2022 Guide To Choosing a Press Release Distribution Service

Choosing a press release distribution service boils down to answering two fundamental questions:

• What kind of reach can I expect?
• How much is it going to cost?

Countless services will take your cash. They’ll blast your news out to ‘hundreds of journalists’ and ‘thousands of media sites.’ But how do you know if they’re any good?

This post highlights the best in the business and includes the price you’ll pay, as well as the reach you can expect.

But first, let’s start with a mini-guide for picking a press release distribution service.

If you don’t need one, just jump straight to the recommended services.

Find Out All About Press Release Distribution.

• What is a press release distribution service?
  • Are press releases useful?
• How does press distribution work?
  • First, write a good press release
  • Selecting a press release distribution service
• What are the benefits of using press releases?
  • A word on press releases and SEO
• What is the best press release distribution service?
  • Recommended press release distribution services
• The best-of-the-rest distribution services
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Key considerations

What Is a Press Release Distribution Service?

A press release distribution service is a company that promotes your press release to the media. The service sends your release to news outlets, blog and social media networks, and journalists’ inboxes.

You‘d use a press release distribution service when you have a newsworthy announcement to make and want exposure for your business.

Press release distribution services answer the question, ‘Who should I send my press release to?’ They have:

• Access to press syndication wires
• Email addresses of influential journalists
• A network of online assets where they can post your news

Are Press Releases Useful?

Yes. A press release is a powerful tool for raising awareness about events concerning your business.

The main point of using a distribution service is to email your press release to journalists to win media coverage. Journalists consider press releases credible, with 44% claiming they’re the most trustworthy source of brand-related information. Thousands of reporters are looking to fill columns of space every day. Many use press releases as a resource for the stories they’ll write.

PR professionals also use press releases to raise awareness and engagement for their customers, while Search Engine Optimization specialists find they help get their customers noticed and listed in the major search engines.

The best outcome for a press release is that a journalist takes an interest in it and crafts a story to be read by thousands, even millions of readers.

How Does Press Release Distribution Work?

First, write a good press release.

Your news distribution starts with a well-written press release. It’s crucial that your release looks professional and is formatted correctly; otherwise, it’s likely the news wires and journalists will discard it.

Your press release should contain newsworthy information. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering news but the notification should be about a specific event or announcement at your business.

Petra Odak, CMO of Better Proposals, says, “In our experience, press releases can be an amazing way to spread your story and reach a bigger audience. However, it really needs to be a story worth covering and reading… otherwise, you’re just pushing ads in a different format.”

Most distribution companies offer a press release writing service. If you don’t know how to compose one yourself, a trained journalist can write it for you. Alternatively, you can have a journalist rework your current draft and format it to meet the desired expectations of news sites.

You can also include more than just text in your press release. Multimedia content is typical, so feel free to add an image or a video to your release.  When your press release is ready, the next step is to choose a good press release distribution service.

Selecting a Press Release Distribution Service

Using a distribution service is a bit like dining in a fancy à la carte restaurant. You have a menu of distribution channels to select from, and the more outlets you choose, the more you are charged.

In most cases, services offer three channels for distributing a press release —

Websites, blogs, RSS feeds, and social media: Your press release is posted on the distribution service’s website (or network of websites) and social media accounts. With this option, your news reaches only a limited audience as it’s typically the cheapest service.

Press release syndication: This option sends your press release to news websites and press wire services.  Some service providers guarantee publication on news stations and industry-relevant websites.

The more you pay, the more prestigious news aggregators you can reach, such as Google News, Bloomberg, and the Associated Press.

Journalists’ inboxes: The third option is distributing your release directly to media contacts curated by the distribution company. The aim is for a journalist to write a story based on your news.

It’s important to manage your expectations when you send out a press release. While you can expect some publication across websites and social media, nothing else is guaranteed. Any further benefit will depend on how well your release has been written and how your news fits in with the day’s trending topics.

