Web marketers utilize many forms of business promotion and brand building techniques to grab the attention of consumers as well as prominent media houses. One such frequently applied and time-tested technique of business promotion is press release writing. Press releases are posted online by various corporate houses to disseminate information about the company and make people aware of their achievements, product/service launches etc. Unlike other forms of online brand promotion such as PPC and social media, a press release is treated more seriously by the readers. Journalists and consumers expect to see press releases of a company in the parent website in addition to the third party press release websites to have a better understanding of the brand, its decision makers, policies, and future planning.
Once you write a press release, you want to give it the biggest exposure possible. Now, you have to select a press release site where you can post it. Here comes the big dilemma! Where should you post it? How to select the ideal website for your press release publication? Should you use a paid service or a free service?
Let me discuss the advantages and disadvantages of paid and free services so that you can choose the press release website wisely.
Free PR service pros:-
- There is no need to pay anything to publish your press release.
- Once the PR is released, you can promote it aggressively on social media and bring the customers/investors in your site.
- Sometimes you may need to publish minor news about your business and you may not want to spend hundreds of dollars. In that case, free PR publication websites are perfect for you.
Cons:-
- Most of the free sites don’t disseminate your press release across the right channels. They simply provide you space in their website where you can post your press release.
- Your press release may feature an ad from a competitor, thus, you lose the website traffic.
- You will rarely get any data about the viewership.
- In case you made a mistake such as wrong phone number or typo error in office address, you can’t rectify it. Once the press release is uploaded, it can’t be modified.
Paid PR service pros:-
- Paid PR services distribute press releases to portals, news sites, databases and search engines.
- If you want to reduce cost and target a specific area, then you can send the press release to the media in a state, country or even city.
- You can enjoy professional press release writing services at a minimal cost.
- Paid PR sites let you upload multimedia rich press releases. You can embed images, audio and logo in your press release to communicate effectively.
- The help desk is very professional of any paid press release platform.
- You get clear statistics about the number of unique visitors, the total number of press release views etc.
Cons:-
There is just one disadvantage and that is the cost of paid services. Paid press release platforms charge thousands of dollars depending on your requirements and most people complain that the market penetration does not justify the money they spend.
Conclusion
Considering the advantages and disadvantages of both paid and free press release distribution networks, it is safe to say that you should make the final choice after having a clear idea about your marketing budget. If money is not an issue for you, then you must opt for the paid services as there are plenty of advantages. On the other hand, if you are ready to sacrifice market reach and not bothered to know how many people actually see your press release, then free service should be enough for you.
