This is the ultimate guide to press release distribution.
Here’s what we’ll be covering:
- What is press release distribution?
- Why is it important?
- What mistakes you need to avoid
- Which press release distribution services can you trust?
You’ll find all the answers here.
Let’s dive right into it.
Key Takeaways:
- Press release distribution is the process of sharing a press release across distribution channels to reach a target audience
- The goal of any press release distribution service is to generate media coverage, backlinks, and visibility
- Most press release distribution services like PR Newswire, EIN Presswire, and Globe Newswire focus on mass distribution
- Targeted distribution and PR outreach are more effective than broad, untargeted release distribution
- Modern digital PR focuses on getting featured on relevant news sites instead of just pushing a release
- Strong distribution improves visibility across Google News, Bing News, and major news outlets
- Contact information and media contacts are critical for successful press release outreach
Link building cheat sheet
What is Press Release Distribution?
Before we get in-depth about how to successfully distribute a press release, let’s first establish what we mean by press release distribution.
I’d like to share the following definition by Hubspot.
Put another way, press release distribution is the process of disseminating your press release to members of the press and journalists.
Additionally, it’s the action of circulating your press releases to bloggers, influencers, and publishers that will further distribute your press release and, therefore, promote your content.
However, before we even reach the step of distribution, we have to make sure that we’ve written a great press release.
First, creating a press release can be challenging, so feel free to consult our guide on how to write a press release. It helps!
Once completed, distributing a press release, although not an easy task either, is the next essential part of the overall process.
If you don’t want your efforts of writing a press release to be for nothing, you should do your best to distribute your press releases.
This process is more important for smaller businesses that want to broaden their reach and audience, ultimately raising awareness of their brand.
I’d like to use an example that’s connected to the current situation and preoccupations.
The graph below comes from our press release guide that I mentioned above.
It shows the upward interest in press releases during the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in March 2020.
During that time, a rather large number of companies published press releases, thus making the process of effective distribution even more important and, in fact, necessary in order to get press releases seen by as many people that’d be interested as possible.
Simply put, the online world is competitive in terms of the quantity of content that’s being released daily.
For that reason, the process of circulating your press release is clearly important for making sure that your work won’t go unnoticed.
I’m using the following example to make this a bit more clear.
Back in 2019, Brian Dean launched the Content Marketing Hub.
He published the following post to communicate the launch of the new section on his website.
Given what we’ve said about distribution, he must have used other methods to distribute the press release and make sure that his content would reach an even wider audience than the one that already reads his blog.
Brian posted it on LinkedIn.
Next, he posted it on Twitter as well.
Do you get it now?
Press release distribution is all about circulating your content and reaching the biggest numbers you can.
Even blogs that reach a big audience, like Backlinko’s, need to spread their news and let people know about launches, new products, and any other news in relation to their business.
Let’s move on to discuss why press release distribution is important.
Why Does Press Release Distribution Matter?
Now that you know what press release distribution is all about, let’s talk about its importance.
Why does it matter so much?
In a few words, effective press release distribution will make the process of writing a press release worth it.
Press release distribution is essential so you can make sure that the content you want to share is going to reach the right people and won’t go unnoticed.
The process of distributing your content is basically a step in content promotion.
In plain English, no one is going to be aware of your content, news, and services if you don’t bother sharing your press releases and distributing them to journalists and publishers, as I mentioned before.
Let’s now take a closer look at some reasons that explain the benefits of press release distribution for your business.
Reason #1: It helps with SEO
Press releases are great when you want to spread the word and get attention.
However, that’s not their only function.
Believe it or not, effective press release distribution can boost your SEO.
According to Hubspot,
Editor’s Note: Even though there are no studies indicating that there is a correlation between press release and higher rankings, many PR and SEO professionals believe that successful press releases can indeed help with SEO.
In other words, press releases lead your pieces to reach top searches and rank higher.
And what comes with it?
Interest and backlinks.
People are more likely to find, hear, and read about you when your online presence gets noticed through your news stories.
