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Press Release Wire Services - Choosing the Best One For Your Business

Choosing the right one for your business sometimes requires trial and error. The following press release provide a similar service, but they all have differences in how they present information, and how effective they are especially in the area of search engine optimization.

By looking at the facts and combining the opinions of Christine Slocumb, the owner and founder of an internet marketing firm with 17 years of experience, and Dena Boutsikakis, someone who is just starting in the marketing business, we hope to help narrow your decision as to which wire service is best suited for you.

Marketwire

Upon first seeing the Marketwire (marketwire.com) website, its bold color choice makes it stand out more than the other websites. The layout is very simple and very clean in its appearance. It has very few tabs, but once you start clicking on the tabs, it leads you to other links, which easily navigates you through the website. Marketwire speaks to the busy person that does not have a lot of time, with which most business owners and employees identify. However, you are not able to look at packages or other information about the service you will get until you have opened an account with them.

Dena: The first thing I noticed was the color choice of this website. It was different than all the rest, so it stood out in my mind. In addition, the way it was set up was different then the rest of the press release service websites. I had to navigate through many different tabs to find what I wanted. In addition, the wording of the website was also different from what I was reading before. However, on many pages it does say for further questions to contact them, but for a busy person, everything should be clear and straight forward.

Christine: We've recently switched to using Marketwire almost exclusively for technology companies. You'll find many of the progressive tech companies in Silicon Valley use this service which speaks volumes They have very competitive rates compared to PR Newswire and BusinessWire.

While their SEO console is not as polished as PR Web's reports, we get excellent media pickup. Marketwire's ability to keep anchor text link intact when displaying on MSNBC.com and Yahoo! News is impressive. We also recommend Marketwire for local market releases that need SEO on a budget. For example, you can get regional wire coverage plus SEO features such as reporting and anchor text links starting at $220, significantly below PR Web's $249 entry-level SEO package. Plus even state-only distributions are often picked up on MSNBC.com, CNN Money and similar sites.

In addition, we get great friendly support from our Account Representatives and their client support team. We tweeted some results in comparing Marketwire to PRWeb and our account rep called a day later to thank us for the mention.

PR Newswire

PR Newswire (prnewswire.com) is one of the first press release wire services, with a large client base, because of its efficient and professional setting. It is a very helpful website, because of its mass amounts of information. When clicking on a tab or a link, there is always information that explains its function to the viewer; proving its helpfulness and ease. In addition, there are also many spots within the website that allow for the consumer to add their feedback. There are also many interesting features that one can use to enhance their service. They offer a eWatch service that monitors and tracks your press release. It automatically emails you with any changes. In addition, PR Newswire offers MEDIatlas which distributes your press releases 24/7 automatically to over 460,000 contacts. There is also a free service called ProfNet, which connects you to many experts in each field. These features are all optional but according to PR Newswire are very useful. However, one thing to keep in mind is that sending a press release through them is very expensive, thus for starting businesses it might not be in your best interest to spend the extra money.

Dena: I was very impressed with this websites appearance. It was very clear and organized, while giving the user a large amount of information. In addition, I also felt that as a consumer of their service, I mattered, because of their feedback option. As stated before PR Newswire, also has a lot of features that make it easy for the small business owner to track his/her release, like the eWatch option. However, I do wonder if all these things are necessary, or if they are just another ploy to collect money. Nevertheless, if they are as good as they say they are it might be worth it for those really newsworthy releases.

Christine: When I first started issuing press releases, this was THE wire service everyone used. It's the oldest, largest, and most expensive newswire service. However, their delay in adopting new SEO technology was a big mistake. Also, the Account Managers assigned to us were not helpful and turned over frequently. We rarely use this service anymore unless it's a co-release with a large corporation that requires we use this wire. The online pickup of releases is quite good, but no better than BusinessWire. Friendliness and helpfulness of account reps varies across the country.

