real experience. In 2022, I went on 30 podcasts in three months before I had an audience, social media presence, or this podcast. Those appearances helped me build backlinks, branded searches, topical authority, and ultimately led to everything I’m doing now. This episode covers why podcast backlinks work, how they affect SEO directly and indirectly, and exactly how to get booked on podcasts consistently....
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An $80 Press Release Ranked #1 on Google (And Tricked AI)
The Edward Show
E942: A real case study showing how an $80 press release from Matt Diamante (Hey Tony Agency) ranked #1 on Google for a non-branded keyword and influenced Google’s AI Overview. This isn’t theory. This actually happened. I walk through exactly how a single press release, distributed through AB Newswire, showed up at the top of Google search results, was cited by a publication, and continued to influence AI search results weeks later - even after the original press release was no longer publicly accessible. This episode explains why press releases still matter, how they influence search...
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Google Is Breaking SEO: Permanent Manual Actions, AI Search & the Rise of Black Hat
The Edward Show
E941: Edward is joined by Charles Floate and David Quaid for a deep, technical conversation about what is actually happening in search right now - and why many long-held SEO assumptions no longer hold. We discuss a growing pattern of manual actions that appear to be permanent, rejected reconsideration requests even after large-scale cleanups, and why some businesses may never fully recover organic traffic from Google. From enterprise sites to small publishers, the rules are shifting fast. The conversation moves into AI search, ChatGPT visibility, Reddit’s dominance in the SERPs, and how...
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Google Penalties Are Becoming Permanent (And That Changes Everything)
The Edward Show
E940: Google penalties are no longer feeling like temporary setbacks. More and more site owners are fixing everything they’re told to fix, submitting reconsideration requests, and still getting rejected. In this episode, I break down why Google manual actions appear to be becoming semi-permanent, what multiple SEO practitioners are seeing in real data, and why Google may no longer be asking “did you fix it?” - but instead “should we ever trust you again?” We cover what’s changing, what’s being reported by people deep in the weeds, and what this means if you’re using aggressive...
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How to Build Backlinks for a Brand New Website (From Zero Authority)
The Edward Show
E939: If you’ve just launched a website and have no backlinks, this episode walks through how to build links the right way - without shortcuts, spam, or jumping into strategies that don’t work for new sites. This episode is based on a real thread from Charles Floate’s r/linkbuilding subreddit, where someone asked how to build high-quality backlinks for a brand-new beauty blog with no existing authority. I break down the best answers, add real-world context, and explain what actually matters when you’re starting from scratch. We cover why most people make link building harder than it...
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YouTube Just Overtook Reddit in AI Search (Here’s How to Win Citations)
The Edward Show
E938: I break down new data showing that YouTube has officially overtaken Reddit as the most cited social platform in AI search, including large language models like ChatGPT. We’ll cover what this shift means for SEO, brand visibility, and how to actually get your content cited by AI using YouTube. What changed in AI search - YouTube is now cited more frequently than Reddit in AI-generated answers - Transcripts and descriptions make YouTube content easy for LLMs to read - AI systems increasingly rely on YouTube for explanations, reviews, and comparisons Why YouTube now beats Reddit for AI...
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Claude Cowork Is a Literal Cheat Code for SEO (Here’s How Agencies See It)
The Edward Show
E937: Watch on YouTube: A deep, practical look at how Claude Cowork is changing the way SEO work is actually executed. This is not a theoretical discussion about AI. The focus is on real workflows: how Claude Cowork performs hands-on SEO tasks that normally require hours of manual effort, and how agencies can realistically use it today. The conversation walks through live examples of Claude Cowork performing local SEO audits, Google Business Profile analysis, competitor research, and on-page SEO evaluations by directly interacting with the browser and SEO tools. Sarvesh Shrivastava joins the...
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How to Build Local Backlinks That Actually Increase Local Rankings
The Edward Show
E936: Local SEO lives or dies by local authority - and one of the biggest drivers of that authority is local backlinks. I break down exactly how to build high-quality local backlinks that help search engines see your business as an authority in a specific city or region. This applies whether you’re starting a local business, competing in a crowded market, or expanding into new locations. I cover practical strategies that send real referral traffic, strengthen local topical authority, and support long-term ranking improvements - not theory. What you’ll learn: - Why local backlinks matter...
info_outlineE927: Why a press kit is one of the most overlooked parts of long-term SEO and brand marketing - and how it directly impacts rankings, links, conversions, and how journalists and AI systems describe your business.
Most brands work hard to earn press, but lose control of the opportunity once a journalist starts researching them. Tight deadlines, shallow research, and AI-generated summaries often lead to inaccurate or weak brand descriptions. A well-built press kit fixes that.
This episode breaks down exactly how press kits influence search engines, journalists, and LLMs, and how to use them to turn earned media into lasting SEO value.
What you’ll learn:
- Why journalists frequently misrepresent brands (even when they link to you)
- How Google associates brands with topics even without links
- Why unlinked brand mentions still matter for rankings
- How press kits influence entity associations and topical authority
- How journalists and LLMs use press kits verbatim
- Why controlling surrounding language is just as important as backlinks
- How press kits help drive link equity to your most valuable pages
- The difference between Google Drive press kits and on-site press kit pages
- How to structure a press kit so it actually gets used
What a high-performing press kit should include:
- A clear, accurate brand description written for journalists
- High-converting language aligned with your SEO targets
- Links to priority pages you want authority flowing to
- High-quality brand images with proper alt text
- Open Graph images for link sharing
- SEO metadata so journalists can identify it instantly in search
- Contact information that makes follow-ups easy
Why this matters:
- Earned media is inevitable if your marketing works
- Most brands waste that coverage by reacting too late
- Press kits let you control the language, links, and positioning
- This is a long-term SEO asset, not a one-time tactic
Press kits are public relations fundamentals, but they are deeply connected to search engine optimization and how brands are represented across Google and AI systems.
⭐️ Rand Fishking discussing how co-occurrence (the words surrounding mentions of your brand) influences Google rankings - https://moz.com/blog/prediction-anchor-text-is-dying-and-will-be-replaced-by-cocitation-whiteboard-friday
💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/
00:00 Introduction: The Overlooked SEO Strategy
00:18 The Journalist's Dilemma: Inaccurate Brand Descriptions
02:08 The Power of Brand Mentions: Insights from Rand Fishkin
03:33 Scenario Two: The Importance of a Press Kit
04:38 Creating an Effective Press Kit
08:09 Real-World Application: My Press Kit Experience
10:14 Conclusion: Maximizing SEO with Press Kits
The Edward Show. Your daily generative engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #publicrelations #linkbuilding #seo