Press releases can help brands in various ways – from branding to announcing a merger or even to publish feats that a business has achieved. Publishing these releases can boost your business. Add the digital space to this mix, and you can maximise the benefits you will reap. The best part is that there are both, free and paid websites that can be used for this activity. The digital space magnifies your reach while keeping your efforts minimal. Curious about how this happens? Here’s what you need to know. 

The difference between paid and free submission sites

The main difference between the two is the fees that you need to pay to obtain press release services. While both types provide a vast network of websites on which you can submit press releases, paid services offer additional features, such as analytical tracking of your campaigns, embedding multimedia content in your articles, and ‘do-follow’ links that increase the brand authority of your website. Here are some other things that set them apart. 

Free Sites for Press Releases

• One downside is that most free sites only give you a ‘no follow’ link. 
• Also, free sites usually don’t have great domain authority, and this directly translates to less exposure in the digital space. 
• While you can use these sites to increase the number of websites linking back to your website, you may not get a lot of quality coverage.

Paid Sites for Press Releases

• Since these websites charge you a fee for submissions, they tend to have ideal domain authority.
• Due to this, search engines assign more authority to your press releases and more importantly, enormous reach into prominent news and media outlets. 
• This can help you get maximum coverage by attracting quality traffic to your website.

Here are some websites that you can utilise for press releases.

1. PR Newswire

PR Newswire has one of the largest distribution networks, giving you access to 4000 websites, 3000 media outlets, and 550 news content systems. It also supports articles embedded with multimedia content such as photos, infographics, audio tracks, and videos. Additionally, it allows you to track the progress of your campaigns through its analytics offerings. But, all of this comes at a somewhat substantial cost of around ₹70,000 per article.

2. Newswire

Another heavyweight when it comes to PR networks, Newswire is one of the most popular websites that brands use for press releases. The site even offers publishing releases to news networks, such as Google News, Reuters, and AP Outreach, among others. The network allows you to track the outreach of your articles with built-in analytics tools. However, this is a paid service, with plans starting from ₹9,000 per article. Or if you plan to post press releases regularly, you can opt for a ₹14,000 monthly subscription.

3. Business Wire

While the two mentioned above have some of the largest networks of English press release websites, Business Wire’s distribution network has a global outreach with support for over 20 languages in 162 countries. Its network covers more than 89,000 media outlets across 193 industry and trade categories. Plans start from ₹55,000 per release and go up as you add more features. 

4. Highwire

If your business is just starting out and you can’t afford huge budgets for advertising, then Highwire is an alternative you can consider. This press release distribution service is based on an open platform for publishers. It allows you to choose from a variety of options, enabling you to tailor what you want your press release to look like. Adding different types of content such as photos, audio and videos to the content are some other things you can do too.

5. PR Log

PR Log is one of the largest free service press release distribution websites. Although the site looks a bit outdated, it offers a ton of services from press release distribution to directory and business listings, from job listings to press room hosting and more. It also allows you to distribute your press releases on search engines, social media, and RSS feeds along with its network of websites. PR Log mainly caters to small and medium businesses for their advertising activities and is highly regarded by a lot of reviewers.

Remember, the distribution website you pick can play a significant role in how well your press release will perform. While free sites can cut out your outgoings, paid sites can improve your brand communication’s performance, thus offering a better boost to your business.