BusinessWire

BusinessWire (businesswire.com) has a similar feel to it as PR Newswire. They provide all the basic information about sending press releases, but also offer a little more. They have a section that will actually help you write a press release, for those who are not sure how. In addition it clearly shows the distribution of where your press release will go, and who will view it. Another helpful tool is that the website comes in five different languages. This can be very helpful if you are doing business with companies overseas, or simply for people whose first language is not English.

Dena: When first seeing this website I was impressed with the ability to change languages, even though they only had five from which to choose. I also thought that this was a fairly easy website to navigate through. However, upon first glance I did think it was a little to plain with just text, it did not make me want to explore it more. It is a decent website that has helpful information; I would say it was average.

Christine: BusinessWire is large but progressive. It's just about as expensive as PR Newswire for a wire release. As of March 2009, you can no longer get the combination BusinessWire/PRWeb package. Instead BusinessWire launched EON by BusinessWire (eonbusinesswire.com) as a online distribution service starting at $295 per release. We have not used this service yet, however, there seem to be problems with sites picking up anchor text links which is an issue for search engine optimization of the release. If your linked text does not show up on Yahoo! News and similar sites, it's a big negative.

PRWeb

PRWeb (prweb.com) has a wealth of information and is user friendly. It is an online distribution service and not a wire service which is an important distinction. On the homepage it has the most recent press releases within fourteen days, rated by "importance" which depends on how much the sender paid for the release. One helpful feature is their "release features" tab, which will tell you everything you need to know about your press release. They have broken it down to four packages. Each package states what it offers and how much it costs. This lets the business or agency know what they are going to be offered right away, while also keeping in mind budget. In addition, if you are not clear as to why you should use a press release wire service, PRWeb has a YouTube" video which plainly and cleverly describes why, by showing the benefits. Along with the video, there are many picture and descriptions throughout the website that further guide you. In addition, PRWeb also has helpful tips and samples on how to write a press release, making sure your best work is distributed.

Dena: Personally, I feel as though this is the easiest to navigate through, and the most inviting. It still looks very professional, but makes press release writing and distributing seem very simple. They even state that all you have to do are follow their three easy steps. I also liked how everything was laid out for me, and I did not have to make an account to see pricing and features. However, the one thing that impressed me the most was the YouTube" video. Being that I am just starting in this business, I found it very helpful. In addition, PRWeb's pricing seemed to be reasonable; basically you get what you pay for.

Christine: This is probably the most well-known online distribution service although the backlink quality is not always the best. We do get amazing results on this wire for special interest B2C press releases such as travel and tourism offers. They also have great offers every once in awhile such as the free Podcast interviews when they first introduced the Podcast service.

PressZoom

PressZoom is a budget friendly way to distribute your press release. The look of the website is very modern and clean, with no pictures and a lot of writing. PressZoom does give a lot of helpful tips about press release writing. For example, how not to make your press release look like an advertisement, thus making it susceptible to go into spam mail. Basic distribution is nineteen dollars, but you have an option of a free XML feed. There is also an option of premium distribution that is only forty-seven dollars, that guarantees a wide variety of options. In addition, there is no account making necessary, and if you use the premium distribution option your press release will go out quickly.

Dena: At first glance I was not very impressed with the website. I thought it too simple and boring. There seems to be little information on the website. However, if you do want something simple and quick it might be a viable option.

Press Media Wire

Press Media Wire is very similar to the other websites that offer press release wire services. It is helpful in the fact that it offers a simple FAQ sectional that gets questions you might have answered quickly. In addition, it also has three press release packages laid out with all the options that each one offers. You are able to submit a press release from twenty dollars to one hundred dollars, each has an option of two day or three day distribution. Press Media Wire also shows where your press release will be distributed, proving helpful if you want a specific category. Another important feature is that Press Media Wire offers free press release, for those who quickly want to get their news out.

Dena: I thought that Press Media Wire was very helpful, by laying out all their information. I like to know what options I am getting before I waste time making an account. I also thought the fact that they offer free distribution is cleaver, because they are going to get more people to access their website, and maybe later start paying for it.

