Are Inexpensive/Free Press Release Distribution Services Worth it?
I recently was asked:
“Why should I pay you to distribute my press releases when I can have someone else do it for less than $50, or even for free?”
Good question.
And the answer is simple.
As someone who knows this market like the back of his hands, I can tell you definitively that when you do business with a cheap, or free press release distribution service, you get exactly what you pay for.
If you pay next to nothing, you’re going to get no real press coverage in return.
If you pay nothing at all, the results can be summarized in one word – nothing.
Oh, your press release will show up on 20 or so websites. But those websites are internally owned by the “free” or inexpensive distribution site, are rarely seen by the search engines, and get virtually no traffic, which means that no human beings are seeing it either.
Like I said, when you pay next to nothing in this industry, you literally get virtually no results.
The Hidden Costs of ‘Free’ Press Release Distribution Websites: Not As Free As You Think
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, businesses often seek cost-effective ways to promote their news and announcements. Free press release distribution websites appear to offer an attractive solution, promising widespread coverage without the price tag. However, these seemingly complimentary services often mask significant hidden costs that can impact both your budget and marketing effectiveness.
The Free Press Release Distribution Business Model
At first glance, the proposition seems straightforward: submit your press release, and these platforms will distribute it across their networks at no cost. Yet beneath this simple premise lies a complex web of limitations, upsells, and compromises that can ultimately prove more expensive than paying for a professional service from the start.
The fundamental issue stems from the freemium model these platforms employ. While basic services are indeed free, they’re designed to demonstrate the platform’s inadequacies rather than fulfill your promotional needs. Free tiers typically restrict users to bare-bones text distribution, severely limited word counts, and basic formatting options. The moment you need essential features – such as HTML formatting, multimedia attachments, or comprehensive reporting – you’ll find yourself facing premium upgrade options.
The Real Cost of Free or Inexpensive Press Release Distribution
Perhaps the most significant hidden cost lies in media outlet access. Free distributions almost never reach major media outlets or journalists who could amplify your message. Instead, your press release often ends up in digital backwaters, lacking the visibility needed to make an impact. Premium packages, which can range from $99 to $399, are required to access top-tier news websites, industry-specific publications, and professional journalist networks.
SEO Implications of Free
The SEO implications are equally concerning. Free submissions typically come with numerous restrictions that limit their search engine value. Links are usually nofollow, keyword optimization options are minimal, and there’s no guarantee of placement on Google News. These limitations can significantly impact your content’s discoverability and long-term marketing value.
Free Costs you Time
Time investment represents another substantial hidden cost. Free services demand considerable manual effort, from reformatting content to meet rigid guidelines to submitting releases individually across multiple platforms. Organizations often underestimate the hours spent navigating technical limitations, tracking publication status, and addressing formatting issues. This time could be better spent on other marketing initiatives or invested in a more efficient paid service.
Content restrictions further diminish the effectiveness of free distribution services. Most free tiers impose severe limitations on formatting, hyperlinks, multimedia content, and social media integration. These restrictions can transform even the most compelling press release into a plain-text document that fails to capture audience attention or convey brand professionalism.
The opportunity costs are perhaps the most significant yet often overlooked expense. Using free services can result in reduced visibility, lower quality backlinks, missed media opportunities, and diminished brand credibility. While these costs might not appear immediately on a balance sheet, they can significantly impact your organization’s long-term marketing success.
Professional features that could enhance your press release’s impact are invariably reserved for paid tiers. These include advanced analytics and reporting, real-time distribution, targeted journalist lists, multimedia embedding, and professional editing services. Without access to these tools, organizations struggle to measure their PR efforts’ effectiveness or optimize their strategy.
For businesses serious about their PR strategy, investing in a paid distribution service often provides better value than relying on free alternatives. The initial cost of premium distribution is typically offset by improved reach, professional features, and more effective media placement.
