Press releases are an effective way for businesses to get their latest news, earnings and updates out to customers and the media.
They often include information on recent partnerships or acquisitions, revenue growth or expansions and other news on the business, and having the right tools to send them out is a good way to easily distribute all announcements.
Press release distribution services can be strictly directed to journalists and analysts, to a particular market industry, or a bit of both. Regardless of who you’re trying to pitch to, a distribution tool is the most effective way to reach them.
Techworld looks at some of the best distribution services for startups and small businesses to consider.
Read next: How to expand your startup
PR Newswire
PR Newswire is a popular and widely used distribution service. It is particularly useful for public relations and marketing.
The service is recognised as one of the industry’s strongest networks, catering to over 4,000 websites, 3,000 media outlets and 550 news content systems.
It includes a PR toolkit for small businesses, which provides a step-by-step guide on how to reach a network of various websites, appear on some of the largest sites such as Yahoo!, MSN and more.
PR Newswire also provides access to articles, news release samples, whitepapers, webinars and more, all following a free sign-up.
Pricing for general press release distribution is available on request.
PR Web
PR Web is another distribution service, but is particularly useful for smaller businesses that want to increase their digital footprint.
The service provides the tools to create a story, which could be anything from a product launch to a blog post, and share the news across multiple online websites and social media networks.
It also allows users to measure performance, with detailed analytics on the impact of press releases.
The service allows users to create a free account, and basic pricing starts from $99 (£78). This includes brand visibility across major search engines and permanent hosting of your press release on the PR Web site.
Realwire
Realwire provides a distribution service that delivers press releases to up to 4,500 editorial and blogger contacts across a wide selection of sectors.
It also includes scheduled distribution so users can schedule a specific date and time to send out releases, particularly effective for embargoed news stories.
Realwire allows up to three images to be included with all press releases. The features also include language translation so press releases can be sent to international customers and partners.
Pricing starts at £149 for traditional press release distribution and £229 for added social media distribution.
BusinessWire
BusinessWire is a patented NX network that reaches over 89,000 media outlets in 162 countries.
It provides both an online and print distribution services, which enables users to target digital and print newsrooms.
The service targets over 200 market industries, providing the ability to select specific web formatting that matches sites such as Google News, Yahoo! and more.
BusinessWire also provides free social media sharing links and company logo display. Pricing for general services is available on request.
eReleases
eReleases provides press release writing and distribution services. Although mainly targeted at US media, it is great for companies that have international clients.
It provides press release distribution to over 100,000 journalists and allows users to reach industry-specific publications and magazines.
The service also provides free PR guides with added tips on how to write a press release, SEO search terms and more.
Pricing starts from $299 (£235) for the buzz builder service, with guaranteed distribution on over 60 media sites.