Press release distribution platforms have been around for many years. And with advanced technology, PR distribution online services have continued to evolve and helped businesses promote their news far and wide.
Despite the belief that releases are dead, it’s not. If it’s near its demise or it’s no longer useful, then why there are still newswires today?
A lot of companies are still using it to spread their story. Newswires have a huge network of reporters and media outlets. It also syndicates stories on sites and other locations online to promote brand awareness and visibility.
Before discussing the different PR distribution sites, let’s first find out the factors that you need to consider when choosing a service:
Distribution channels
You need to know where your releases are syndicated. It’s one of the most important questions that you need to know before getting service.
Find out if their network of sites, media outlets and reporters are relevant to you. If not, you are certainly just wasting your time and effort dealing with them.
Usually, the more expensive the plan is, the wider the distribution. A basic plan has a limited distribution compared to a higher plan.
If you don’t have any idea where your news will land, ask it. You deserve to know where your story will be published. Are they connected with major sites like Reuters, Associated Press, and other well-known publications?
You should have a list of journalists and media sites that are relevant to you. From there, you can check if the two of you are a good fit.
Prices and packages
Different newswires offer different plans and pricing. Some of them even ask for a subscription fee before you can use their platform.
Evaluate your business goals. Check each site if they can answer your needs. Choose the one that can fulfil it.
Check the features, add-ons, and analytics reports. Weigh all these factors. Let’s say you are a startup, do you think you can afford the package you are getting?
Are you getting a good return-on-investment (ROI)? If you’re spending more than what you are going to get, you must not get it in the first place.
As mentioned, the higher the package, the more features it includes. Is it what you need or you can just try the basic package for a start?
Ease of use
Another important factor that some may neglect is the ease of use. It’s crucial that you check if the platform is user-friendly. Is the PR submission easy and quick?
Or are you finding it confusing right at the beginning? Do they have customer service staff who can guide you along the process of submission?
What time they can be reached? Can they be contacted in the given contact details?
Analytics report
You need to know if your campaign is successful or not. Do you know where your releases were syndicated, who picked it, or how many people liked and shared it?
These are only some of the metrics that you must know each time you distribute a release. You must know your ROI, or else you’re just wasting your time and effort.
Now that you know the four important factors to consider when choosing a distribution service, make sure to apply them before making your decision.
Listed below are the top PR Distribution services in the market today:
- Newswire
Newswire is one of the top press release distribution online services known for its customer service, ease of use and wide distribution network. It distributes releases to 4, 500 + media outlets and offers multiple distributions and fast 24-hour editorial reviews.
They send releases not only on their own distribution network but also with PR Newswire’s network, giving it more exposure. Other features they offer include featuring your story on premium publishers like AOL, FOX, CNN Money, Yahoo News, and more.
They have a huge database of more than 1.7 million journalists, allowing brands to pitch to relevant media. They offer targeted distribution by location, industry, or corporation. A report is given that track open rates, readers, and where it is published.
The wire service offers single, monthly and annual packages. There are four plans under the single distribution: Premium ($119), Premium Plus ($359), State Newsline ($699), and National Newsline ($1, 199). All of the single distribution packages include media distribution, features, upgrades, and analytics.
There are three plans under the monthly and annual subscriptions: professional, Small Business, and Enterprise. The annual subscriptions are offered at 20 per cent off. The monthly plan starts at $399 while the annual plan starts at $317 per month. They offer writing services for $249.
SINGLE DISTRIBUTION
| MEDIA DISTRIBUTION | PREMIUM | PREMIUM PLUS | STATE NEWSLINE | NATIONAL NEWSLINE |
| Network distribution 250 + outlets | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| PR Newswire distribution | √ | √ | √ | |
| Google News | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| Yahoo | √ | √ | √ | |
| Business Journals Network | √ | √ | √ | |
| Reuters | √ | √ | ||
| Associated Press | √ | √ |
MONTHLY DISTRIBUTION
| DISTRIBUTION | PROFESSIONAL | SMALL BUSINESS | ENTERPRISE |
| $399 | $699 | $1, 599 | |
| Premium PRs | 2 | 4 | 15 |
| Discount on wire distribution packages and services | 10% | 15% | 20% |
| Premium network 250+ | √ | √ | √ |
| Google News | √ | √ | √ |
| Optional extended distribution | √ | √ | √ |
| Industry list | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Add hyperlinks, images, and video | √ | √ | √ |
| Targeted auto campaign to industry publications | √ | √ | √ |
| Detailed analytics report | √ | √ | √ |
| Newsroom | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Media database | 400 | 800 | 3, 000 |
| Media monitoring | 4 | 8 | 20 |
| Influence | √ | √ | √ |
ANNUAL DISTRIBUTION
| DISTRIBUTION | PROFESSIONAL | SMALL BUSINESS | ENTERPRISE |
| $317 | $558 | $1, 271 | |
| Premium PRs | 2 | 4 | 15 |
| Discount on wire distribution packages and services | 10% | 15% | 20% |
| Premium network 250+ | √ | √ | √ |
| Google News | √ | √ | √ |
| Optional extended distribution | √ | √ | √ |
| Industry list | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Add hyperlinks, images, and video | √ | √ | √ |
| Targeted auto campaign to industry publications | √ | √ | √ |
| Detailed analytics report | √ | √ | √ |
| Newsroom | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Media database | 400 | 800 | 3, 000 |
| Media monitoring | 4 | 8 | 20 |
| Influence | √ | √ | √ |
2. PRWeb
PRWeb is a subsidiary company of Cision, providing special media monitoring, media engagement, and PR services. It launched a new site architecture, resource centre, and press release templates that offer more social media exposure and search engine optimization benefits.