When picking a service provider, check how quickly they work. Some offer next-day distribution. Others will process your release in under an hour. The quicker the service, the more expensive it’s likely to be.

What Are The Benefits of Using Press Releases?

Sending a press release is your chance to let your business have some limelight and start discussions on an issue. A press release is a format that 78% of journalists say they want to receive. A daily task for many reporters is reviewing the press releases that hit their inboxes and selecting one or two to write a story about. You never know; they may pick yours.

A good distribution service will have the knowledge and contacts to give your press release the best chance of success.

Other secondary benefits of press releases include —

• Instant traffic to your website, with the potential for viral volumes
• Satisfy disclosure requirements for investors
• A boost to your website’s SEO

A Word on Press Releases and SEO

At one time, website owners sent out press releases to gain backlinks. The backlinks signaled to the search engines that a website had authority, which helped them rank better. Google has become wise to this practice, so backlinks from press releases today are mostly ‘no follow.’

This means you won’t boost your website rankings through backlinks. However, your release may provide other SEO benefits.  Your press release itself can rank in the search results when it’s added to the pages of high-ranking sites.

Brendan Hufford, of SEO For The Rest of Us, says, “For local SEO, I’ve seen a TON of success with press releases that include embeds of things like Google Business profiles and YouTube videos.”

Additionally, your press release can drive traffic to your website. One of Google’s ranking factors is the time a person spends on your site. So if you get new visitors looking at your website, it can provide an SEO boost and a higher ranking in the search results.

Now let’s look at some of the top press release distribution services.

What Is The Best Press Release Distribution Service?

The best distribution service depends on your budget, needs, and target audience. We recommend you pick one that offers newswire distribution and content sub-editing.

Here are our top two recommendations, followed by details of 18 other commendable press release distribution services.

Recommended Press Release Distribution Services

#1. PR Fire

The best all-around press release distribution service, also run by journalists.

Built by a team of experienced media journalists and PR specialists, PR Fire is our top choice for press release distribution. PR Fire can send your press release to thousands of publishers and journalists who cover your industry.

UK-based PR Fire offers a full writing journalistic service too. Their journalists will edit your press release or even write one for you. What’s more, they can enhance your news with the right image or other multimedia from their extensive media database. PR Fire has achieved coverage on premiere news platforms such as Google News, BuzzFeed, and The Huffington Post.

Distribution and reach features:

• Distributed to thousands of journalists, bloggers, and publishers in your industry.
• Get your content featured on Twitter, Facebook, plus a network of other social sites.
• Upgrade for guaranteed placements on regional or national news websites such as ABC, CBS, and NBC News.
• All press releases go to Google, Bing, and Yahoo News.

Cost to submit a press release: Prices start from just £95 ($105)

Link to site: Submit your press release now.

#2. Pressat

Best UK-focused press release distribution to targeted audiences.

Pressat has a database of media subscribers encompassing bloggers, journalists, and editors. Since 2010 it has supported 40,000 businesses.

Pressat takes the less-is-more approach of targeting your press release to smaller groups of topic specialists. But it can still distribute via Bing News, DowJones, and Thomson Reuters.

Distribution and reach features:

• Targeted distribution and guaranteed syndication
• A database of 33,000 media subscribers
• Aim to process your release in under 15 minutes

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from £110 ($122).

Link to site: Pressat

The Best-of-the-Rest Press Release Distribution Services

#3. Linking News

Best press release tool for reaching Chinese media websites.

Linking News is US-based and provides a white label service, so your press release won’t mention the Linking News brand.

It guarantees coverage on ‘top tier’ news sites. But for the entry-level price, the sites are mostly US news affiliates. If you want your press release to appear on household name news sites, prepare to pay more than £1355 ($1500).

Distribution and reach features:

• Press releases published on premier news affiliate sites.
• Access to 10,000 global news sites.
• Offers specialist Chinese news distribution services.

