The core purpose of a press release is to relay business information to the public. But there are other motives for wanting to create and distribute a press release (as in, additional benefits that can be gained from choosing this method of advertising) and of course there are several options when it comes time to distribute your carefully worded blurbs. Accordingly, the prices can range from free to several hundred (or even several thousand) dollars, depending on which options you choose. But how do you know which ones are right for you and your business? Once you understand the services available and how they are priced, you will better be able to determine the best course of action when it comes to distributing your press releases.
For starters, there are two main reasons for creating a press release, and each one will affect how you choose to distribute it. If you are actually interested in getting timely information out to the public and garnering media attention for your business, you will likely want to distribute specifically to traditional media such as television, radio, and newsprint, although reputable online media outlets would also fall into this category. The scope of such a release is highly relevant to businesses that not only host a website, but also have a retail location since they want to bring business to both their physical and their virtual spaces.
The other reason for penning a press release is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). One of the many ways in which Google accumulates and analyzes information pertaining to the popularity (or ranking) of a particular website revolves around the number of links that point back to said site. When you distribute a press release online, it generally includes a backlink. Depending on how many times your release is published, you could see a significant rise in your ranking and/or traffic. In other words, increasing your web presence is one way to get better placement on Google so that when people search for your product or service, they find you before other related sites.
As for how to go about distributing your press release, you will need to consider both your purpose and your budget. For free press releases, you can opt to post on sites like PR Log, i-Newswire, Press Release Point, or about 20 million other sites, but you’re going to get exactly what you pay for (which is to say, probably nothing). Free press release sites are flooded with so much content that whatever you post is going to get buried. Your next best option is probably PRWeb, which offers press release services starting at under $100 (although prices go up depending on the method of distribution, which could include basic posting, release through specific channels, or even video distribution to the Associated Press).
And of course, you can always opt to shoot for mainstream media with a service like PR Newswire, which distributes directly to thousands of news outlets across the web and the country. This option, however, is easily the most expensive (with small text releases starting at several hundred dollars), and you will be nickel and dimed for word count, photos, and any other additions. In short, your choice will have to be based both on where you want your press release to surface and how much you’re willing to spend to get it there. But if you have an end result firmly in mind, you will no doubt find the right option to suit your needs.