In the past few years, services that let you publish your news “to the web” have emerged. The web has made it possible for anyone – not just journalists – to read what is sent via these content services. And that’s a good thing, because it means you might be able to get your news directly to its intended audience without going through a traditional media “gatekeeper.”

 Here are three services – and one bonus service for the hyper-local among us – you should consider if you need a low- or even no-cost alternative to a traditional wire service.

PRWeb

Best asset: Directly targets media people who opt to receive releases via Vocus, the media database service.

 Pros

• For the cash-strapped, PRWeb’s basic package – which sends your release to search engines and news websites – is a reasonable $89.
• The $159 package lets you send to news outlets that subscribe to PRWeb feeds.
• You can choose industries and regions you want to reach.
• You may add photos, links and other attachments, plus social-media sharing buttons.
• The site has a higher rate of unique page views per month (1M) than the traditional service Marketwire (124k), which costs much more (Source: Compete).

Cons

• It’s not a traditional newswire, so PRWeb might still carry less credibility than one of the big three: BusinessWire, PRNewswire and Marketwire. Therefore, your release might be somewhat less likely to be picked up by mainstream media.
• The site chooses a default date and time for distribution, usually 24-48 hours after you click “submit.” If you’re getting out your news at the last minute and can’t afford to wait, be aware that you can choose another date and time. […]