Little or No Promotion Budget? Which Low-Cost News Release Distribution Service Should You Use?

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).

dollar sign

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. […]
Share