You’re ready to get the word out there about your new product, service or some other wonderful news for your business.
A great press release is what you need – and writing one can be a vital part of a wider marketing strategy.
It can lead to increased sales and improved brand awareness, which are both fantastic ways to engage with your target market, grow your business and give you the edge over your competitors.
What does a great press release look like?
Journalists are inundated with hundreds of press releases every single day. To get yours noticed, it needs to have a good hook.
What we mean by that is, that your release needs to stand out from the crowd. No one cares about another new shampoo. But they might care if it’s the first in the country to cure baldness… well, you get the idea.
As a bare minimum, it needs a snappy subject line – to make sure the email is clicked and read in the first place.
It requires an even better intro – puns are ok if they suit the subject matter – that sums up what the release is about and whatever you do, check it for spelling and grammar.
But having the press release is one thing. Getting it out to the right people – the ones who actually need to read it – is another.
Not only will you need a good pitch, you’ll need a good press release distribution company.
The company you choose needs to be well connected in the industry and be highly-skilled in giving your release the fanfare it needs.
What to look for in a press release distribution company
A good press release distribution service will promote your stories to news outlets, blogs, social media networks and journalists covering your issue.
Could I not do that myself? Well yes, but you’d have to go through the whole process of finding media contacts, creating a media list, pitching, following up and potentially building relationships with said people.
You wouldn’t have access to press syndication wires, email addresses of crucial journalists and a network of online assets to post news on.
When a release is sent out via a great press release distribution company, you can be sure to hundreds of publications being read by your target audience. Plus, it’s cost-effective compared to paying for advertising.
But it’s important to note one thing. Normally, there are no guarantees that a story will be published but your release will reach its intended audience.
More things to consider:
- Quality of writing – Distribution goes hand in hand with good writing. Where a press release is concerned, you need both factors to be top notch. Since the success of your press release promotion depends on the quality of your content, you need a good press release distribution service that at least offers the writing element to ensure all the right buzzwords are included.
- Customer service – Level of customer service is crucial, so make sure your chosen company offers it! You want someone who is user-friendly and responsive to contact via multiple channels. Customer service should also include editorial support and offer guidance and tutorials for using the platform.
- Quality of publishing sites – Look for a high-end service provider to publish your release on the most relevant and authoritative websites. These are three critical driving factors of SEO and great for marketing. It’s always a good idea to find out what level of domain authority the sites being distributed to, have.
- Time to publish – If time is of the essence, which it often is with things like this, then try a publisher who can offer to distribute within 48 hours.
Help to find the best press release distribution company
If you need help to find the best UK press release distribution company, you’ve come to the right place as we’ve tried and tested.
Be sure to consider the audience you want to reach, your budget, the distribution service on offer and any extra services you might want to explore.
We have gathered this list of the best press release distribution services by checking out tens of companies based on their pricing, services, and any bonus features.
This selection of the best press release distribution companies provides the highest value for businesses seeking promotion.
So without further ado, here are our top suggestions for getting your press release out there.
Best if: You need an all-round great distribution team with an excellent news-writing offering
PRFire is our best pick for press release distribution. The main reason is because it’s run by a team of experienced journalists. That means that because they’ve been on the other side of the fence, they know exactly what news desks want – and when.
But better still, they know who will want to read your news, ensuring it’s sent to those who want to see it most.
The coverage PRFire has achieved is great too – they’ve published in premiere news platforms including Yahoo, Google News, Buzzfeed and a whole host of social media too.
No picture to accompany your release? Fear not. They can supply professional photography too.
And the cost? Prices start from just £95 ($105) if you’ve got a release ready to send. And if you want guaranteed placements, you can simply request an upgrade to the likes of ABC or CBS.
It even offers international press release distribution so you can spread the word overseas.
After three working days, you receive a comprehensive performance report showing who viewed your news and where it was published.
If the whole process leaves you flummoxed, why not let their team write your release for you? You can sign up for a consultation with a journalist and they will do the hard work for you.
Link to site: www.prfire.co.uk
Best if: You need a release translating for overseas
There’s no scattergun approach with this lot. Just firing it out and hoping for the best.
This team hates spam and its big pull is the targeted distribution to smaller groups of topic specialists. It boasts an opt-in database of 33,000 media subscribers which include folk like journalists and bloggers. Your news is also syndicated to the likes of NewsNow, Thomson Reuters and Dow Jones.
There’s even the option of having your release translated for a specific country.