Their basic package starts at $99 providing exposure in relevant search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Releases are also permanently hosted on PRWeb. The Standard package costs $189 that includes syndicating releases across different sites and channels, and exposure of news on major search engines that both increase traffic and visibility.
The Advanced package costs $289 that include direct emailing the release to relevant industry-specific journalists and influencers apart from syndicating it to different locations, and exposure on search engines. The premium plan that can be availed for $389 provides an added feature of distributing the release to industry-curated Twitter feeds and influential blogger networks.
PRWeb Distribution Plans
| Basic $99 | Standard $189 | Advanced $289 | Premium $389 |
| Boost the site’s visibility in relevant search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc). Permanent hosting of releases on PRWeb.com | It features driving more traffic to your site by syndicating your news across major media sites | You can email relevant media directly and industry-specific influencers to drive media attention | You have the tendency to go viral by distributing news to bloggers and industry-curated Twitter feeds, boost site’s visibility, drive more traffic, and earn media coverage |
3. eReleases
eReleases is a popular press release service, offering distribution of releases to 4, 200 networks for a fee under $300. It is recommended for small businesses, looking for low investment and great exposure.
It offers three plans: the Buzz Builder, Newsmaker, and PR Pro. It costs $299, $399, and $499 respectively. Clients who need immediate distribution can add $100 on top of the package for the next business day distribution.
Like Newswire, eReleases is also a partner of PR Newswire, the oldest press release site in distributing releases. It features the PRTrue Lists that provide 94 per cent delivery of releases to relevant journalists.
The WireWatch report is a report they provide to their clients as proof of distribution. It is ready two hours after the release gets published. A link is included so their clients can test it themselves. They offer writing services for an additional fee.
| FEATURE | BUZZ BUILDER | NEWSMAKER | PR PRO |
| Price | $299 | $399 | $499 |
| Word limit | 400 | 500 | 600 |
| Industry-list | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Online PR media sites | 75 | 100 | 150 |
| PRTrue List | √ | ||
| WireWatch Proof of Distribution | √ | √ | √ |
| Tier-1 Newswire US National Distribution | √ | √ | √ |
| Associated Press & Google News | √ | √ | √ |
| Journalists | 100, 000 | 100, 000 | 100, 000 |
4. Send2Press
Send2Press has been in the PR industry since 1983. It offers targeted release distribution and professional writing services.
The distribution service starts at $99 for the Standard level “State” plan, $149 for the “Industry” plan, and $199 for the Standard level “National” plan. The distribution includes direct-to-editors delivery of releases, aggregators, major wire services, and other locations.
The National Plan syndicates stories to 6, 000+ media outlets while the State plan syndicates stories to one state. Both the packages include a custom social media marketing campaign, distribution to 200 to 500 sites, free image and video inclusion.
The Industry plan is recommended for reaching national trade magazines by industries and daily media in the United States. A standard online only post plan is available for $89.
The full writing of releases is priced at $199, two drafts revision/ rewrite service is $169, while the one draft revision or rewriting costs $89. The process includes a phone interview with the PR pro, providing multiple drafts, and completion of the release for 1 to 3 working days.
Standard Level Distribution Plans
| FEATURE | PLAN | PRICE |
| Personal interview and confirmation of release, 800 to 1, 200 words | Standard National Distribution Plan | $199 |
| Direct-to-editors email delivery to daily media, 6, 000 media outlets, AP, magazines | Standard Industry + Regional Plan | $149 |
| Online syndication, syndication to top electronic news systems | Standard State/ Event Distribution Plan | $99 |
| Social media marketing campaign and optional social boost | Standard Online Only Post Plan | $89 |
| Report dashboard | ||
| An additional image, video, links, and newsrooms | ||
Premium Level Distribution Plans
| FEATURE | PLAN | PRICE |
| 400 words | Premium National PLUS Plan | $499 |
| Daily media (newspapers +broadcast), magazines | Premium Industry Focus Plan | $469 |
| PRN for journalists | Premium National Online LITE Plan | $399 |
| Online syndication | ||
| Social media marketing campaign and optional social boost | ||
| Report dashboard | ||
| An additional image, video, links, and newsrooms |
Writing Service Plans
| WRITING PLAN | PRICE |
| Full press release | $199 |
| Two-drafts release | $169 |
| One-draft release | $89 |
4. BusinessWire
Business Wire features PR solution, IR solutions, distribution and analytics, and website services. It has its own patented NX network that reaches more than 89, 000 media outlets in 162 countries.
The distribution covers 193 industry and trade categories. It helps businesses in reaching their target audience across different channels.
It includes free distribution to industry leaders and print and online media, web formatting, and free social media sharing links. The news is delivered to newsrooms of AP, Reuters, AFP, Dow Jones, and more.
It requires a membership fee on top of the plans. There is no available pricing on the site, but reviews indicated that plans start at $400 for a 400-word press release. An additional fee of $195 is given to every 100-word additional.
These are the top five online press release distribution services that you may check if you are decided to use a newswire for your distributing releases. Using it may not land you media coverage, but it will surely help in building brand awareness and boosting your visibility.
While using newswire, it is best to pitch directly to reporters to get the most of your distribution. Pitching directly provides a better outcome if you want to gain publicity. Don’t forget that PR is about relationships.