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from £144 ( $159).

Link to site: Linking News

#4. Globe Newswire

Best service to reach multi-national audiences.

Globe Newswire focuses on distributing your press release to a global audience. It offers an ideal service for businesses whose customers are not location-dependent and are seeking brand awareness.

Building on a network of news agencies, daily newspapers, and online syndicators, Globe Newswire will spread your news far and wide. You can also create customized KPI reports to evaluate your campaigns.

Distribution and reach features:

• Opportunities for earned media and relationships with key influencers.
• Reach media outlets in 92 countries and 35 local languages.
• Real-time monitoring of your press release across the web.

Cost to submit a press release: Not publicly disclosed. Contact for details.

Link to site: Globe Newswire

#5. Business Wire

Best press distribution for big business and finance.

Founded in 1961, Business Wire is an established press release distribution service. Owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, Business Wire sends thousands of press releases every day.

It is used by fortune 500 businesses as well as non-profits. Business Wire has 20 offices globally and distributes to a network of 100,000 media outlets.

Distribution and reach features:

• Target your press release by audience demographics.
• A choice of 150 trade media categories.
• Global distribution, in a choice of 19 languages.

Cost to submit a press release: Not disclosed (expensive).

Link to site: Business Wire

#6. PRWeb.com

Best press release distribution for choosing custom recipients.

PRWeb is owned by Global PR giant Cision, who’ve created the PRWeb tool to help smaller businesses increase their exposure.

PRWeb is an affordable choice for those who want to give press release distribution a try.  However, the entry-level price only sees your news posted on PRWeb’s website.

Distribution and reach features:

• Users can select which audiences to target.
• Reach 1,200 new websites, plus influencers and social audiences.
• Extensive press release interaction report.

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from £89 ($99).

Link to site: PRWeb

#7. PRFire.co.uk

Best press release distribution service for UK business.

PR Fire offers a service to UK businesses that want to distribute their press releases to a nationwide audience. PR Fire provides press release writing services and distribution to journalists’ inboxes serving your industry sector.

The service posts your press release on a high-authority news website, and for an additional fee, guarantee publication on news sites like Yahoo! News, and Marketwatch.

After three working days, you receive a comprehensive performance report showing who viewed your news and where it was published.

Distribution and reach features:

• Coverage on Marketwatch and The Press Association.
• Publish your press release on the high-authority site NewsAnyway.
• Reach journalists and bloggers in 53 industry categories.

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from free.

Link to site: Submit your press release now.

#8. PR Newswire

Best press release distribution for medium to large companies.

PR Newswire is one of the major players in the press release landscape. They offer an almost unmatched reach, which is reflected in the service’s cost. Before you can send a press release, they charge you an annual registration fee of £176 ($195).

Then, for a 400-word press release, prices start at £316 ($350) for distribution to regional news. If you want your news to go national, prices start much higher for a text-only press release.

Distribution and Reach Features:

• Database of 550 news content systems.
• Select location, sector, or content topic distribution.
• Distribution on the PR Newswire journalist-only media network.

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from £316 ($350) plus £176 ($195) registration fee.

Link to site: PR Newswire

#9. 24-7 Press Release

Best low-cost distribution service for SMEs.

Founded in 2004, 24-7 Press Release is a more affordable press release service. Its service is aimed at the SME market, and while the press release packages start at £44 ($49), you can have your news posted on their website for just £26 ($29).

Be aware: they have a 375-word limit for press releases, which is lower than other service providers. But you can increase this for an additional charge.

Distribution and reach features:

• Over 3000 newspapers and 1500 magazines in the USA.
• Distribution packages include TV and radio stations.
• Sent out to bloggers, social media influencers, and independent journalists.

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from £26 ($29).

Link to site: 24-7 Press Release

#10. PR Log

The ideal solution for small business owners on a limited budget.

