The Pros And Cons Of Using A Press Release Distribution Service

If you are a Public Relations manager, you already know how much you wish you could engage the services of a ‘newswire’ to make your content go viral.

Day in, day out, you reminisce how your boss will like to see the quick results.

Yea. Really, Companies want to see their news releases and big announcements leveraged in syndication sites. We all want to go viral too.

But, let’s state it bluntly as it can be. Newswire services are good but WHO do you work for? Apple? Google? Tesla? If yes, then use the service! What kind of bow-legged budget do you have to begin to even conceive the idea?

Phew! Those newswire guys charge a ridiculous, cut throat sum!

Honestly, as a public relations manager, myself, I have always considered it a waste of money. While you might argue that you have the budget, I would maintain that the budget you’d want to use for just that one-off blast, would serve as my entire public relations budget for the year. So sorry, but the newswire services charge that much.

Take a look at the rate card of some popular ones and walk away with mouth-agape.

Oh well, if you have a comprehensive budget to support the cost of a distribution service, why not. Go for it.

But your money is often better spent on direct and relationship building with the media. The good old media relations! Human. Sustainable. Enduring. More effective.

Alright! This piece is about the pros and cons of PR software for your content distribution. So let’s get to it:

The Pros

• Wire distribution platforms can reach up to 100,000 media outlets in hundreds of countries. Therefore, high chances that some media outlets may pick up your press release and run it verbatim to their readers, giving you wider and wider exposure.
• The wire method can help you build the almighty SEO faster, which takes time to come by with other methods.
• If you have a very big announcement such as a national campaign launch, merger and acquisition etc, newswire press releases can be a surefire.

The Cons 

• One of the clear cons to using the wire is cost. Like the initial argument, everyone including ones who use the service is not sure it’s worth the expenses.
• Still on the cost, smaller or mid-size companies to spend thousands of dollars for a single story is not just ridiculous but unrealistic. Do you want your company to fold? Like the earlier posers, are you Apple? Google? or Tesla. Okay. Let’s bring it home. Are you Dangote, Rabiu? Otedola…you add to the list.
• Even for bigger companies that have the comprehensive budget to support the cost of a distribution service, it will likely be more worthwhile to engage a public relations consultant to share the news in a personalised way to the most relevant writers, instead.
• Don’t you think wide reach, this method of distribution boasts of is in theory? This is because we live in the Macluhan’s global village, which means there are chances it will fall on deaf ears.

The Conclusion

It’s not bad to use the wire services. In fact, if you have the budget and you just want to do some grand launch, please engage the services.

However, it is what it is. The good old media relations and relationship is still a miracle.

Still reach out to journalists and news editors in your industry. That way, content can be independently written, which when blasted will reach your target audience wherever they may be, penetrating like the magic bullet, you want the story to have.

Good luck.