Emailwire

Emialwire has no annual fees when making an account. Also, unlimited amounts of press releases can be sent for a flat rate. In addition, there are no fees if your press release goes over their wanted length, and also for any videos or images. Your news is delivered through other major wire services, allowing your release to reach more people. In addition to these options Emailwire offers EmailWireClip" for free. This allows you to view your press release on online news sites, newswires, databases and search engines.

Dena: I thought that the appearance of this website was dull, but its options were not. It seems to be user friendly by offering all of these options for free. However, one thing that I found distracting was all the advertisements on the side. Some advertisements were inappropriate for a press release wire service website which might make some users leave the site.

Eworldwire

One interesting thing Eworldwire shows that most other press release wire services do not are the features of their competing websites. On their homepage, Eworldwire compares their features with those of other websites, showing why their service is better. In addition, Eworldwire prides itself in meeting the needs of their users. Eworldwire makes sure your press release goes to the webpages that will most benefit you. In addition, the most basic press release distribution service only costs seventy-five dollars. However, they do have a large variety of other distribution options that offer everything from podcasts to University Press Newslines. Eworldwire also gives advice about what will catch a journalist's attention in only 2.7 seconds, because that is how much time it takes to see if a press release is interesting.

Dena: I like how this website has a lot of different options for distributing your press release, and how it also tells you the cost of each. It is also interesting that they put the price in US dollars and in British pounds, showing their business with other countries.

24-7 Press Release

24-7 Press Release is a fairly new and affordable press release service that offers forty-eight hour submission approval, to over four hundred channels. 24-7 Press Release also has a helpful FAQ section that shows you exactly how a press release on their website will look. They have an option to send your press release free over the web, or to pay as little as fifty dollars for basic distribution. However, they do have other packages that allow for much faster and better quality distribution, which is priced around $349. They also offer a featured press release option that puts your press release on the top three of that day. This will guarantee more hits and easier access for viewers.

Dena: I was impressed with the layout of this website. I thought it was very professional and very easy to navigate. It had information for the publisher, journalist and advertiser, which many other websites do not show upfront. I also found it very helpful because of the package information was upfront, and there was a useful FAQ page.

PR Free

Although the word "Free" is in the title, there is nothing free about this site. The minimum "contribution" to distribute a press release is thirty dollars. Even though this is not a large amount, PR Free does not state how much it will cost until you have entered in your press release and are about to click "Submit." Nevertheless, this website is the only press release distribution service that is backed by "a true wire service, Eworldwire." It also states that it is the only press release service that actually has copywriters and people with journalistic experience working for them. PR Free also gives hints about what a good press rerelease is. In addition, it gives ten most common "blunders" that can make your press release be ignored.

Dena: At first I was impressed with this site, because it gives information about how to write and submit a press release. However, after I realized that it said it was free but then made you make a contribution to submit your press release, I felt deceived. Overall, it might be a good place to put your release but keep in mind that there might be better for free.

PR Leap

PR Leap is a fairly new company that was started in 2003 and is quickly growing. They have more than 30,000 organizations as of December 2007. PR Leap has discontinued their free service, but their paid service is not very expensive, only costing around fifty dollars. There is a small biography about the owners of PR Leap, and much more information about their company on the company blog. In addition, they have a very helpful question and answer page, where most questions about their services can be answered.

Dena: This website seems fairly simple, with basic information about the services. From looking at the blog I can tell that the owners really enjoy what they are doing, and seem to care about the user. They keep the user updated, by posting many articles on their blog. However, they did have some difficulties with their website last month because of "pay hold" bug, but the problem was fixed rather quickly.

