I was just asked about the difference between PRWeb and Business Wire. I responded that if you want mainly online coverage and features you cannot beat PRWeb for the price. They also reach mainstream media but you would want to choose the $360 package for that. Here are some breakdowns:
| Newswire | Cost | Geographic Distribution | Mainstream Media reach |
| PRWeb | $200 for SEO package. 24/7 support, moderately easy to use. | Can choose up to 5 regions | Focus on online optimization but also has an email list of journalists. If you want to reach media or use video, use the $360 package. |
| Business Wire | varies but for 1 geographic region it starts at about $300 Easy to use, great support. | pay extra for each state | Decent mainstream and online reach – I’ve focused on one state but gotten national coverage. Unlimited links but extra for images. 38% of press releases picked up by media (see study). |
| PR Newswire | Varies – more expensive. Tough to understand pricing and confusing to use. | pay extra for each state/region | Strong trust with traditional media. 55% of press releases picked up by media (see study). |
The study I refer to above is a 3 month analysis of news stories that were a result of press releases. When you look at this don’t let anyone tell you that press releases are worthless to get media coverage. Maybe only half or less will but your chances go up with a strong story and using a reputable newswire. I like each depending on budget and goals.
This was from Sept 2008. Here is the kicker from PR Newswire – they also performed well online. “Third party data from web analytics providers shows PR Newswire outperforms its peers in web traffic rank and reach and in blog links, as well.”
On each business day from April 1 to June 30, 20 press releases – 5 per wire service – were randomly selected. Pickup was measured with online content libraries LexisNexis and Factiva over a 2-week period. A pick-up means a reference to subject matter in media published after the date and time of the release. It wasn’t just republished press releases.
Press releases were picked up by:
PR Newswire were used 55% of the time
Marketwire’s 43% pickup rate
Business Wire’s rate of 38%
They also measured the daily average of unique visitors on Quantcast and Compete.com They also claim their content “has been referred to in more blog posts, Diggs and Delicious Links than any other commercial wire service.”
The challenge for me with PR Newswire to me using it for clients is that it’s almost impossible to figure out what the final cost is. It’s also pricey. Plus out of all the newswires it was the hardest to use, with so many options that it was confusing what you get or what you need. However, if media coverage is important to you, it may be worth the trouble. I’m going to offer special small business pricing for PR Newswire which will help offset the cost. I’m also going to wish that they’ll improve the user interface in the future.
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One Response to “Which newswire will get you the most media coverage?”
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May 10th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Any insight on the free services out there like prlog.org or pressexposure.com or even ones like prbuzz.com ($299/year for unlimited releases)? As a marketer on a budget, I’m curious what makes the paid ones that much better than the others, besides really fancy web sites.
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