Consider These Key Benefits of Paid Services
- Guaranteed placement on reputable news sites
- Access to industry-specific media outlets
- Professional editing and optimization tools
- Comprehensive analytics and reporting
- Multimedia integration capabilities
- Targeted distribution to relevant journalists
Looking Beyond The Initial Price Tag
When evaluating your PR distribution options, it’s crucial to look beyond the initial price tag. The true cost of “free” press release distribution extends far beyond monetary considerations, encompassing lost opportunities, reduced exposure, time inefficiencies, and compromised content quality.
Organizations must carefully weigh these factors against their PR goals and budget constraints. While free services might seem attractive for occasional use or businesses with minimal PR needs, companies seeking meaningful media coverage and brand visibility should seriously consider the value proposition of professional distribution services. The investment in quality distribution often pays dividends through improved reach, professional presentation, and more effective media placement – benefits that far outweigh the initial cost savings of free alternatives.
In the end, the old adage holds true: you get what you pay for. When it comes to press release distribution, “free” services often prove to be an expensive choice in terms of both direct and indirect costs. For businesses looking to make a real impact with their news and announcements, investing in professional distribution services may be the more cost-effective choice in the long run.
eReleases Helps You Get Real Results – Actual Coverage by the Media
Put the “Press” Back in Press Releases
The core business of eReleases has always been to get the client’s press release directly in front of the media. As a result, every press release is distributed to subscribing journalists and sent through a true newswire (PR Newswire) to virtually every newsroom in the country.
PR Metrics
The only true number and metric is whether you get media pickup and sales as a result of a press release. A press release that doesn’t get picked up by any websites nor any search engines, yet gets a shout out on TechCrunch or the Wall Street Journalist, would be considered extremely effective by any PR practitioner. The resulting traffic and sales would bear this out. I have hundreds of satisfied customers who have achieved millions of dollars worth of publicity for my clients. A press release can have such success only when it is issued on a site whose goal is to reach the media, not to earn money by defacing your news with ads for your competitors.
Backlinks to Your Press Release
The backlinks to your website from the press release provider’s website rarely yields anything more than anecdotal impact on your search engine rankings. The improved search engine rankings usually occurs to the press release provider’s website from backlinks to your press release on its site, which you don’t own or control. It’s a great business model — for the press release provider. You provide the content but the press release website benefits most from any traffic and from the ad revenue.
SEO Eye Candy
Despite my criticism of search engine visibility, iframes, and backlinks, eReleases does have SEO enhancements, iframes, and WireWatch reports showing backlinks to your press release on key media websites. It’s what customers want and cite when comparing press release services. We provide the features because our customers want them but more than 95 percent of a press release’s effectiveness has nothing to do with these features. Relationships and access to journalists will always be where a press release succeeds or fails. It’s this relationship and expertise that makes a great publicist invaluable. It’s where free press release websites will always fail.
SEO and Press Releases
Why has search engine visibility become the goal for press releases? Press releases have always been about generating media interest. Most free and low-cost press release services never address distribution of your press release to the media. Reaching 2,000 “cold” visitors that result in no sales is not the same as obtaining a true media pickup where readership can easily total tens of thousands or more. A visitor who stumbles across a headline or web page is a cold lead. They found the headline or press release interesting. Someone who reads an actual article about you or your company and seeks out your website out is a warm lead. I would take one warm lead over one hundred cold leads any day of the week. In the end, it’s about ROI (Return on Investment).
Free Press Releases Serve a Purpose
Don’t get me wrong, free press releases serve a purpose:
- They provide a futile act of distraction one free press release at a time. You can watch people jumping from one free press release site to another for hours and days.
- You can see your pay-per-click advertisement on your competitor’s free press release … but they can also put their ad on yours … brilliant! (for the pay-per-click company, and for the free press release site, at least).
- They cost nothing (except your time – that’s free, right?)
The sad reality is that many smart entrepreneurs (the ones who value their time) will never try press releases again after playing the free press release game, having decided that press releases just don’t work.
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. To subscribe to PR Fuel, visit: https://www.ereleases.com/prfuel/subscribe/.