And that’s where effective distribution kicks in.
Because press releases can generate interest, they can ultimately lead to backlinks, which are really good for SEO.
You definitely want to make sure that you’re distributing your press release effectively so that you reach the top spots of online searches and therefore boost your SEO.
Reason #2: Get media coverage and raise brand awareness
The second reason that makes press release distribution so important is that it helps you get media coverage and it enhances brand building activities.
In other words, press releases help you reach a wider audience and raise business awareness.
Consequently, by distributing them, you come closer to achieving both these ultimate goals for every business.
A Backlinko post on search engine ranking reveals some very interesting findings.
One of the findings that I’d like to draw your attention to is the following:
The screenshot below will make it a bit more clear.
To put it simply, by getting media coverage like mentions and links, you improve your Domain Rating (DR).
As a result, you have more chance of getting further visibility on the SERPs.
Another finding from the blog post mentioned above, the one by Backlinko, is this:
What does this mean?
It means that domain diversity, when it comes to links and mentions, can really make a difference in terms of your rankings.
More specifically, the more referring domains you get to link back to the piece, the higher your rankings will be.
Ultimately, getting brand mentions online helps improve your DR, which boosts your website’s overall authority, and it also raises brand awareness and brings more and more media coverage and attention to your business.
Reason #3: Connect with influencers and thought experts
The last reason I have for you in relation to the importance of press release distribution is the following.
Effective distribution could lead to connecting your business with influencers and thought experts.
Distribution of your content helps you to create valuable connections with bloggers, industry experts, and journalists.
All categories of professionals mentioned above are very likely to promote and boost your business.
Let’s look at an example coming from the Twitter account of the world-renowned American newspaper, The New York Times.
The screenshot above depicts just one of the many stories that the NY Times posted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The stories showcase how small businesses across the US are dealing with the restrictions of the pandemic.
By posting such stories, the newspaper definitely helps these businesses tell their stories to the huge audience that the NY Times have, and therefore help them promote their business and raise awareness.
We don’t know how these stories reached the newspaper in the first place, but for the sake of this example we could assume that it happened through the press release distribution process.
This appears to be effective in terms of making connections between the audience that you already have and the audience of media outlets.
The same would apply for communicating your content to news agencies like the Associated Press, or broadcast television and radio networks such as CBS, Fox etc., or influencers and bloggers.
In other words, distribution can be a creative and effective way to approach people and thus reach their networks which have some sort of influence on large numbers of people.
By distributing your press release, while avoiding the mistakes that are going to be discussed right after, you might be able to boost your network and connect with influencers, journalists, bloggers, and industry experts.
Keep reading to make sure you’re not making any of the mistakes below when distributing your press releases.
4 Press Release Distribution Mistakes to Avoid
We’ve discussed the reasons why press release distribution is a process of great importance.
Let’s now discuss some of the common mistakes that businesses tend to do when distributing their content and how you can avoid them.
Mistake #1: Having the wrong target audience
The first, and most common, mistake is that companies usually distribute their content to the wrong target audience or don’t really try to reach the right one.
What does that mean?
To make it more clear, I’m using the following finding from a Backlinko’s analysis on outreach emails.
In other words, only a very small percentage of the total outreach emails that are being sent out daily manage to get a response.
The chart below illustrates the finding.
That means a huge percentage of them get ignored, therefore keeping us some steps behind in the process of effectively distributing and promoting content.
And no one wants that, right?
Mistake #2: Going too long with your copy
The second mistake that you should definitely be avoiding in terms of press release distribution is going way too long with the copy that you’re sending out.
By that I mean that you should keep the length of your email short.
According to a publisher survey by Fractl,
However, when it comes to the subject line of your email, there’s no need to keep it short.
On the contrary, the Backlinko analysis shows that publishers are more likely to read and respond to an outreach email with a long subject line.
See below:
That can be explained because a long subject line will most probably be more concise and descriptive of the content of your message.