PR Log offers a free press release service, but this only gets your release posted on its ad-supported website. If you want to reach the news aggregators, you need to take out their premium package, costing £90 ($99).

PR Log is a service aimed at the cost-conscious business owner or those looking for a quick route to get their website noticed by search engines.

Distribution and reach features:

• Distribution to 8000+ email subscribers.
• Offer a bolt-on package that uses PR Newswire.
• You can submit to AP News for a premium fee.

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from £27 ($29) for a basic package.

Link to site: PR Log

#11. PR.com

Best value press release distribution for non-profits.

If you are looking for a low-cost way of reaching search engines and web news organizations, you should look at PR.com. It’s an affordable option for press releases that aren’t time-sensitive.

However, if you need your press release distributed on the same day, you’ll have to buy the top package costing £271 ($300) which includes editorial proofreading and submission to AP News.

Distribution and reach features:

• Syndication on the PR.com RSS news feed.
• Target distribution by region and topic.
• Reach journalists wherever they are via their mobile distribution network.

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from £54 ($60).

Link to site: Pr.com

#12. PR Wire Pro

Best service for small businesses that send out regular press releases.

PR Wire Pro aims to provide a responsive service to businesses sending regular press releases.  There isn’t a database of news subscribers or journalists, but your press release will be distributed to 250 US news sites.

PR Wire Pro offers a credit system for its press release service:  the more credits you buy, the cheaper the service becomes.

Distribution and reach features:

• Reach over 250 media outlets including USA Today and Fox News.
• A 24-hour contact number for the editorial staff.
• Include up to three images at no additional cost.

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from £90 ($99).

Link to site: PR Wire Pro

#13. eReleases

Press release distribution aimed squarely at small businesses.

eReleases is a premium press release service aimed at small businesses.

eReleases guarantees you visibility on 75 US media sites. If you require international distribution, you can include additional countries or select a global option costing £905 ($1000).

A connection to the PR Newswire service is included, making it possible to avoid their annual membership fee if you only need to send out one press release.

Distribution and reach features:

• Location targeting and proof of distribution report.
• A distribution list of over 100,000 journalists.
• Press release submitted to Google, Bing, and Yahoo news.

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from £271 ($299).

Link to site: eReleases

#14. Newswire

Best press release distribution for winning earned media.

Newswire offers packages for single press releases or you can buy multiple credits if you send out releases on a regular basis. Aimed at the US marketplace, you can reach all of the major US news networks.

The entry-level price doesn’t include Yahoo News, the Associated Press, or publication on the Newswire Twitter feeds. You can also pay for inclusion on the PR Newswire network.

Distribution and reach features:

• Aimed mainly at the US market, though international distribution is available.
• Choose between digital and print news distribution.
• A more generous press release word limit of 500.

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from £180 ($199).

Link to site: Newswire

#15. Accesswire

Best distribution for long press releases.

Accesswire is a press release service aimed at the finance industry. You can quickly reach media organizations in more than 90 countries and comply with financial regulations on disclosure.

They offer a service with no limits on word length, and you can include as many links, images, and videos as you wish. If you need to reach the global finance market news-makers, Accesswire is a good choice.

Distribution and reach features:

• Media and journalist targeting by country, industry, or US state.
• Reach over 90 countries.
• Real-time analytics of press release performance.

Cost to submit a press release: Not disclosed; contact for details.

Link to site: Accesswire

#16. Prezly

Best solution for businesses with full-time PR departments.

Prezly is a little different from the rest of the distribution services covered here. With Prezly, businesses control their press release promotion by creating their own newsroom and building a network of recipients.

If you feel happier in complete control, here’s your chance to outdo other distribution networks.

Distribution and reach features:

• Build media kits to send to your contacts.
• Publish your own newsroom full of stories.
• Real-time analytics to monitor your progress.

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from £45 ($50) per user per month.

Link to site: Prezly

#17. PRLeap

Best low-cost press release service for embedding video.

