What is Cision PR Newswire?
Cision PR Newswire is a major press release distribution service that helps companies and organizations share their news with media outlets, journalists, investors, and the public. Founded in 1954, it was one of the first commercial news distribution networks and remains one of the largest global press release distribution services today.
PR Newswire offers the following key services:
- Press release distribution to thousands of media outlets, websites, and journalists
- Targeting options to reach specific industries, geographic regions, or demographics
- Tools for adding multimedia content like images and videos to press releases
- Analytics and reporting on the performance of distributed press releases
- Newswire services for investor relations, regulatory disclosures, and other specialized communications needs
PR Newswire is owned by Cision, a communication software and services company that acquired it in 2016. Companies typically pay subscription fees or per-release charges to distribute their news through PR Newswire’s network.
Why You Want Your Press Releases to Appear on Cision PR Newswire
PR Newswire offers multiple strategic advantages for your press releases:
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Wide distribution network –
PR Newswire has extensive reach across media outlets, websites, and journalist contacts, helping your news reach a broader audience than you could typically reach independently.
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Credibility and legitimacy –
As an established distribution service, PR Newswire lends credibility to your announcements. Media organizations recognize and trust content from PR Newswire.
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SEO benefits –
Distribution through PR Newswire can improve your search engine visibility through quality backlinks from reputable sites that may pick up your release.
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Targeting capabilities –
You can target specific industries, geographic regions, or audience demographics to ensure your message reaches the most relevant audiences.
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Multimedia support –
PR Newswire allows you to include images, videos, and other media with your press releases, creating more engaging content.
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Metrics and analytics –
You can track how your press release performs with detailed reporting on views, engagement, and pick-up rates.
How do you get a press release on PR Newswire or similar locations? How do you overcome common challenges, such as optimizing your content for the best impact and to enhance its visibility?
The following media coverage guide will equip you with everything you need to ensure your press release distribution goes as far as possible. Continue reading eReleases for press tips that can boost your image today.
Abide by Their Content Guidelines
Your Newswire submission will need to meet the company’s content guidelines before they will publish it. For example, the distributor will want to know what they are publishing doesn’t subvert their company values.
The following good advice will allow you to adhere to most such standards.
Utilize clear language: Be transparent in what you are trying to promote and provide reliable sources. Doing this will make you appear more trustworthy and give you a better platform for explaining what you want to state to your target audience.
Avoid sensationalism:
Content should be truthful and verifiable without making assumptions that could cause PR Newswire to fall into disrepute.
Uphold ethical standards:
Do not attempt to mislead the reader, and ensure you are not aiming to cause harm. PR Newswire explicitly states its terms of use, so reading this information can help you avoid creating unusable content.
Match the distributor’s format and tone:
While failing to adhere to these are unlikely to cause long-term problems, they may make the submission process faster. After all, having good press release visibility is more than people simply seeing it, but it must be easy to read and understand.
Formatting Your Press Release Properly
PR Newswire has provided several guidelines for creating an appropriate release. Following these will offer steps to ensure your message is seen and reflected on by as many people as possible. For example:
Headline:
You should have a headline that matches most SEO guidelines so that it will draw in clicks. As such, it should be no more than 100 characters, use verbs that suggest action, and inform users why they should pay attention to it.
Dateline:
These elements are the city from which the release is officially originating and the date you are releasing it.
Lead paragraph:
Answer the five whys in this paragraph:
- Who
- What
- When
- Where
- Why
If you can use the AIDA writing method of organizing this information, you can also draw in more interest as you start to tell a “story” in the press release that drives interest.
Press release body:
This text contains all the supporting details from the press release, including:
- Quotes
- Context for the press release
- Short paragraphs that each communicate one idea
- Calls-to-action
The body should top out at around 500 words. The more words you use, the less concise and clear it will be.
Quotes and data:
Information such as quotes and verifiable data can help back up anything you say.
Boilerplate:
At the end of the press release, you should briefly describe the company sending it. You can include the organization’s values or ambitions here to help people understand their focus.
Contact information:
These may be part of the calls to action, but they should enable people to contact the business sending the release.
By keeping to this standard style, PR Newswire will likely accept your press release and pass it on to as many people as possible.
Compliance with Industry Standards
When trying to appeal to journalists, it is crucial to adhere to the same professional writing standard they employ. In the case of news organizations, this is the AP Style Guide, which journalists have used for over 50 years, according to writer.com.
The most significant areas of AP style guide use people tend to follow include:
- Avoiding the Oxford comma in lists unless necessary
- Spelling out numbers from one to nine
- Capitalizing formal titles when used alongside names (i.e., Vice President Harris)
- Using a specific format for dates and times
- Spelling out the first reference of most abbreviations
By following these, your style will match the tone of many other press releases, offering a professional and high-quality result. It will appear authoritative, but you can still use it to produce an accessible tone when necessary, making it both informative and approachable.
Submit the Press Release
After planning your press release’s exact date and time, access the PR Newswire dashboard and select that you wish to create a new message.
You can then input all the information necessary to send the message out, including:
- Recipients and distribution channels
- Press release headline
- Dateline and boilerplate
- Press release body text
You should also be able to format the message, adding URLs and boilerplate information as necessary.
The PR Newswire UI allows you to upload additional media to the press release, such as videos, URLs, and images. These can increase engagement and visibility further, boosting your promotion.
After formatting it, you send it off, and PR Newswire will ensure that it reaches the selected recipients.
Creating an Account with PR Newswire
Before you submit a press release, you must create an account so the business can contact you if necessary. PR Newswire will also be able to match your identity with the press releases they are sending out if they need to make decisions when things are unclear.
PR Newswire requires that a business such as yours sign up for membership with their service before you can start to send PR messages through them. Membership costs $195 per year unless you pay with an invoice, which costs $50 more.
After this, you will need to confirm who in your company can submit releases, so your staff will need to authenticate this access. Taking this step prevents others from submitting press releases on your behalf without your approval.
eReleases – The Easier, Less Expensive Way
Many people don’t realize this, but eReleases distributes all of its press releases through Cision PR Newswire and gives you many other advantages, at a lower cost.
This ensures your news reaches thousands of newsrooms, journalists, and media outlets nationwide, giving you the exact same credibility and wide reach of PR Newswire without the premium price tag.
But eReleases doesn’t just save you money—it adds tremendous value. Your release receives enhanced targeting to reach journalists in your specific industry, personalized support from PR professionals who understand effective media outreach, and placement in specialized industry newslines that help your story reach the most relevant audiences.
Unlike budget distribution services that simply post your release on their websites, eReleases guarantees authentic media distribution through the PR Newswire network—the same trusted channel used by Fortune 500 companies and major organizations.
With eReleases, you’re not just distributing a press release; you’re investing in meaningful media exposure at a price that makes sense for businesses of all sizes.
Better Than a Press Release on PR Newswire
If you have a solid press release on Cision PR Newswire, you may be able to help you reach large media demographics and boost your industry standing. However, it will take a lot of time to get everything right, and you will want to maximize your opportunities to ensure your release reaches the people you want it to.
eReleases offers a press release distribution platform and PR writing tailored to your business. We can help you not only reach inboxes but also boost recipients’ excitement. Contact us today to discover how a powerful message can truly take shape.