Moving on.
There are two more mistakes that you should stay away from.
Mistake #3: Being too self promotional
The third mistake I’d like to draw your attention to is being too self promotional.
This won’t help you promote and distribute your content effectively.
Fractl’s survey revealed that publishers don’t like overly promotional content.
On the contrary, because publishers receive a huge number of pitches daily, they prefer to find unique and authentic content that’s not focusing entirely on over-promoting the person or business that sent out the pitch to them.
Makes sense, right?
Mistake #4: Not being clear on to how people can reach you
The last thing to avoid is to be unclear on how people can reach you and your business.
Providing contact information, like your social media accounts, will help the people that read your press release to find you without any effort.
In other words, your press release should be leading back to your business. That’s why you wrote it in the first place.
The chart below confirms the importance of your press release linking to your social media accounts as an effective and easy way for publishers to get back to you.
Simply put, linking your press releases with your contact details can result in higher response rates.
Below I’m showing how big companies like Apple provide their contact details to anyone who wants to reach out to them in relation to their news stories.
The screenshot comes from a press release from the Apple Newsroom.
Big companies like Apple include press contact information at the bottom of their press releases so that anyone can reach them and ask for additional information in relation to their product and overall content of their press release.
Smaller businesses that are using outreach emails should always try to provide nice and clear communication paths and contact details.
This way, publishers can pick up essential contact information and be able to get in touch with the business in the future.
We’re now moving on analyzing in more detail the whole process of distributing a press release.
10 Best Press Release Distribution Services
Now that I’ve talked you through the overall process of how to distribute a press release, I’ve got a list of the 10 best release distribution services currently available for you.
Let’s discuss their main attributes along with some facts about each one of them.
Service #1: Respona
The first service I have for you is Respona.
Respona isn’t a traditional press release distribution service.
It doesn’t push your press release to thousands of journalists or rely on newswire platforms like PR Newswire or EIN Presswire.
Instead, it focuses on something that actually drives results.
Targeted placements.
Rather than distributing a single news release and hoping it gets picked up, Respona helps you get featured on pages that already rank, already get traffic, and already appear across news sites and search results.
This is closer to digital PR than traditional release distribution.
You’re still doing public relations, but instead of mass distribution, you’re focusing on targeted outreach and real placements.
All you have to do is place an order with your target url along with any additional guidelines/requiremets, and we handle the rest, completely done-for-you.
That includes:
- listicles and comparison posts
- relevant blog content
- pages already appearing in Google News and other distribution channels
So instead of relying on a press release service to syndicate your content, you’re building visibility through actual mentions and links.
That’s what moves the needle.
Not just in organic search, but in answer engines as well.
In fact, our Campaigns feature tracks your visibility in AI over time – as well as helping you identify the perfect articles to get links from.
The ones that are actively being cited for relevant queries right now.
Service #2: PRWeb (by CISION)
The second service I have for you is PRWeb by Cision.
The company offers a number of new and upgraded tools that can help you increase your reach to your target audience and raise brand awareness.
Year Founded: 1997
Number of Employees: 5,100 (Cision, incl. subdivisions)
Specialization: Online press release distribution service
Service #3: PR Newswire
The second distribution service on my list is PR Newswire.
PRNewswire is one of the best and oldest press release distribution networks.
The company provides news distribution, targeting, monitoring, and marketing solutions for businesses.
Year Founded: 1954
Number of Employees: 5,100 (Cision, incl. subdivisions)
Specialization: Press release distribution service
Service #4: eReleases
One of the best distribution services I have for you is eReleases.
According to their founder, Mickie Kennedy, “traditional print and broadcast journalism continue to be important means to promote ideas, share exciting news, and establish a brand identity”.
The company provides press release distribution services and connections with major media outlets.
Year Founded: 1998
Number of Employees: 12
Specialization: Traditional press release distribution
Service #5: ReleaseWire
ReleaseWire is the next press release distribution service I have for you.
