There’s a reason why there are nearly 275,550 public relations professionals in the United States. Millions of businesses rely on these professionals to influence public perception of a company, brand, or individual. An essential tool in any PR professional’s toolbox is a press release.
As the name suggests, a press release is a statement that’s given to news outlets to disseminate information about a company or product. However, it doesn’t matter if you’re a PR specialist or a new start-up – any press release will need the best press release distribution services.
Unless you have extensive contacts in the media, this service will ensure that your press release reaches all the relevant eyes.
In this distribution services guide, we’ll go over some press release tips to look for in service so you find the best PR distribution for your needs.
Affordable Pricing
A press release distribution service that’s outside your price range typically isn’t worth looking into. As such, it’s something you should clarify upfront. The good news is that many distribution services have a wide range of options and packages.
For the most basic option, the cost will usually fall around $500. However, it’s important to note that this figure can vary wildly. That’s because the cost can be influenced by a variety of factors. This includes:
- Geographic scope of the press release distribution
- Membership fees
- Extra features
- Add-ons
- Specific targeting
No one wants an unexpected bill from the PR department. As such, you must clarify a company’s pricing model in writing so you avoid any unpleasant surprises.
Also, keep in mind that you often get what you pay for when it comes to distribution. If you’re on a small budget, you can still successfully distribute a press release, just on a smaller, more targeted scale.
However, if you’re on a shoestring budget and want a national distribution, it’s just not going to be effective. So define your budget, press release strategy, and expectations early on before you start reaching out to companies.
An Extensive List of Outlets
How many media contacts does the press release distribution service have? What are their strategies for disseminating the releases? Is there an overlap between their database and the relevant media contacts you’re trying to reach?
These are all important questions you need to ask of the service. Outlets can include things like:
- Media outlets
- News websites
- Aggregators
- News content systems
- Social media influencers
During this time you also need to think carefully about your distribution options. Some companies want a targeted distribution that is distributed within a specific industry or geographic location.
Others want a national distribution that reaches as many people as possible. It’s also common to seek a hybrid of the two. In some cases, you might need a global press release distribution.
In these cases especially, you want to make sure that the company can accommodate this large of a press release. Knowing your distribution option will help you determine whether the list of media contacts the service has is enough for your needs.
Overlap Between Your Intended Audience
Targeted audiences are an essential part of many marketing practices. It’s also vital for press releases. If you aren’t sure who needs to receive your press release, you’re going to end up sending it to a lot of people who don’t care about it.
At best, this is a waste of resources. At worst, it can cause a negative depiction of your brand if your releases are viewed as annoying. As such, you want to make sure that the distribution service overlaps with your intended audience.
How do you find your intended audiences? Begin by segmenting who needs to receive the release. Start with the geographic location. This will be either a local, regional, national, or global market.
From there, you can continue segmenting based on industry, age, race, or any other relevant demographics. This process ensures that you release it directly in front of the eyes of people who want to see it.
So you should make sure that your service can reach the demographics you’re interested in. If they can’t, keep looking until you find someone who can.
Customizable Releases
If your release looks a bit vanilla, it’s not going to grab people’s attention. Similarly, if your release describes a new product, but there’s no picture, it can sometimes be challenging for the reader to visualize it.
The key to combating that is to find a service that offers customizable releases that grab a reader’s attention from the very start.
Sometimes this might mean including interactive content in the release that keeps the reader engaged. Or, it could mean being able to add multimedia components that provide a different angle on the release.
Many distribution services offer customizable releases as an add-on feature. So if it’s important to you, then you should make sure they can accommodate it.
Reliable Support
If something goes wrong with the distribution platform, you want to make sure that you can be helped quickly and effectively. As such, look into the support that comes with the press release distribution service.
This should start with general support. How quickly do they respond to problems? If you’re having trouble with the platform can they walk you through it in a clear way?
To answer these questions, we recommend checking out the online reviews for the service. This will give you a better idea of the average user experience.
In addition to general support, you should also consider editorial support. Some press release distribution services will proofread your release for you.
Or, they might provide editing suggestions for how to make it more effective. These effective PR services are typically an add-on, but if you struggle with writing they’re worth considering.
Reporting Features
You don’t want to just take a press release distribution service at their word that your release was a success. You want to be able to measure both the impact of the release, as well as any changes to your brand awareness.
As such, you need a company that offers accurate reporting features to gain insights into what’s working and what needs improving.
Ideally, they’ll provide you with ROI tracking. This helps you see if the money you’re putting into the distribution is an effective use of your resources.
Ease of Use
If the press release distribution service is hard to use, it’s going to lead to mistakes. These mistakes can sometimes affect the reputation of the entire brand.
As such, you want to make sure that the platform you work on is intuitive. This is especially true if you use it quite often. One way to do this is to simply try it out for yourself and see.
Alternatively, you can also look online for reviews. They can give you more insight into whether or not the average person can grasp the platform.
Search Visibility
These days, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of press releases each day. Unfortunately, no matter how news-breaking your release is, it can still get lost in the sea of content.
One way to avoid this is by partnering with press release distribution services that pair press releases and SEO together. SEO refers to search engine optimization and it’s an essential way to make sure that your release is appearing in relevant searches.
That starts with optimizing the release while you craft it. Include relevant keywords and enhance engagement by adding visuals. You should also structure the release for readability.
While search visibility is mainly something you’ll do yourself, there are ways that a distribution service can help you too.
They can review your release and make potential suggestions that can improve search visibility. That way, your press release reaches media contacts and readers organically, as well as through paid distribution.
Why Are Press Release Distribution Services Important?
On a basic level, press releases are a necessary tool to release news, whether that’s a new product or a statement commenting on something. However, as this guide notes, they’re also extremely effective at amplifying the news.
That’s because they foster three things. The first is trust, which is vital for both sustaining old businesses and creating new ones. The second is thought leadership.
If a company can position itself on an issue through a press release early on, it can establish themselves as an expert in the field.
Lastly, it fosters effective targeted marketing. When done right, a target press release ensures that your PR tool gets directly in front of the eyes of the people who need to see it.
Need the Best Press Release Distribution Services? Contact eReleases
We hope this guide helped you learn what to look for in the best press release distribution services. Here at eReleases, we know that it’s not just the quantity of your press release media contacts, but also the quality.
That’s why we hand-pick our huge selection of journalists, bloggers, reporters, influencers, and more.
So if you’re ready to take advantage of our extensive database, as well as a partnership with Cision PR Newswire, get in touch with us today.