FREE Press Release Wire Services

The Open Press

The Open Press is a very professional website that offers the distribution of press releases for free. The free press releases will only show the release with plain text and it will only be on The Open Press for six months. In addition, they reject about thirty percent of the press releases and do not allow you to fix your mistakes and repost. However, they do have another option, press release with stars, which puts your press release on The Open Press' PRO PR section. This ranks it higher on other websites, allowing for more viewers. The minimum price for this option is ten dollars and if you would like more stars, which gives you more options, then it is around fifty dollars. Another perk is that your press release will stay on the website for a year rather than six months. The Open Press also provides you with email alerts about your press release, making it easier to track.

Dena: Overall it seems to be very professional. It is a very helpful website, with how to write a release, and how to send it. It also gives you most of your options upfront. However, for being a free press release site it does have a lot of rules. When posting your article, there is an extensive list of "don'ts." One thing that I did find interesting is that there is no room to edit. If they do not like your article then they will not post it, and you do not have a chance to edit it; this is something that most other websites allow you to do.

Christine: Free postings to this site recently resulted in some great organic rankings on Google.

Newswire Today

There is no fee to make an account with Newswire Today, and also no fee to send out a press release. They offer the basic options for free press release distribution. For example, your submission is published in the order it was received, with third party advertisements. However, they do have a Premium option in which your press release is published the same day, with a company logo, statistics, and no third party advertisements. The Premium option can range from ninety-five dollars to four hundred dollars.

Dena: In comparison to the other free press release wire service websites, this one was the simplest to do. Even though I used their free option they published my press release rather quickly after I submitted it. One problem that I did come across was that the date of my press release was changed after I tried to resubmit. I tried to change it after editing, but it would not allow me to. However, there is a company number that you can call for all questions.

My Free PR

My Free PR offers free distribution of press releases. Its layout and navigation of this website is a little more complicated than the other sites. Every link that you click has another one that comes up, and then another one, and eventually you lose track of where you wanted to go. In addition, there is very little information about the actual website and what it can offer.

Dena: This website is confusing. Every time I wanted to see something on their site, it led me to another place. Also, when submitting a press release it does not have a place for keywords, making it harder for people to find your press release.

Beyond Wire Services

In addition to traditional PR sites, some trade and social media sites will let you post your release for free.

Pitchengine
We can't say enough about this new social media PR site. Because it's based on the Ning social media platform, Google indexed entries within a matter of hours. Releases posted on PitchEngine (pitchengine.com) often outrank wire service listings on search engine ranking pages. The site lets you create a newsroom for each company complete with graphics, logos and a description. Each release can contain photos, videos, and links to RSS feeds along with the release copy. It also provides social media forwarding icons and a shortened URL which you can use to pitch the media or on Twitter.

It's currently free to post a release on Pitchengine. There is a fee if you want to create a newsroomor archive the releases after 30 days.

Pro-Talk

A set of sites that is especially interesting for technology company releases is the Pro-Talk family of sites (pro-talk.com) Releases posted on EngineeringTalk and LaboratoryTalk have brought significant amount of traffic to our clients' websites in addition to a page rank=6 quality back link.

Hopefully these summaries will help you narrow down which press release wire service will be best suited for you. We will continue to update this list as more press release wire services come to our attention.

Christine Slocumb has 17 years of marketing, business development, and product management experience in Fortune 50 and startup firms. Christine has worked with technology firms on marketing strategy, business planning and marketing implementation. Clarity Quest is a leading technology marketing firm.

Dena Boutsikakis is a former marketing intern at Clarity Quest Marketing.

About the Author

how do you download videos from lime wire to itunes then to you i-pod nano video?

i already kno how to download videos on limewire ,but then i click on explore then open with and transfer to itunes. So then how do you put them on your i-pod .
I tried to select my ipod type under devices in itunes then on the tabs i clicked on movies and then i decided which videos i wanted but then it wouldn't work . it wasn't on my ipod !!!!!1 HELP!

If your video is not MPEG format of course it wont work. Find a software that convert AVI,MPG file to MPEG format. I have this website will help you find the software you need http://www.download.com/E-Zsoft-iPhone-Video-Converter/3000-2171_4-10748288.html

Its only free trial but yeah at least you get my point

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