From just £110 ($121) for a single release, your news could be landing in the inbox of relevant journalists – plus there’s a love chat option to get support when you need it.
So, if you’ve got the time to develop a great campaign, this company is certainly worth a try for the coverage you’re hoping to achieve.
Link to site: www.pressat.co.uk
Best if: You want to work with a credible company
Editors, journalists and influencers know that when something comes from PR Newswire, it’s credible, reliable and worth reading.
They’re certainly more wider known than other services offering the same.
Each press release is coded for industry and subject trades that deliver your content to relevant, targeted audiences. What they do offer is a large network with more than 4000 websites and 3000 media outlets.
However, the pricing is very confusing to work out. From what we can gather, the cost of using PR newswire varies from release to release but you need to pay for a membership and then a basic press release option, costing at least £440 ($545).
Link to site: www.cision.co.uk
- PressGo at www.journalism.co.uk
Best if: You want someone on LinkedIn to notice
Journalism.co. is a site offering all the latest jobs, news and freelance opportunities to reporters in the industry.
But it does offer PressGO, which will deliver your press release for £70 + VAT, to more than 18,000 opted-in recipients.
What’s more they will also share it with LinkedIn professionals.
Link to site: www.journalism.co.uk
5. www.pa.media
Best if: You have bulk releases to send out
Whether you’re looking to share your release locally, nationally or internationally, distribution with PA Media makes it easy to expand the reach of your press release, boost campaigns and target new audiences.
The website is relied on by major media outlets for high-quality news, which puts it in a prime position to distribute your press releases.
Designed to be bought in packages, distribution through PA, Media helps your team to Amplify your News by sending content back to the same portal that is used by 100% of the UK and Irish news media. It’s supported by an external site that is searchable for SEO and a guaranteed Ad-Amplify option that delivers 50,000 impressions via external news sites, such as the Metro and The Times.
Expect to pay £1,500 +VAT per 10 releases for distribution.
Link to website: www.pa.media
6. PRWeb.com
Best if: You need robust reporting
Also owned by Cision, on the PR Web website you can upload your own PR including images and videos, if you like.
Once you’ve done this, then its team steps up to handle the distribution across the categories you’ve chosen.
What we do like about this platform, is its analytics dashboard where you can check out how your campaign is performing and see the metrics or where to make any improvements.
There are multiple plans on offer with a basic starting at around £80 ($99) but if you have the budget, you can spend up to £313 ($389) on a premium option.
Link to website: www.prweb.com
Best if: You’ve already written your own release
Always offering an experienced PR writer, this service promised to write and turn around a first draft within 24 hours, with direct communication with them via email or WhatsApp.
So not the best option if you’ve already written – and are happy with – your own press release as there is not distribution only offering.
But from £135 for a press release to be written and a transparent billing service, with a pay-as-you-go offering, it’s definitely up there to try.
Best if: Your budget is low
If you have a small business with a limited budget, 24-7 would be the one to try for an adequate reach.
It serves up to 10 industries and posts to major search engines including Bing and Yahoo, reaching more than 200 news sites and 30,000 journalists.
We do like the real time metrics and enjoyed using the intuitive interface.
While the site doesn’t claim to have the largest distribution; however the feedback customers provided is that it offers “the best bang for buck” making it a good choice for any small to medium-sized businesses.
For £23 ($29), the site will post to its own platform, and there are various options for wider release distribution.
Link to website: https://www.24-7pressrelease.com/
Does a press release lead to sales?
Yes, of course it’s possible to achieve this with a well-written press release is written well that has been sent to the right people at the right time.
For example, if your business is a small shop and you send out to local news, a press release can certainly help get people through the door.
If you’re holding an event, it’s also possible to measure foot traffic into your store after distributing a press release – it’s a good method to gauge how successful your release has been.
New product? A targeted press release can have a significant impact on your bottom line because it helps drum up interest and sets you apart from the competition.
Some press release services have certainly mastered the art of writing press releases and distributing them for maximum impact.
Do you need help to choose a press release distribution service?
So we’ve shared our secrets of the best press release distribution services.
No doubt you still have questions whether to send a single release or find a company that offers a good package deal.
Some of the companies we mentioned may work best for B2B services while others will fit better if its consumers of mainstream media who you’re trying to target.
Be wary of firms who can say they can guarantee coverage. Usually they can’t – but be sure you know what you’re signing up for to avoid any disappointments. Many newswires will offer guaranteed syndication on third party websites but this could end up with your content labelled ‘sponsored’.