The service provides press release distribution, multimedia distribution, and media contact management.
Additionally, they analyze your results and help you create engaging content and effective engagement processes.
Year Founded: 2005
Number of Employees: 11-50
Specialization: Online newswire service and media engagement platform
Service #6: Presswire
Moving down the list, Presswire is also one of the best press release distribution services in the marketplace.
Using their Media Contacts Database that comprises hundreds of media contacts, the company offers online syndication and regional, national, and international press release distribution.
Year Founded: 2001
Number of Employees: 36
Specialization: Press release distribution, press release tracking, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), and media monitoring
Service #7: Business Wire
Another press release distribution service that I want to inform you about is Business Wire.
Business Wire provides public relations services, investor relations for financial disclosure, and news stories as well as press release distribution.
As part of their services they also do social media analytics.
Year Founded: 1961
Number of Employees: 500
Specialization: Press release distribution and regulatory disclosure
Service #8: Send2Press
The next press release news distribution service I’m including in this list is Send2Press.
The company provides targeted press release circulation.
In addition, they offer professional writing services for press releases with accredited staff.
Year Founded: 1983
Number of Employees: 5
Specialization: Press release distribution and press release writing services.
Service #9: PR Underground
Here’s the second to last service. It’s PR Underground.
PR Underground provides online press release distribution.
More specifically, they cover Google News, social media, and a number of TV and news websites.
Year Founded: 2007
Number of Employees: 9
Specialization: Online press release distribution service
Service #10: Pressat
And here’s our last press release distribution service, under the name Pressat.
Pressat is one of the leading press release distribution services in the UK.
They provide circulation services across journalists and major media outlets.
They also offer to spread news for businesses in the UK and internationally.
Year Founded: 2010
Number of Employees: 4
Specialization: Press release distribution services
Link building cheat sheet
Now Over to You
Press release distribution can help you get visibility.
But most distribution services rely on volume, not precision.
You send out a release, it gets picked up across a network, and you hope it leads to media coverage or backlinks.
Sometimes it works. Most of the time, it doesn’t move the needle.
That’s why more companies are shifting toward targeted digital PR.
Instead of distributing a single press release, they focus on getting featured on pages that already rank, already get traffic, and already influence their audience.
That’s exactly what we do with Respona.
Our done-for-you link building helps you get placed on relevant pages and news sites without relying on mass press release distribution.
So instead of chasing coverage, you’re building it in places that already matter.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is press release distribution?
Press release distribution is the process of sharing a press release with journalists, media outlets, and distribution platforms to gain visibility and media coverage.
What do press release distribution services do?
Press release distribution services like PR Newswire, EIN Presswire, and Access Newswire distribute your press release across a network of news sites and media outlets.
What is the difference between PR distribution and digital PR?
Traditional PR distribution focuses on sending out press releases at scale. Digital PR focuses on targeted outreach and securing placements on relevant sites.
What are the best press release distribution services?
Some of the most well-known services include PR Newswire, Cision PR Newswire, EIN Presswire, Globe Newswire, and PRWeb.
Does press release distribution help SEO?
Press release distribution can help SEO by generating backlinks, mentions, and visibility across news sites and search engines.
What is targeted distribution?
Targeted distribution focuses on sending your press release to specific journalists, media contacts, or outlets that are relevant to your niche.
What is a press release service?
A press release service is a platform or provider that helps with press release writing, distribution, and media outreach.
What role does social media play?
Social media helps amplify your press release distribution by sharing your news release with a broader audience and increasing engagement.
What should a press release include?
A press release should include:
- a clear headline
- relevant content
- contact information
- links to your website or social media
What is media monitoring?
Media monitoring is the process of tracking where your press release appears across news outlets, social media, and other platforms.
What are alternatives to press release distribution?
Instead of relying on release distribution, many companies use PR outreach and link building to get featured on relevant sites directly.
What is the goal of press release distribution?
The goal is to increase visibility, generate media coverage, and connect with your target audience through multiple distribution channels.