PRLeap is an affordable option for people who need to include images and video in their press releases. Most other distribution services charge a premium to send media-rich press releases, but PRLeap offers this service as standard.

Choose PRLeap if you are looking for modern, fresh templates at an affordable price. PRLeap offers one-off pricing and subscription pricing offering a 27% discount for multiple press releases.

Distribution and reach features:

• Guaranteed distribution to 100+ media outlets.
• Social share buttons for further reader distribution.
• Target press releases by industry sector.

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from £122 ($135).

Link to site: PRLeap

#18. WebWire

The best option for avoiding the PR Newswire registration fee.

WebWire has been delivering press releases to its database of media news aggregators and journalists since 1995. As one of the first internet-driven press release distribution services, WebWire has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field.

Offering a 24/7 service, its customers can select from a range of distribution packages depending on their needs.

Distribution and reach features:

• Syndication to over 6,000 news websites.
• Option to handpick reporters and trade publications.
• The top distribution package uses the PR Newswire channel.

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from £36 ($394.95).

Link to site: WebWire

#19. PR Underground

Best press release distribution for SMEs who don’t want to pay high prices.

PR Underground’s entry-level package provides an affordable pathway to press release distribution. Your news will be published on digitaljournal.com and social media distribution, as well as sent to Google News.

Their premiere package (costing £280 ($309)) guarantees publication on some major news sites for up to 700 words of content.

Distribution and reach features:

• Top package guarantees coverage on Yahoo Finance.
• Coverage on 80+ regional US news websites.
• Social media promotion and an entry in digitaljournal.com.

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from £63 ($69.99).

Link to site: PR Underground

#20. PR Distribution

Best press release distribution for inclusion in smart devices.

PR Distribution syndicates your press release to a wide variety of news feeds. It offers a wide range of packages, from affordable to expensive. You can save up to 50% if you buy a package of press releases.

One of its top services costs £1809 ($1999) and guarantees inclusion in Yahoo Finance, the Associated Press, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home.

Distribution and reach features:

• Guaranteed syndication in up to 400 news sites.
• Distribution to social feeds and financial feeds.
• Press release hosted permanently on prdistribution.com.

Cost to submit a press release: Starting from £90 ($99).

Link to site: PR Distribution

Frequently Asked Questions About Press Releases

How Do I Distribute a Press Release for Free?

You could manually send a press release out yourself by seeking the correct journalists and editors to contact, but the process is no picnic.

However, a lot of time can be saved by paying for a press release distribution service that reaches thousands in one go. That is the affordable option.

When a distribution service offers a ‘free’ service, it usually means your press release will only be posted on its website and social media accounts.

What Is Press Release Distribution Software?

Some major distribution companies package their press release services into a handy tool with a dashboard. This is aimed primarily at businesses that send out lots of press releases, and need software to manage the process.

If you only send out press releases on an ad-hoc basis, you are unlikely to need to use a specific tool.

What Are The Common Features of Press Release Distribution Software?

The most common features of press release distribution software are—

• An editor to compose and format your press releases.
• The ability to add images and multimedia to your press release.
• A dashboard to track the impact of your releases.

How Much Does Press Release Distribution Cost?

You get what you pay for with press release distribution.

Prices generally start around £45 ($50) for distribution to blogs, social media, and smaller news networks. If you want to reach the inboxes of prominent journalists and win placement on major news sites, you can pay hundreds, even thousands of pounds or dollars.

Key Considerations

As you can see, there are many reputable press release distribution services ready to promote your news.

Start by writing a press release that contains real news rather than a thinly disguised advertisement for your business. If you don’t feel equipped to write one, some of the distribution services listed can assist.

Next, pick a distribution service and select the channels you would like to send out your news to. The better services will send you a report a few days later containing information on the distribution and reach.

If you need to send a press release soon, PRFire.co.uk would be thrilled to help you out. Why not fill in our submission form today?

More From Wealth of Geeks

This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.